Amazon: If we released Kindle sales numbers, it would only hurt us

[RockdaMan]

From Quora, via teleread:

one person asked, “Why does Amazon brag incessantly about Kindle sales but refuse to disclose specifics?” And a response came from none other than Vinay Kruvila, whose by-line states he has worked for Amazon for 5 years and is currently its Software Development Manager. He writes:

Amazon is an incredibly data-driven company. Every strategic decision at Amazon is backed by a wealth of data, and is associated with precise, measurable goals. Even every day tactical decisions are largely data-driven. If you follow prices of items on Amazon, you’ll see how the discount on a book can rise from 34% to 37%, from one day to the next. When Amazon considers entering new markets, the sales metrics competitors have released (perhaps, foolishly) are a key data-point.

When you work at Amazon, you realize how important the numbers are. Releasing Kindle sales numbers would only feed into the hands of Amazon’s competitors; there’s a big difference in knowing that the Kindle is the best selling product ever on Amazon and knowing that Amazon sold X million Kindles in 2010. Amazon believes in taking credit for the impressive things we do in ways that are subtle and sophisticated, without providing data that will help current and potential competitors.

http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/amazo...indle-numbers/

[Carl314]

There's nothing "subtle and sophisticated" about shouting to anyone who will listen what a success the Kindle is. If Amazon can't substantiate their claims with real numbers, they should stop their empty boasting.

Cheers, Carl.

[SlowRain]

I dislike Amazon, but I like the way they dodge around the exact sales figures for the Kindle. It's certainly not humility on their part, but it's effective. It gets people talking about the Kindle in a way that people talk more about a novel if the ending is ambiguous. There would be less Kindle-talk if people knew the exact figure. Cheers to them. (I also dislike the way the New York Times ranks books according to sales. I don't really want to know what's popular, I want to know what a few people I respect are saying about it. I also dislike they way Hollywood releases weekend box-office numbers, etc, etc, etc. It's definitely an issue with me.)

[leebase]

Amazon just wants to have their cake and eat it too. They want folks to be impressed by their sales but not say what they are.

Lee

[Marcy]

What does it matter? They can say what they want. You can believe what you want. At the end of the day, what is the difference? If you think people are "taken in" by their claims and buy a Kindle as a result, well more power to Amazon and my contempt for the sheeple.

-Marcy

[nashira]

I'm just baffled at how knowing sales numbers... helps the competition? It's hardly like they can force people to buy their ereaders instead of the Kindle? Er? Tech stuff, I understand. Sales numbers not so much.

[Ravensknight]

Remember the Matrix. Information is everything...

[Geppetto]

What's the problem? Do you really think that numbers the other companies give are true? Have you ever heard of things such as tax evasion?

[bhartman36]

It's not immediately clear to me what difference releasing the sales numbers would make. The only thing I can think of is if they don't want it revealed that the Kindle isn't the best-selling e-reader internationally. (Although we obviously don't have sales numbers, does anyone here doubt it's the best-selling ereader in the U.S.? I can't imagine that another dedicated e-reader outsells it, although I suppose it's possible that Apple's sold more iPads than Amazon's sold Kindles.)

[SleepyBob]

Originally Posted by nashira

I'm just baffled at how knowing sales numbers... helps the competition? It's hardly like they can force people to buy their ereaders instead of the Kindle? Er? Tech stuff, I understand. Sales numbers not so much.

But it might reveal that Amazon isn't so far out ahead as many people assume. Media reporting about Kindle would likely have a different tone if its market share was revealed to be 51% rather than 80%. Right now many people buy Kindles because it's a great product, but many others do in part for fear of being on the losing platform. So that information is definitely something that competitors would benefit from knowing.

[Andrew H.]

Probably Amazon would not be hurt if they just released one sales number - i.e., if they announced that they have sold 8 million Kindles to date.

But if Amazon announced their Kindle sales every quarter - or even every year - competitors would be able to glean some important comparative information. Amazon, for example, is probably tracking (among other things) how the increased availability of overdrive library books may be affecting their sales. This is something that they probably don't want to share with the world. And there are many other such examples.

[Steven Lake]

HA! What have I been saying for months now! The impressive sales and success that Amazon has bragged about is actually a lie! The only time you don't release numbers is when you have nothing to truly brag about. If they actually did have something to brag about, then they'd be throwing sales numbers all over the place. But in reality, they don't! I'd love to see someone sue Amazon and force them to cough up their real numbers. Because if they did and the numbers got out into the wild, I think Amazon would be quite thoroughly embarrassed.

[KenJackson]

Originally Posted by SleepyBob

But it might reveal that Amazon isn't so far out ahead as many people assume.

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

The only time you don't release numbers is when you have nothing to truly brag about.
If they actually did have something to brag about, then they'd be throwing sales numbers all over the place.

I think you guys have hit it. And even Vinay Kruvila almost confessed as much--if you read between the lines.

Kindle sales aren't as high as they expected or as high as they need to be to cement it as the de facto standard because there are excellent alternatives.

[Steven Lake]

Honestly, I'd love to see Amazon die as the big kind of online shopping (aka, the digital Walmart) and instead have the market diversify out into lots of choices, because the more choices you have, the better things are. Too bad nobody realizes that. Everyone is too concerned with the concept of the "one stop shop". That's the biggest piece of tripe ever invented. Diversity is by far better in every way than any kind of single solution could ever dream of being. Mostly because diversity allows for greater selection as large numbers of smaller stores allow for greater specialization meaning more choices.

[carld]

I don't think the actual numbers matter at all, and all the complaints are just people taking jabs at Amazon because they don't like the company for one reason or another.