The coastal city of Seattle Washington, aptly nicknamed “The Emerald City,” is proudly called home to hundreds of thousands of American citizens. Aside from being the home of many ordinary people from all walks of life, the city is also the origin of a large number of world-famous famous people such as a wide range of musicians, Starbucks, Nordstrom, MLB's Seattle Mariners and others of course the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. However, the average person would not imagine that the figure who, in recent years, has truly brought the iconic city into the world spotlight is the online retailer Amazon.com. “What makes Amazon so important,” you might ask? Well, for the past two years the company has been named and recognized as not only the nation's number one online retailer, but also as "the largest online store on the planet" (O'Connor). Amazon, which is based in the city's south Lake Union neighborhood was started from scratch in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, a very smart Internet entrepreneur and investor. Bezos envisioned his company having some mass market appeal here in the United States instead of aiming to satisfy a specific market niche. For example, almost all Internet users are included in their target market as long as they have access to the Internet, a device capable of accessing the Internet (computer, smartphone or tablet), and a credit or debit card. They combined this very impressive marketing plan with their website offering a wide selection of products and an almost equal number of sellers operating as third-party partners or affiliates. All of this has helped provide the company with a good amount of points of difference… in the middle of the paper… the very essence of marketing dies. They have successfully begun to bridge the gap between the many wants and needs of the millions of shoppers who visit their website from all over the world by providing an easily accessible avenue or outlet to satisfy them. For their part, thanks to their efforts, they have been able to achieve various marketing goals and have triumphed more than competing companies in their industry could have ever dreamed of. Of course, this point could not have been reached without Amazon's effective blending of site simplicity, a wide range of product offerings, and an ever-increasing focus on customer satisfaction. Through these various points of difference, they have gained both a huge competitive advantage and a legion of avid fans. Amazon has indeed established its brand as a threatening figure within the retail industry as a whole.