Amazon Goes After B2B Market With AmazonSupply

Amazon is expanding beyond its consumer-facing business by launching AmazonSupply, a new site that offers 500,000 products to industrial and commercial customers.

Originally known for selling books, the Seattle company is adding 14 new categories, including “test, measure and inspect,” “janitorial and sanitation,” “office,” “cutting tools and hydraulics,” “pneumatics” and “plumbing.”

The categories go way beyond the stock carried by Office Depot and Staples, and will likely compete against other online- or catalog-based suppliers. AmazonSupply inventory includes hand dryers, drill bits, printer paper, cash registers and many more-obscure products.

The Web site itself has an industrial feel, with very little art or illustration and a fairly extensive browsable index of products.

Prentis Wilson is listed as the VP of AmazonSupply, which offers such perks as free shipping on eligible orders of $50 or more, 365-day returns, corporate lines of credit and a dedicated customer-service center.