Back to Articles Main Page

Of Fake Lego, Video Ads and Amazon in the Air

17 May 2019

You can get anything made in China. Anything.

That's me and Greg with a Giraffe at the Canton Fair in China a couple weeks ago.

Many factories will produce anything you ask for. And even help you get it out of the country. But then it's on you to get it into your country.

It's completely open commerce. But also totally wild west.

Maybe the mounting trade war pressure might force Chinese factories to start paying attention to patents and trademarks?

Maybe in the short term we will see a few more articles like thisĀ fake Lego ring being busted, in the media?

But long term, I see a trend of paper protections going away.

It is consumer dollars that create real protection for products.

We do want Amazon's brand registry though, so we have to play the trademark game for now. It will be interesting to watch this part of business change in time.

For this week, we'll be sharing these stories with you.

VIDEO SEARCH ADS ON AMAZON

Video search ads are already on Amazon.

But there's a beta program coming to make buying them easier.

This is old news on other eCommerce platforms like Taobao in China.
They actually are 10 steps ahead, and provide live, interactive video, for their big brands. It is an expected part of customer service there.

This is just the very beginning of video coming into the western eCommerce world.

Amazon's Video Search Ads

AMAZON's NEW PRIME AIR HUB

Amazon is really a logistics company. It's just wrapped up in an easy to use consumer package.

Like juice in a tetra pack drinking box. You buy it for the juice, but its really all about delivery.

Amazon this week, broke ground on a large air hub near Cincinnati. It has a 50 year lease on 900 acres of land there. And it can support about 100 planes.

There's a lot more of where this came from. Last week we mentioned their Uber for trucks. And how they're going after sea shipping in a big way.

The global shipping industry is an old, tangled mess that works despite itself.

Amazon is just getting started. We will be able to buy/sell anything, from any country, delivered within a day or two. Without thinking about all the ships, trucks, planes and borders like we do now. Can't wait!

Amazon's New Investment: an Air Hub