A PYMNTS Company

Amazon Uses Third-Party Items To Develop Its Own Products: WSJ

By  |  April 23, 2020

Amazon uses data from its vast network of third-party sellers to determine what new products it will create, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found. 

The probe found that some Amazon executives had access to seller data that was then used to discover bestselling items they might want to compete against. The executives also developed workarounds to Amazon’s internal restrictions to gain access to reports on individual seller data, as part of a practice dubbed “going over the fence,” the Journal reported. 

An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that without viewing the data provided to the Journal, it has no way to vouch for its authenticity, but added that the company has reviewed its records and found that store data for the products mentioned was aggregated and included multiple offers from sellers. 

Full Content: CNBC

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.