Amazon launched a new platform for merchants on Monday. Dubbed Amazon Storefronts, the new service allows customers to purchase products exclusively from the nearly 20,000 small and medium-sized businesses across the United States selling on Amazon.
The site curates the companies’ products in more than 25 categories, including Home, Kitchen, Grocery, Halloween, and Back to School. Customers can purchase anything from handmade felt ball garland to a levitating plant pot.
“Amazon first invited businesses to sell on Amazon nearly two decades ago, and today, small and medium-sized businesses are a vital part of Amazon’s large selection and commitment to customers,” said Nicholas Denissen, vice president for Amazon, in Monday’s announcement.
Each week, a new business owner will be featured on Amazon Storefronts with a video profiling the company, its founders, and its products. Kicking off the site’s launch is The Little Flower Soap Co., which sells handmade soap from Michigan. Since they started selling their products on Amazon (AMZN) in October 2016, the company’s sales have nearly doubled, said Holly Rutt, co-founder of Little Flower Soap Co.
The Little Flower Soap Co. also stars in Amazon’s first national TV commercial. The ad shows trucks and shipping containers featuring the soap company’s logo traversing the country, all while The Little Flower Soap Co.’s storefront is closed.
“Half of everything sold on Amazon comes from small and medium-sized businesses, just like mine,” Rutt says in the video.
Profiles of more business owners can be found on Amazon Storefront’s “Meet the Business Owner” section, categorized by Family-Focused, Artisans, Innovator-Makers, and Women-Owned Businesses.
