Amazon recognizes small businesses
Some industry insiders criticize Amazon for relying too much on its third-party marketplace as a source of store brand inspiration, but this week the Seattle-based company shined a light on three small businesses that rely on the Amazon platform.
Called the Small Business Spotlight Awards, Amazon selected three companies out of 1,300 American small businesses that nominated themselves for the recognition. The companies were chosen for their inspiration, how they performed on Amazon, and how they earned the love of their customers.
The winners received a prize package that included six months of Amazon Strategic Account Services, credits toward Sponsored Products advertising and promotion on Amazon.com. Winners also were sent to Amazon HQ to meet executives and receive some personal training on the company’s tools.
The three winners are:
Small Business of the Year: nutpods. The Bellevue, Wash.-based company began by selling plant-based creamers on the site in 2015 but has grown into a small business with 24 employees and increased sales by 5,500% inside Amazon’s stores.
Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: 1818 Farms. The company sells handcrafted bath and lifestyle products via the Amazon Handmade channel and has doubled sales on Amazon year over year since 2017.
Small Business Owner Under 30 of the Year: Habit Nest. Selling journals that help people build better lifestyle habits, the Los Angeles-based company has seen a 300% growth since listing on Amazon in 2017.
In October, Amazon rolled out Amazon Storefronts, a destination for shoppers to American small businesses. It has products from nearly 30,000 companies. Amazon said small and medium-sized companies amassed nearly 60% of physical gross merchandise sold on the site in 2018.