


Amazon only launched its Marketplace Appstore in May 2018. While Amazon has multiple policies governing the use of these apps and their data, the cottage industry that sprung up around Amazon MWS has been relatively decentralized. There are tools that automate simple tasks, like printing shipping labels, as well as apps that monitor key metrics like user reviews and sales volumes, which determine whether products appear higher in Amazon’s search results-the most popular way to shop on the site. To streamline their operations, many sellers rely on specialized business apps that tap into the Amazon Marketplace Web Service APIs, which can integrate data including sensitive customer information like names, emails, and delivery addresses. Running an Amazon business is fiercely competitive. Like other parts of its retail empire, Amazon has to make sure this system isn't being abused. Powering this ecommerce machine is another marketplace that most shoppers will never see-a behind-the-scenes ecosystem of developers whose apps sellers use to run their businesses. To be the “ everything store,” Amazon relies heavily on outside merchants from around the world, who sell hundreds of millions of different products through its site.
