Challenges ahead Amazon will face some challenges in the category, similar to ones it faced when it launched its electronics store, namely, competition from offline powerhouses. All of the major offline hardware chains have announced plans to begin selling online. But Amazon thinks it can win out by pushing customer service, Bisharat said. The in-store experience can be not that pleasant. It is an information-intensive category.
Prices can be high, and people want to make sure they get the best item.
Amazon launched a special gift section last holiday season, and has taken the idea further this year. Other features will allow consumers to send individually wrapped gifts with cards and personal messages, and let them ship to multiple addresses from a single check-out. After a year of first-class cruising on DSL, I got bumped back to steerage. Custom News ZDNet News brings you a summary of top headlines each business day. UltimateTV Digital video recording service from Microsoft.