![]() Online merchants “expect the EU to clearly punish” Amazon for behavior they see as harmful, said Oliver Prothmann, the head of BVOH, the German association of online trade. But the EU investigation is further along and seen as Amazon’s first big test amid widening global scrutiny of the power of U.S. lawmakers.Īmazon also faces a Federal Trade Commission antitrust probe in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal in April reported that some Amazon employees had examined individual seller data when designing in-house products - prompting sharp questions from U.S. It’s also increasingly pushing its own line of private-label products, and critics have highlighted cases in which Amazon appeared to roll out copies of bestsellers offered by others. The coveted designation determines which offer - whether from Amazon’s own inventory, or that of a third-party merchant - is displayed to shoppers as the default option to buy a particular product.Īs the operator of the platform, Amazon controls a valuable trove of data of customer shopping habits and hit products, information that can help it jump ahead of smaller sellers. ![]() Regulators are wrestling with how to act against online giants that critics say run a rigged game when they set the rules for platforms that also host their rivals.ĮU officials have quizzed online merchants over the past year and a half to build a picture of how Amazon competes with its own sellers to win the “buy box” on its website. The world’s biggest online retailer is one of several technology firms that have attracted the scrutiny of the EU’s powerful competition watchdog. It will also let Amazon defend itself against the charges, the first and main opportunity to fight back against the EU case before officials rule on whether the company violated antitrust law. The complaint is expected to lay out investigators’ evidence into Amazon’s alleged misuse of merchants’ data on the online sales platform. retail giant may be shortchanging smaller merchants who sell on its marketplace, according to a person familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity. faces a formal antitrust complaint from the European Union, an important step in a long-running investigation that could pave the way for massive fines or changes to the company’s business model.ĮU regulators will send Amazon a so-called statement of objections in the coming weeks amid concerns the U.S. Separately, Germany's antitrust watchdog on Wednesday subjected the e-commerce giant to stricter supervision rules, saying Amazon's position is of outstanding, cross-market importance for Inc. The British regulator said its investigation would focus on three main areas, including how the Seattle-based company collects and uses third-party seller data and how it sets the eligibility criteria for selling under the Prime label. ( )Īmazon will give third-party sellers on its marketplace access to information that could help sell more products online, the FT said. ![]() The Financial Times on Wednesday reported that Amazon will share more data with rivals and offer buyers a wider choice of products as part of a deal with the EU. The investigation follows a current European Commission (EC) probe looking at similar concerns but which does not cover issues affecting Britain following Brexit, the CMA said, adding that it seek to liaise with the EC.ĮU antitrust regulators in November 2020 charged Amazon with distorting competition in online retail markets and opened a second investigation into the company's business practices. The Amazon logo is displayed on a sign outside the company's LDJ5 sortation center, as employees begin voting to unionize a second warehouse in the Staten Island borough of New York City, U.S. Millions of people across Britain use Amazon's services for fast delivery, the CMA said.Ī spokesperson for Amazon said the company would work closely with the CMA during its investigation, adding that sales from the company's selling partners continued to grow faster than Amazon's retail sales. ![]() "It's right that we carefully investigate whether Amazon is using third-party data to give an unfair boost to its own retail business and whether it favours sellers who use its logistics and delivery services – both of which could weaken competition," Sarah Cardell, general counsel at the CMA, said in a statement. tech giant.īritain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it opened an investigation on Tuesday into whether Amazon's practices that affect sellers on its domestic marketplace may be anti-competitive and result in a worse deal for customers. ![]() LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Britain's antitrust watchdog is investigating Inc (AMZN.O) on concerns it was hurting competition by giving its own sellers an unfair advantage in its marketplace over third parties, adding to global regulatory scrutiny of the U.S. ![]()
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