{"id":341712,"date":"2017-05-23T22:13:12","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T14:13:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1494387"},"modified":"2017-05-23T22:13:12","modified_gmt":"2017-05-23T14:13:12","slug":"amazon-takes-on-etsy-with-a-new-shop-featuring-handcrafted-items-for-weddings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/amazon-takes-on-etsy-with-a-new-shop-featuring-handcrafted-items-for-weddings\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazon takes on Etsy with a new shop featuring handcrafted items for weddings"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Amazon this morning staked another claim in the billion-dollar wedding industry with the launch of a new Wedding Shop dedicated to\u00a0sales of handcrafted items, including d\u00e9cor, invitations, gifts, jewelry, accessories and more. The shop is an offshoot from the retailer\u2019s less than\u00a0two-year old\u00a0<\/a>Etsy competitor, Handmade at Amazon<\/a>, which aims to offer the same sort\u00a0of original, artisan-designed\u00a0products people have come to expect from the rival crafts marketplace.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising to see Amazon doubling down on the $300 billion wedding<\/a> industry \u2013 an area of its business where it\u2019s invested in the past, including with last year\u2019s revamp of its online wedding registry<\/a>, which now includes gift ideas, gift-giver tracking, an 180-day return policy, and support for adding products from other retailers\u2019 websites.<\/p>\n

With Handmade\u2019s new Wedding shop, Amazon is aiming for customers who are in search of\u00a0more personalized, one-of-kind items \u2013 the kind of things they made have otherwise turned to Etsy for, if shopping online.<\/p>\n

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The move also comes at a time when Etsy itself is coming under pressure to reduce its spending, grow sales, and generally start acting like a conventional, shareholder-focused company, Bloomberg recently reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That includes tackling the looming threat that\u2019s Amazon\u2019s foray into the \u201chandmade\u201d business. While some Etsy sellers declined to participate on Amazon\u2019s online shop out of principle, others found that staying with Etsy has limited their growth. Meanwhile, the lines between Etsy and more traditional retail are blurring now that the crafts marketplace has permitted some mass-produced goods on its site. The case to be made to these sellers now is \u2013 if you have to share virtual shelf space next to manufactured goods, why not do it on Amazon where you\u2019ll get more traffic and the potential to scale your business?<\/p>\n

With the new Wedding Shop, Amazon is breaking out a particular segment of the weddings industry and giving its own destination on its site. T<\/p>\n

he new storefront features venue and reception d\u00e9cor (like signs, table decorations, candles, confetti, etc.), invitations and other paper products, handmade jewelry, bridal and groom fashion accessories (hair accessories, hats, veils, sashes, handbags, garters, ties, cufflinks, etc.), and gifts and mementos for the wedding party.<\/p>\n

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A focus on wedding items also make\u00a0sense in terms of the bottom line. Because they\u2019re emotional purchases, not practical ones, consumers often tolerate spending more. Retailers typically cater to this sentiment by hiking prices on their end, knowing that shoppers will pay. For example, a recent study found<\/a> that retailers were charging 3.9 times more for items marked as \u201cwedding dresses,\u201d compared with dresses than were comparable in style, but not marketed as bridal attire. Similarly, bridesmaids dresses were marked up 1.8 times.<\/p>\n

The same price manipulation could apply to other wedding-related items, and adding \u201chandmade\u201d the equation, could potentially increase prices more. However, a quick browse of Amazon\u2019s shop finds that a number of the items listed are not heavily all that pricey\u00a0\u2013 while you might find a $400 veil, for example, it\u2019s listed alongside a $45 alternative or under $20 headpieces, like barrettes and combs.<\/p>\n

In fact, of the tens of thousands of products on the new site, the category with the most items (31,811 items at launch) is the \u201cunder $25\u201d grouping.<\/p>\n

Amazon says the new Wedding Shop<\/a> is only available in the U.S. \u2013 a country that accounts for $55 billion<\/a> of the industry\u2019s overall market share \u2013 but it can be shopped\u00a0by customers\u00a0worldwide, by visiting the U.S. Amazon site.<\/p>\n

Shares of Amazon were up<\/a> 0.4 percent in pre-market trading on Tuesday; Etsy stock was unchanged.<\/p>\n

Featured Image: Amazon<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" Amazon this morning staked another claim in the billion-dollar wedding industry with the launch of a new Wedding Shop dedicated to\u00a0sales of handcrafted items, including d\u00e9cor, invitations, gifts, jewelry, accessories and more. The shop is an offshoot from the retailer’s less than\u00a0two-year old\u00a0Etsy competitor, Handmade at Amazon, which aims to offer the same sort\u00a0of original… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

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