Four short links: 3 May 2017
Amazon Economics, IoT Security, Counterfeit Numbers, and HUD Car Chase
- Economies of Density in E-Commerce: A Study of Amazon’s Fulfillment Center Network — We find that Amazon saves between $0.17 and $0.47 for every 100-mile reduction in the distance of shipping goods worth $30. In the context of its distribution network expansion, this estimate implies that Amazon has reduced its total shipping cost by over 50% and increased its profit margin by between 5% and 14% since 2006. Separately, we demonstrate that prices on Amazon have fallen by approximately 40% over the same period, suggesting that a significant share of the cost savings have been passed on to consumers.
- IoT Security Anti-Patterns — how to avoid your sales turning into a botnet, among other things.
- Trade in Counterfeit ICT Goods (OECD) — On average, 6.5% of global trade in information and communication technology (ICT) goods is in counterfeit products, according to analysis of 2013 customs data. That is well above the 2.5% of overall traded goods found to be fake in a 2016 report.
- HUD Car Chase Video — it’s amazing how close to Grand Theft Auto it is.
