Omnichannel is everywhere

As the editor of DSN, I decide what stays in print and what gets cut. Spatial limitations dictated that this snippet from our Amazon story had to go. But in the age of the omnichannel shopper, where every retailer competes against everyone else for a bigger share of the customer's wallet, how can you do an in-depth profile on the world's largest online retailer and not talk about omnichannel?

Amazon, even without stores, faces many of the same challenges as any other retailer. "It's certainly a concern," Chance Wales, director and category leader of U.S. health and beauty, told DSN as part of a wide-ranging interview. "Wherever the customer wants to be when they want to make a purchase — we want to be there."

While Amazon tests some pickup at retail solutions like Amazon Locker with such brick-and-mortar retailers as Rite Aid and others, its work with mobile is probably a better indication of where Amazon thinks it can win in health and beauty in the omnichannel space. "Our mobile app allows you to do a lot of the things you can do on the normal site — things like subscribe to an item, manage your subscriptions, etc.," all by scanning an item with a mobile device.

Why is Amazon on the cover of DSN? Amazon has redefined the customer experience in many categories and is becoming a force in health and beauty. In this issue, DSN takes a deeper dive into what it means to do business with Amazon and what success looks like in an all-digital environment.