The new Flow feature in Amazon\u2019s mobile app epitomizes just how aggressively the retail giant is pressing its technological advantage to win the market for everyday merchandise. Need more ketchup or dish soap? Just aim your camera at the empty bottle. Suddenly your whole house is an Amazon showroom.<\/p>\n
In a way, Flow is gimmicky: Most of this stuff has barcodes you could already scan at home, too. But every step Amazon takes to make buying smoother equals one more reason to skip a trip to the store. Says WIRED\u2019s Roberto Baldwin: \u201cIt\u2019s all part of the company\u2019s goal to take you from \u201d\u02dcI need that\u2019 to \u201d\u02dcI bought that\u2019 in less than 30 seconds.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s especially threatening to a store like CVS, which sells consumer packaged goods \u201d\u201d commodity products that everyone else stocks, too. CVS can\u2019t compete with Amazon on selection or price. It can\u2019t even compete on consumer desire to see and feel before they buy: Do you really need to hold that tube of toothpaste? The only advantage left is getting something right when you want it \u201d\u201d what retailers call the \u201ctop-off.\u201d\u009d The closer Amazon gets to on-demand \u201d\u201d imagine combing Flow with same-day delivery or vending machines \u201d\u201d the more CVS loses its last justification for maintaining physical stores.<\/p>\n