Amazon's bold pivot to own search by sending shoppers directly to external websites upends how we all know and use Amazon. Their strategic redirection doesn't just expand consumer options—it gives the retail giant unprecedented access to valuable shopping data. How they leverage that data is open to speculation. Some experts imagine this could open doors to 3PL fulfillment for brick and mortar, allowing Amazon an even greater ecommerce footprint. 

In a recent discussion about Amazon's latest search strategies, Ben Watson, Co-Founder of 9Bar Commerce Consultancy, offers insights into how the e-commerce giant might leverage its logistics expertise to revolutionize retail partnerships.

Another billion: Watson starts off by suggesting that Amazon’s new power from search data could extend its capabilities to serve smaller brick-and-mortar retailers that lack robust online infrastructure. "If Amazon can suddenly sell to the thousands of long tail brick and mortar stores that don't have the capabilities to create search functionality, that's significant," says Watson. "Amazon could help them clean up their data and handle the selling and fulfillment of products from their own stores, while taking a percentage—which is what they do. They take a clip on massive volume, and there's another billion dollars."

Sick of the work: Taking this concept further, Watson envisions even larger potential partnerships. "What if an executive at Kroger wakes up tomorrow and says, 'I'm sick of doing all this work. We can't make it happen. It's not profitable,'" he speculates. "Let's let Amazon come into our system and fulfill it for us. We take a percentage on all the products we have in our brick and mortar stores. They do the rest with their auction model on the front end."