We had a client that sold Bluetooth speakers. They were the second or third best
By Liranhirschkorn · April 24, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
We had a client that sold Bluetooth speakers.
They were the second or third best seller in the category at Target.
Then they tried Amazon. Not the same story.
The client was confused. Same product, same brand... why weren't they selling the way they did at Target?
Here's what they missed.
On the Target shelf, the retailer controls the traffic. You're competing against five or six products. The buyer already decided you belonged there. Brand recognition, packaging, and price do the work from there.
On Amazon, the algorithm controls the traffic. You're one result on a crowded search page. Every slot above the fold is a sponsored ad. Plenty of them are Chinese sellers pricing the same Bluetooth speaker at $30 when you're priced at $60.
Your brand doesn't walk into Amazon as the incumbent.
It walks in as one more listing.
That's the gap retail brands don't see coming.
They walk in expecting the equity they built on a shelf to translate into traffic on a marketplace.
It doesn't.
On a retail shelf, the buyer picks who you compete against.
On Amazon, the algorithm does.