Amazon making inroads in sales of ‘e-commerce immune’ items

Shoppers are increasingly turning to Amazon for purchasing bulky goods that traditionally haven’t sold all that well online.



According to research from One Click Retail, Americans are increasingly turning to the online giant to buy tools and home improvement, outdoor & sporting goods, and home appliances. In the tools and home improvement category, Amazon had an overall growth rate in 2016 of 35% over the previous year, compared to the U.S. domestic market's total growth of 6%. Sales of woodworking items rose 30%, while sales of garage storage products rose 35%.



“Though often seen as an Amazon-proof industry, the old-fashioned American hardware store is not untouchable," said Nathan Rigby, VP, One Click Retail, which specializes in eCommerce data measurement, sales analytics and search optimization for brand manufacturers. "Amazon has all the same advantages in the tools & home improvement sector that it has in grocery, beauty products and health care -- and we've seen plenty of evidence of those industries feeling the Amazon Effect. As more uber-connected millennials enter home ownership, Amazon's share of this product group, like many others, will continue to grow at a disruptive rate."



In the outdoor and sporting goods category, Amazon's 20% year-over-year growth in 2016 was four times the rate of the overall market, according to One Click Retail.



"Amazon understands that it's the consumer driving the company's success," added Rigby. "The ways they are innovating new services and offerings, they are doing so with one thing in mind: is this what the consumer wants? Amazon isn't just selling you the bike, they're selling you the service to professionally assemble it and deliver it to your door. It's no surprise that Amazon bike sales increase 50%."