Amazon Today: A new frontier for brick-and-mortar

Successful brands connect with buyers across multiple channels, provide a seamless customer experience and harmonize digital and physical operations. 

Retailers should not underestimate the importance of an omnichannel strategy: 

A 2024 report shows that 75% of shoppers use both digital and physical touchpoints throughout their customer journey. This trend will only grow as it becomes easier to bridge physical and digital spaces.

To tap into this demand, brick-and-mortar businesses have used local inventory ads on search channels like Google, offered in-store pickup and implemented cross-channel loyalty programs.

Now there’s another lever to pull.

Businesses can list local products on one of the world’s largest marketplaces while fulfilling orders within hours. A new, game-changing program opens up the frontier of instant commerce – Amazon Today. 

Amazon Today lets retailers display their brick-and-mortar inventory on Amazon.com and offer local Same-Day Delivery and in-store pickup directly through the marketplace. 

The program also includes:

• Built-in customer service.
• Real-time inventory synchronization.
• Out-of-stock buffers.
• Capacity-management controls. 

Integrating brick-and-mortar locations with the online marketplace creates powerful synergies that benefit both retailers and customers:

• Retailers can expand their customer base by tapping into Amazon’s massive audience. Studies indicate approximately half of all product searches begin on Amazon. 
• Offering local pickup and Same-Day Delivery makes stores more accessible, encouraging online purchases while also driving in-store traffic for additional sales opportunities. In fact, one study showed that 47% of buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) users make an additional purchase at the store. This also opens up the opportunity to showcase in-store branding and customer service.
• By leveraging Amazon’s extensive logistics network for same-day fulfillment, retailers don’t need to build out their own infrastructure. They can also use their own branded packaging to keep the brand experience consistent. 
• Many consumers want to get their hands on products as soon as possible, and now they can – same-day fulfillment can be a big differentiator from competitors and puts brands on the radar for customers making time-sensitive purchases. Capital One Shopping reported that 80% of consumers expect retailers to offer same-day (or faster) delivery after purchasing online. 
• By using Amazon’s sophisticated retail media tools like Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display, retailers can make their products stand out and reach new audiences who may not have previously considered their offerings. These tools allow them to boost visibility, target specific customer segments and drive more traffic to listings.

For brands already selling on Amazon who have multiple retail locations, this integration is a natural next step. 

By turning your stores into micro-distribution centers, you get better stock utilization, access to a larger customer base and a smoother store-to-door strategy that offers the convenience customers are seeking. 

As an Amazon Today integration partner, Feedonomics can help you with the application process and quickly get this program up and running. 

You can use our full-service platform to pass through order information from Amazon to your store, optimize your product data, accurately categorize your products and protect your listings from errors.

Learn more about using Amazon Today with Feedonomics.