Amazon Selling Ad Space On Shipping Boxes

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
What do you guys think of this? I can see where like this could go horribly wrong. Imagine packages showing up on your doorstep with Viagra ads plastered all over them....or worse. ;)

Placing advertisements on boxes is a smart step, say analysts who see this relatively untapped market as a way for the brand to generate revenue and to get consumers talking. Whether it will become a trend within the e-commerce space or buoy Amazon's profitability is yet to been seen.
Click to expand...
 
Sometimes I hate analysts. I would say this better lower the cost of shipping, but I won't be holding my breath.
 
Doesn't bother me, it's not like I'm going to read them. I'm so numb to advertising at this point it no longer makes any impact at all.
 
Who is going to read these boxes? The shipping guys? The sooner I can open my box and get my goods the sooner that box goes in the trash.

If anything amazon needs to learn how to ship items in smaller boxes to save costs. Nothing is more infuriating than a midsized item in this giant shipping box with tons of cushioning. Waste of space.
 
I had an Amazon box come this week in a Minions box from that new movie. Doesn't bother me at all. it was kind of fun.
 
I'm okay with it so long as it prevents or delays the next price hike on my Prime membership.
 
I would rather get some different boxes in the mail. I say they should go for it, my pile of cardboard for recycling will look more festive.
 
I think it's a good idea for them....you can't help but see an ad on the box you're opening.

Any ads aren't gonna make me want to buy whatever crap is being advertised but if it helps with shipping costs or lowering the cost of prime I'm for it.

I don't toss most of the boxes myself. The smaller ones I save for shipping small packages and the bigger ones I keep for various things although I do recycle some.
 
Honestly, I give zero fucks. I don't look at the boxes anyway. Better on here than TV or Netflix.
 
The people who re-use the boxes for shipping things - think ebay sellers here - won't like this.
 
The local pizza places by me have been doing this for years now. I'm not sure how much they charge or if they only advertise for friends' businesses or whatever, but they stick fliers and business cards to the pizza boxes all the time.
 
Does anyone in business understand that just plastering your adverts anywhere doesn't mean you'll have customers? Especially the large mega businesses?
 
Skripka said:
Does anyone in business understand that just plastering your adverts anywhere doesn't mean you'll have customers? Especially the large mega businesses?
Click to expand...

Do you think movies and games would have $75+ million opening weeks without advertising? Plastering ads everywhere works, that is why companies keep going it.
 
^ As one example of that above, I had no idea when the Minions movie was coming out until this thread. Now I am making plans to go take my kid to see it :eek:
 
Skripka said:
Does anyone in business understand that just plastering your adverts anywhere doesn't mean you'll have customers? Especially the large mega businesses?
Click to expand...

So true. Very very few ads have made me the slightest bit interested in whatever they're advertising. At best I might think what I see is neat and find a cheap knock off on Amazon.

Well having ads on boxes would make them look less plain anyway lol......like having a pattern instead of a solid color.
 
Phoenix333 said:
The people who re-use the boxes for shipping things - think ebay sellers here - won't like this.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about this. I have several hundred amazon boxes on hand of various shapes and sizes that I use when shipping things. I dont mind the amazon tape wrapped around it, but having adverts for other things could be a bit much for my purposes. Amazon had already lost some of its luster in my eyes anyway once they started charging sales tax in my state even though they still dont have a physical presence here to my knowledge.
 
Ieyasu said:
I was thinking about this. I have several hundred amazon boxes on hand of various shapes and sizes that I use when shipping things. I dont mind the amazon tape wrapped around it, but having adverts for other things could be a bit much for my purposes.
Click to expand...

Flip the box inside out.
 
ocellaris said:
Do you think movies and games would have $75+ million opening weeks without advertising? Plastering ads everywhere works, that is why companies keep going it.
Click to expand...

I've been to a movie theater 3x in the last 10 years...and those were only the Hobbit flicks that I knew about due to knowledge of them. I've never bought a Budweiser, or Miller beer even though they plaster the airwaves and billboards constantly. I don't buy coke or pepsi based on what ads are run, only on what is cheapest that week at the store, them spending billions doesn't change that...same with viagra....same with pretty much anything.

I suppose I'm a unique snow flower in that I don't go out and buy any and everything willy-nilly because an advertisement is put in front of me.


Advertising "works" a great deal less than advertising companies would have companies believe.
 
no issues at all, unless my package gets delivered to Stewart the minion instead of me.
 
They are desperate and have to find some way to make money. Amazon makes no profit most years, its all a house of cards :)
 
For all the naysayers I can see this working to certain types of companies and products advantages ... as someone already noted this is an excellent way to advertise movies and TV shows (which Amazon also sells once they are released to streaming and disc) ... books, magazines, and comics could also be advertised this way (and Amazon sells all three) ... product advertising might be trickier but I am sure that Amazon can favor products that they sell or products in the new stores they periodically open

If Amazon could figure out an effective way to link the advertising to the purchase (car products gives you car advertising ... books or movies give you books or movies ... etc) then this could actually be fairly effective
 
MrCrispy said:
They are desperate and have to find some way to make money. Amazon makes no profit most years, its all a house of cards :)
Click to expand...

Most of the Amazon lack of profit is due to their constant expansion and reinvestment in the company ... if they decide to sit on their laurels then they would be profitable (for awhile at least) ... however, they are also in the retail business ... the largest retail company (Walmart) only makes a few percent profit on nearly half a trillion dollars of revenue ;)
 
kbrickley said:
Most of the Amazon lack of profit is due to their constant expansion and reinvestment in the company ... if they decide to sit on their laurels then they would be profitable (for awhile at least) ... however, they are also in the retail business ... the largest retail company (Walmart) only makes a few percent profit on nearly half a trillion dollars of revenue ;)
Click to expand...

This. Amazon is not profitable because it continues to be run like a startup. And rightly so. THey have NOTHING unique about their business other than market presence, and in the retail space that is a fickle thing (See Best Buy, Sears, Circuit City and others as proof). They continually innovate and try new things. Not all work out (Fire Phone), some are mixed (kindle fire), and some are insane hits (Prime, Kindle and Kindle books).
 
Skripka said:
I've been to a movie theater 3x in the last 10 years...and those were only the Hobbit flicks that I knew about due to knowledge of them. I've never bought a Budweiser, or Miller beer even though they plaster the airwaves and billboards constantly. I don't buy coke or pepsi based on what ads are run, only on what is cheapest that week at the store, them spending billions doesn't change that...same with viagra....same with pretty much anything.

I suppose I'm a unique snow flower in that I don't go out and buy any and everything willy-nilly because an advertisement is put in front of me.


Advertising "works" a great deal less than advertising companies would have companies believe.
Click to expand...
I'm the same way. I honestly don't remember the last time I made a purchasing decision because of an advertisement. The market is so saturated these days that they're just background noise. Sometimes they can be entertaining, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to rush out and buy what you're selling just because you made me chuckle for a second.
 
As long as the ad's are tasteful, I could care less. It's just a box :)
 
Modred189 said:
This. Amazon is not profitable because it continues to be run like a startup. And rightly so. THey have NOTHING unique about their business other than market presence, and in the retail space that is a fickle thing (See Best Buy, Sears, Circuit City and others as proof). They continually innovate and try new things. Not all work out (Fire Phone), some are mixed (kindle fire), and some are insane hits (Prime, Kindle and Kindle books).
Click to expand...

Yep ... Amazon has now become one of the largest 20 retailers ... if they can break into the top 10 or the top 5 then they will be very safe ... for all people's complaints about Walmart they are unstoppable at this point ... their revenue exceeds that of more than 160 countries ... Amazon doesn't need to be that large to survive safely but in retail size definitely matters :cool:
 
Most of my Amazon orders are shipped via Ontrac. Ontrac likes to just leave boxes on my porch in plain which is 10 feet from the sidewalk and near a large apt complex. There is a fair amount of theft in the area based on the demographics. I can't have Amazon packages delivered to my home so I have them sent to work. I work for a large Credit Union in IT. I can't really have my packages showing up with random vibrant boxes... Oh well.
 
Armenius said:
I'm the same way. I honestly don't remember the last time I made a purchasing decision because of an advertisement. The market is so saturated these days that they're just background noise. Sometimes they can be entertaining, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm going to rush out and buy what you're selling just because you made me chuckle for a second.
Click to expand...

ZOMG! IT IS THE FONZ!!!!!1111 HE'S HAWKING "REVERSE MORTGAGES"!!!!1111

Sorry, have to go mortgage my house back to the bank now. Right. Now.
 
Quix said:
...it no longer makes any impact at all.
Click to expand...

Sure it does, you just don't know it. You're still being SMOKE bombarded by subliminal advertizing SMOKE on a daily basis. SMOKE
 
Fun said:
Sure it does, you just don't know it. You're still being SMOKE bombarded by subliminal advertizing SMOKE on a daily basis. SMOKE
Click to expand...

I really don't think that kinda advertising actually works. People are desensitized to the vast majority of ads they see and simply ignore them. Assuming that there's a subconscious impact gives people credit for having a lot more mental capacity than they actually possess.

Anyway, ads on boxes are pretty much not something I'd care about either. A lot of stuff that shows up in the mail is stuffed with little advertising leaflets and junk anyway so whatever, go for it Amazon.
 
jpm100 said:
An ebay guy who needs that many boxes is a deal flipper and making it harder for them is a bad thing?
Click to expand...

What?

I don't sell a lot on eBay, but when I sell a thing, I need a box to ship said thing. Since I buy quite a bit of stuff on Amazon, and Amazon uses all sorts of different sizes and shapes of boxes, Amazon ends up being a good source for said box to ship said thing. Certainly preferable to going down to the local "Please rape my ass!" shipping store and buying a box from those savages.
 
Parja said:
What?

I don't sell a lot on eBay, but when I sell a thing, I need a box to ship said thing. Since I buy quite a bit of stuff on Amazon, and Amazon uses all sorts of different sizes and shapes of boxes, Amazon ends up being a good source for said box to ship said thing. Certainly preferable to going down to the local "Please rape my ass!" shipping store and buying a box from those savages.
Click to expand...
All true, but do you think someone on Ebay is going to care? Personally, I always wrap my packages (for any purpose not just ebay) in a brown paper bag anyway, so it's not like the box is even visible.
 
I think there is a heap of difference between "selling ad space" and a company throwing a shit ton of money at Amazon to promote their movie. Yes at the end of the day it is still an ad, but as long as my box doesn't start looking like a Nascar driver's suit I don't think ads on boxes are a big deal.
 
Modred189 said:
All true, but do you think someone on Ebay is going to care? Personally, I always wrap my packages (for any purpose not just ebay) in a brown paper bag anyway, so it's not like the box is even visible.
Click to expand...

The biggest possible problem is USPS might care.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top