Own-brand devices prove popular for Amazon on Black Friday

Tuesday, December 5, 2017 - 09:58 by Mike Price

Amazon is not just a site that offers safe shopping online; it is a global brand responsible for a growing range of associated products and services, from e-book readers and tablets to smart speakers and beyond. So it is no surprise to see that some of the items it has developed in-house were among the biggest sellers over the Black Friday weekend this year.

Tech Radar reports that the list of the 20 most popular products throughout this much hyped sales event was packed with Amazon devices, including the Echo Dot speaker and Fire HD range of tablets.

Even the recently released Echo Show managed to crack into the ranks of the best selling products, in spite of the fact that it has received only a modicum of coverage in the media. This shows the sheer power that Amazon’s e-commerce presence wields at the moment.

Of course, it is worth pointing out that a lot of this is down to the fact that it has begun to quietly eliminate a lot of its biggest competitors from its listings altogether. So people looking to buy the Google Chromecast streaming stick from Amazon will be disappointed.

This could be seen as problematic, although with plenty of other options available from smaller brands it is not as if this is an entirely enclosed monopoly that is being operated.

Savvy consumers will be more than capable of finding the products they want from other outlets, even if they have been loyal customers of this US firm for some time. And the competition generated by Amazon’s presence on the market helps to keep prices low elsewhere, which is good for shoppers who want to bag a bargain at any time of year, not just during Black Friday.