Amazon’s Bold Move: Sending Shoppers to Brand Websites—What It Means
Amazon is testing a new beta feature in the U.S. that directs shoppers to brands’ own websites when a product isn’t available on Amazon. Instead of keeping all traffic in-house, Amazon is now helping brands drive direct sales—a significant shift in strategy.
This feature is available to brands that use ‘Buy with Prime’ on their site and those that don’t, making it open to a broad range of businesses. But what does this mean for brands, Amazon, and shoppers?
What This Means for Brands
For years, brands had to rely on Amazon’s marketplace, with little control over their traffic. Now, they have the opportunity to:
Drive more direct sales – Customers can buy directly from brand websites, giving businesses control over pricing, customer data, and the shopping experience.
Showcase a wider product range – Brands are no longer limited to what Amazon stocks.
Leverage ‘Buy with Prime’ – Prime benefits, such as fast and free delivery, can still apply, making direct sales more appealing to customers.
Reassess marketing budgets – With Amazon now influencing sales both on its platform and externally, brands may see Amazon Ads as a broader investment opportunity to drive more traffic.
One key challenge: with increased traffic to their own websites, brands need to ensure a seamless and optimised online shopping experience to convert visitors into customers.
What This Means for Amazon
At first glance, directing traffic away may seem counterintuitive, but this move aligns with Amazon’s larger strategy.
Becoming a product search engine – Amazon is evolving beyond being just a retailer; it’s becoming a shopping gateway, where people search for products whether sold on Amazon or elsewhere.
Complicating price matching – With prices varying on brand websites, Amazon may need to rethink its price-matching policies.
Shifting from competition to collaboration – Previously, Amazon restricted brands from directing traffic elsewhere. Over time, it allowed external links via Brand Stores, and now it is embedding those links directly into search results. This marks a major shift from competing with brands’ D2C sales to becoming part of their strategy.
What This Means for Shoppers
For customers, this change makes online shopping even more seamless:
More convenience – Instead of hitting a dead end when a product is unavailable, they are redirected to the brand’s website to purchase directly.
Prime benefits still apply – If the brand offers Buy with Prime, customers can still get fast, free delivery.
A wider selection of products – Shoppers can access the full range a brand offers, rather than being limited to what Amazon stocks.
What Brands Should Consider
With Amazon actively driving traffic to brand websites, businesses need to prepare for this shift:
Ensure websites are fast, mobile-friendly, and optimised for conversions.
If eligible, integrating Buy with Prime can help maintain customer trust and improve conversion rates.
Maintain consistent pricing across platforms to avoid confusion.
Leverage customer data from direct traffic to improve marketing and retention strategies.
Reassess advertising investments, as Amazon Ads now play a role in both Amazon and direct-to-consumer sales.
Final Thoughts
Amazon is repositioning itself beyond just a retailer, prioritising customer convenience and integrating with brands’ D2C strategies rather than competing with them.
For brands, this is an opportunity to gain more control over their sales and data, but only if they are prepared to handle direct traffic effectively.
This feature is currently in beta in the U.S., but if successful, it could roll out more widely—fundamentally changing how both brands and shoppers engage with Amazon.
🔗 Original Annoncement: Amazon Announcement
