Category Archives: Amazon

What Happens to Amazon, Alibaba and Brands When Agents Do the Buying (Tech Strategy – Podcast 302)

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In Tech Strategy Podcast 302, digital AI strategy consultant Jeffrey Towson examines what happens to Amazon, Alibaba and brands when agents do the buying, identifying Grok bot and AI assistants as the iPhone moment for agentic commerce. Buyers increasingly delegate shopping decisions, causing many brands to lose human customers, attention, data and brand equity while needing to sell to agents, with wins limited to areas humans do not delegate. Agents weaken marketplaces like Amazon but strengthen platforms such as YouTube and payments, and Alibaba remains ahead of Amazon in most agentic commerce capabilities as part of digital AI transformation strategy.

Alibaba vs. Amazon in Agentic Commerce: Every Merchant Gets an AI Team (Tech Strategy) (2 of 2) (Tech Strategy)

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In this analysis of Alibaba vs. Amazon in agentic commerce, digital AI strategy consultant Jeffrey Towson examines how Alibaba equips every Taobao and Tmall merchant with an AI team of six “AI employees” for data analysis, marketing, CRM, design, customer service, and order handling, while Amazon advances its Seller Assistant. Both companies are advancing merchant tools, yet Alibaba’s deeper integration and higher usage numbers stand out alongside advantages in messenger platforms like DingTalk and foundation models such as Qwen. The article highlights Amazon’s clear lead in cloud and chips via AWS as part of a broader digital AI transformation strategy that shows China pointing the way for US agentic commerce.

Amazon vs Alibaba: Who’s Winning in Agentic Commerce? (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy)

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Digital AI strategy consultant Jeffrey Towson compares Amazon and Alibaba in agentic commerce, noting Alibaba leads in six capabilities including autonomous agent shopping through Qwen connected to Taobao, Tmall, and Alipay, while Amazon leads in AI-assisted shopping with Alexa. Alibaba’s broader ecosystem of services, Ant Group payments, wearables, and Amap mapping give it advantages over Amazon’s stronger cloud and chips position via AWS. This analysis forms a key part of understanding digital AI transformation strategy as agents shift from recommendations to completing purchases.

Valuing Amazon (Part 2): Good Frameworks for Intangible Assets (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)

In Part 1, I raised the problem of intangible assets in valuation and financial analysis. Value creation follows from growth, ROIC and RONIC, where the IC stands for Invested Capital. But how do you figure out the capital spent on intangible assets (also called Intangible Assets). And how to do you separate past from future […]

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Amazon, Tencent and When Rate of Learning Becomes a Competitive Advantage (Tech Strategy – Podcast 131)

In this week’s episode, Jeff Towson dives deep into the concept of the rate of learning as a competitive advantage, a significant shift from its origins in production-intensive products to a digital necessity. He explores how Amazon and Tencent have harnessed this capacity, transforming it into a formidable competitive tool. The episode offers insightful perspectives on the ‘smile marathon’, the experience effect, and the emergence of the rate of learning as a key competitive advantage.

What Xiaomi Can Learn About Strategy from Apple and Amazon (Tech Strategy – Podcast 130)

In this insightful piece, Jeff Towson explores what Xiaomi, despite its strong management team and innovative approach, can learn from the strategies employed by Apple and Amazon. He underscores the importance of a clear, effective strategy, something he believes these two tech giants excel at. Furthermore, he brings attention to the vital role that artificial intelligence (AI) plays as a strategic tool in today’s digital business landscape.