As the U.S. and the European Union seem ready to move full steam ahead into antitrust proceedings, it is clear that they need a better understanding of how data is used and what actually constitutes the market they purport to have the expertise to regulate. Limiting Amazon’s ability to sell its own branded products or use of data, won’t apply only to Amazon. It will apply to all retailers, and it won’t make their shoppers any better off.
CVS Health provides over 2,500 over-the-counter health care products that offer savings to shoppers such as the option to purchase Ibuprofen over Advil or choices in the Beauty 360 product line. Target has 45 private labels including Market Pantry, Opalhouse and Archer Farms; Walmart’s stable of brands includes Equate, Sam’s Choice and No Boundaries; and, Lowe’s offers successful private labels including Kobalt, Harbor Breeze, and Allen Roth. All of these companies use data and retail analytics to determine which products to produce and sell.
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