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Amazon.com debuts dedicated site for cell phone sales
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Online retailer Amazon.com announced a major new effort to sell mobile phones and service via a new, dedicated website: AmazonWireless.com. The site, currently in testing, offers more than 100 phones from AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, though the company promised to expand to additional carriers at an unspecified future date.
The launch of AmazonWireless tracks with wireless expansions by other brick-and-mortar retailers. Indeed, Best Buy recently announced it will open 40 new, stand-alone Best Buy Mobile outlets this fiscal year, while Wal-Mart has moved aggressively in the space and currently offers wares ranging from TracFone's prepaid portfolio to AT&T's iPhone.
Nonetheless, Amazon.com promises its endeavor will stand out: "We've taken our eight years' experience selling cell phones to create a new site that makes a potentially confusing transaction much easier for customers," said Paul Ryder, vice president of consumer electronics for Amazon.com. "The step-by-step purchase process on AmazonWireless makes it easy for customers who already have a plan to upgrade their phones. If you want to establish new cell phone service, we've made it simple to find the right phone, service plan and options for your needs. We've also eliminated the technical jargon and frustrating rebate paperwork that customers often face when buying a phone."
Specifically, the company said it will offer "shopping without rebate hassles" (which may endear the site to those who struggle with carriers' sometimes arcane rebate requirements) and free two-day shipping.
Indeed, a cursory perusal of AmazonWireless showed a clear layout and a smooth shopping process. Further, a price check on one of AmazonWireless' featured devices--the Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Storm--showed the site's price of $49.99 with a new, two-year contract undercut Verizon's own online offer ($149.99) as well as Best Buy's ($99.99), and matched that from Wirefly.com ($49.99). However, it was just above LetsTalk.com's $29.99 online offer.
AmazonWireless is just the latest gambit by Amazon.com to play in wireless; the company offers wireless access to its main site via a variety of methods, and it recently entered the hardware game with its wireless Kindle e-reader.
For more:
- see this release
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Comments
Posted by Anonymous | July 9, 2009 - 12:54pm
THe Phoenix did rise and so will Motorola. If Nokia decides to go for the CDMA and WiMAX market Blackberry is dead. THere is a guy who used to work at Lucent who has a patent of a device that looks, works better than the Blackberry. I understand he did a poor-man's patent and told RIM about it and when their attorneys went checking they found nothing and the guy told them what he did and they asked to see it, but he told them nope and referred them to the folks at Bell Labs he showed it to where he was an employee of Lucent in sales some where in Southern California.
My sources tells me that the guy is about to launch a WIMAX company in Barbados and that is when he will give the info to the company whose equipment he will be using; who else- Moto.
My friend told me this guy si a visionary of sorts and has the phone being used by blind folks and those with other physical impairments.
The guy has put together has put together a strong team with one of the individuals is the guy that built Earthlink, another one is the guy who invented WiMAX (Dr. Hatim Zaghloul) patent trolling company Wi-LAN.
RIm and Palm as well as other handheld mfgs should worry. Their saving grace is that the guy is all about the technology and does care about patent suits. THey better hope Dr. Zaghloul does not get him to change his mind.
Posted by DeadCellZones.com | July 9, 2009 - 3:21pm
I would like to suggest a mobile retailer think "out of the box" and actually try to adding some value to the buying process. How about helping your customers make decisions about which carrier has the best coverage in their home or office?
Posted by KathyLapping | July 23, 2009 - 6:22am
I'd have to say that the best coverage in most of America is from Net10, I get signal wherever I am. I travel all the time for work and Net10 has signal in even the remote parts where the other carriers usually don't get signal. Amazon.com hasn't said anything about selling Net10 as a brand but as a confirmed user I hope they do.
Posted by Anonymous | July 31, 2009 - 3:09pm
i think amazon.com is a better company then letstalk.com. a simple google search shows letstalk.com is a big scam of a company
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