People have a very fixed image in their minds of what Amazon is. Look, Levi's can't sell shirts. McDonald's can't sell pizza. And I think it's going to be a similar, if not more difficult, leap for Amazon to sell other things. More difficult, in part, because branding a store is especially tough on the Web, retail experts say.
Signs can trumpet new arrivals.
On the Internet, every customer walks into the store through a portal, or computer screen, rarely bigger than 19 inches in diameter. It's simply harder to wow on the Web, retail observers say. That's heresy to Bezos, who raises no white flag over his efforts to become the ultimate superstore. That growth potential is virtually unlimited, said J.P. Morgan's Wyman. You will not be charged to look for stories, only to retrieve one.