Amazon Webstore Closing - How and Why Did It Happen?

Bad news travels fast. Thus, the news about Amazon Webstore closure has flown around the world with speed of light. Started in the early 2010s, Amazon’s e-Commerce solution was a promising shopping cart with an online retailer #1 backing it up. However, if there’s one area where Amazon wasn’t acting with flying colors, it was providing an e-Commerce platform for others.

Amazon Webstore was intended to become a perfect solution for small/middle-size businesses. For $79 a month + sales charges, typically between 2.1% and 2.9%, merchants were offered to create a “quick to design, simple to build and easy to manage full-featured e-Commerce store using Amazon’s technology”.

Apparently, Amazon couldn’t create an appealing product for e-retailers. During its operational years, it gathered only a few hundred active users, while Amazon Webstore alternatives attracted hundreds of thousands.

In addition to that, many users reported less-than-positive experiences of platform’s usage. According to its clients, Amazon Webstore had been way too “amazonish”, expensive and a bit functionally outdated. The result of such a state of affairs became evident in early 2015, with a notice on its official website announcing its closure:

Consequently, following its launch, Amazon canceled the possibility to create new stores and suggested companies to consider moving their businesses elsewhere. Hence, the massive migration from Amazon Webstore has begun.

The Reasons of Amazon Webstore Closing

Generally, the fact of Amazon Webstore failure could be referred to 3 reasons: “amazonishness”, lack of innovations and price.

Amazonishness. Amazon Webstore was way too much connected to the Internet retail giant - the flow, the structure, the user experience and the checkout process were easily recognizable as “amazonish”. On theory, Amazon branding should gain credibility to the store. Instead, it’s been stealing customers. And though Webstore users could maintain the presence of their own brand on the website, the parental logo was always nearby. As a result, customers often decided to buy directly from Amazon instead.

Lack of innovations. Having a robust set of features at its inception, Amazon Webstore, unfortunately, did very little to expand its possibilities over time. Whilst its nearest competitors were actively developing and building more and more compelling features, Amazon just couldn’t compete. Thereby, in recent times Amazon Webstore was often accused of being cumbersome and functionally out-dated, which caused even higher rate of users outflow.

Price. First of all, $79 a month was hardly a competitive price, considering that leading platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce typically offer plans starting around $29 (as well as more extensive options). Secondly, the 2.1% - 2.9% sales charge, which required a tribute to Amazon for EVERY single transaction, made things even worse. Logically, expenses would grow with sales. But was it worth it?

Where to Migrate from Amazon Webstore?

Since the Amazon Webstore shutdown was inevitable, and users are actively seeking appealing platforms for migration, we prepared a list of Top Amazon Webstore Alternatives. Having all main criterias considered, including integration with FBA and Amazon Payments, it’ll become a handy migration guide for every owner of Amazon Webstore. Also, you may take a look at a detailed Amazon Webstore infographic where we compare basic features of 4 most probable alternative shopping carts.

Means of Amazon Webstore Migration

When an alternative shopping cart is chosen, it’s time to decide upon the way of migration: manual or automated. The first one would be a good choice for small stores with no more than 50 products. Otherwise, we’d recommend to consider performing automated migration. Unlike manual migration, automated data transfer is paid, however its more reliable and enables to move any quantity of products and other entities in terms of a several hours or less. Our service offers the possibility to migrate from Amazon Webstore to over 60 of the world’s most popular platforms -- and switch from Amazon Webstore to Magento, for example -- with no technical skills required. If hesitate, try out how everything works and perform a free Demo Migration moving a limited number of products in 10 minutes of time.

Monthly Update – September 2025

As we move into Q4 2025, the focus for e-commerce success is increasingly on optimizing the post-purchase experience and leveraging advanced analytics. Customers now expect real-time order tracking, personalized communication updates, and hassle-free return processes. Implementing robust post-purchase solutions not only reduces customer service inquiries but also transforms a one-time buyer into a loyal advocate. Furthermore, in an era of abundant data, understanding customer behavior through sophisticated analytics is paramount. Merchants are utilizing tools that go beyond basic sales reports, delving into user paths, conversion funnels, and product performance to make informed decisions about inventory, marketing strategies, and website enhancements. This analytical approach ensures that every aspect of the online store, from product display to checkout, is continuously refined for maximum efficiency and customer satisfaction. Ensuring your e-commerce platform supports integrations with leading post-purchase and analytics tools can significantly impact your store's growth and profitability. When considering a platform migration, prioritize systems that offer flexibility for these critical integrations, allowing you to build a truly data-driven and customer-centric operation.

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