Amazon has got its feet in almost every digital industry, from the world of streaming and consumer purchases, to video games. The company continues to expand, buying and creating new platforms for the public to engage with; Even if they don’t know that Amazon is behind them!
The company isn’t completely secretive about its projects, but that doesn’t mean it’s immediately obvious that Amazon is actually the company that owns the websites and apps. These brands, products, and locations can be found within Amazon’s assets, and they corner their individual markets in a massive way.
Comedy Science
It’s pretty well known these days that ComiXology is Amazon’s, but the comic book brand is a complete stranger. It’s been owned by Amazon for much longer than consumers actually realize. It only became more prominent recently as the service was destroyed to make way for the Amazon Comic Store.
It looks as if they just bought it, and the recent transformations were due to this sudden change. But in truth, Amazon actually bought the company in 2014 and made slow changes to the platform without anyone knowing their role.
Billy
For those who have purchased cosmetics via Amazon, they may be familiar with the line known as Belei. However, the company is definitely trying to create a site separate from the consumer platform, with its branding and company information setting itself apart from Amazon.
Perhaps that’s because consumers don’t traditionally associate it with the brand responsible for the likes of Amazon Prime for creating beauty products, but Belei has become a heavyweight industry, and it’s growing in the market because of its unique selection of items.
Zappos
Zappos has firmly established itself as a great brand for consumers looking for comfortable footwear. While it occasionally expanded into other lines, Zappos eventually was all about shoes, growing a huge online presence in its early digital days.
However, in 2009, Amazon bought Zappos, without making any major changes to the brands. For most consumers, they may not have noticed the difference, but Zappos is now a subsidiary of Amazon, allowing it to expand into a different field again. Don’t be surprised if some Zappos shoes appear on Prime’s latest hits.
Avalon Books
Avalon Books has been very popular in the publishing industry. It was an imprint owned by Thomas Bouregy & Co. , Inc. Best known for its sci-fi and fantasy shows, more than 3,000 titles were brought to the market. Its infrastructure was something Amazon looked to for support.
Because of the great structure that was created, Amazon bought the brand in 2012, as most consumers didn’t actually know there was a change. While the titles of the 1950s and 1960s continue to hold true today, Amazon redesigned the company as part of Amazon’s publishing division.
Goodreads
Speaking of books, Amazon has continued to move into the world of publishing with Goodreads. Millions of people use the platform to try to understand what they will read next. It is one of the largest review sites available for a full range of novels and non-fiction editions.
The public will be very familiar with Goodreads in its current form, and it hasn’t evolved much even since Amazon bought it. The company bought Goodreads in 2013, but it has continued to grow, becoming a number one stop for book lovers.
Box Office Mojo and IMDb
IMDb may have a deal with Amazon Prime which means information about the cast appears at the bottom of the screen, but most audience members would assume it was a great partnership, unlike a company that Amazon actually runs.
While Box Office Mojo is clearly an IMDb asset, there is no marketing showing that the online movie database is actually Amazon itself. In fact, IMDb fans today know that it was built by Amazon, with the database purchased in 1998.
Godthreads
Goodthreads is another example of an Amazon brand that might appear on the platform, but consumers certainly wouldn’t assume that Amazon actually makes the clothes. The company was founded in 2017 to help expand Amazon’s grip on the apparel market.
While its website is via Amazon, for those looking for clothing on the platform, many might assume it’s a market-sponsored brand, unlike Amazon’s idea. While it does sell unisex merchandise, the brand has largely attracted a much larger male audience.
Twitch
Twitch has become a major player in the gaming community, with the streaming service outperforming all its competitors and adding something to the market that few others can match. Not surprisingly, Amazon wanted to start with this procedure.
TwitchTV seems to be its own brand, with no crossovers with Amazon. But it’s largely Amazon that defines modern Twitch, since the company bought the streaming site in 2014, just before the big industry boom they could capitalize on.
a curse
Curse is a much larger brand, a group of gaming sites that interact with audiences and fans, creating a much larger community that has turned into merchandise and collectibles. They’re a huge force with Fandom since they acquired some of their assets for their own use.
But it was Amazon that made the biggest purchase of 2016, with Curse linked to its sister company Twitch, to continue adding to the gaming industry in its own unique way. It is now being sold more to companies like Overwolf, with Curse changing its look.
shake
Wag is a relatively new dog food brand that was introduced to the market in 2018. It is a huge segment to attract customers from, as pet owners are always looking for new nutritious treats to feed their close friends. Wag tried to fill that gap at Amazon.
Amazon was the one who created the company, but when consumers buy food through the platform, they have no idea that this is another product created and owned by the same website. Over time, Amazon will continue to expand into each market so that they can sell more of their branded merchandise over competitors.
