The Washington Post Company (WPO), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Jeff Bezos Can Do More Than Just Innovate

It’s not like Bezos has just purchased some local rag, but a notable change in content or tone could be the impetus that people need to pick up the paper. Again, he should be able to draw on the experiences that he’s had at Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) to work on differentiation.

In 2009, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) picked up Zappos, an online shoe retailer. The draw of Zappos wasn’t just its prices or distribution, it was the content and tone of the company that made it stand out from the competition. Zappos was heavily focused on customer service, and upon making the purchase, Bezos said, “Zappos has a customer obsession which is so easy for me to admire.”

The bottom line
That focus on the customer and consumer combined with Bezos’ market-grabbing background could be all he needs to get the Post back to its former glory. Sure, he’s going to push online and make digital a priority, but there are more fundamental retail ideals that Bezos can bring to bear on the newspaper to help it grow. In fact, I think he would be better off setting the innovation aside and getting the fundamentals repaired before he dives too deep into digital. He certainly has the tools, he just needs to use them.

The article Jeff Bezos Can Do More Than Just Innovate originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Andrew Marder has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Amazon.com. The Motley Fool owns shares of Amazon.com.

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