Books by James Thomson

My two books were written at different points in the evolution of the Amazon marketplace, but they address a common problem:

How can a consumer brand take advantage of a powerful marketplace without losing control of the economics, distribution and decisions that determine long-term enterprise value?

That question has become broader over time.

What was once largely an Amazon strategy issue now touches ecommerce governance, channel architecture, inventory, advertising, concentration, diligence and board oversight.

The ideas developed in these books form part of the foundation for the work I now do with boards, investors and management teams.

The Amazon Marketplace Dilemma: A Brand Executive’s Challenge Growing Sales and Maintaining Control

James Thomson and Joseph Hansen, Published in 2017.

The book begins with two questions for brand executives:

  1. Will the brand’s products be sold on Amazon?
  2. If so, what distribution approach gives the brand the best chance of maintaining profitable control?

For popular brands, the first question frequently cannot be answered solely by the brand. Open marketplaces allow inventory to reach Amazon through many paths.

The more consequential decision is how the company chooses to participate.

We described that choice as the Amazon Marketplace Dilemma:

Sell TO Amazon

versus

Sell ON Amazon

That choice affects much more than where an order is processed. It can influence pricing, inventory, customer experience, operational responsibilities, channel economics and control.

The terminology has evolved, but the underlying governance issue has not.

Boards should understand how the structure of a marketplace relationship changes the economics and dependencies of the business.

Explore The Amazon Marketplace Dilemma

Related EVA resources:

Controlling Your Brand in the Age of Amazon: The Brand Executive’s Playbook for Winning Online

Whitney Gibson and James Thomson, Published in 2020.

By the time we wrote this book, the marketplace challenge had become increasingly clear.

Many brands did not know:

  • who was selling their products online
  • where unauthorized sellers obtained inventory
  • how distributor inventory reached marketplaces
  • how channel leakage affected pricing
  • who controlled marketplace content
  • whether commercial policies supported the brand’s intended strategy

The issue was not simply an Amazon problem.

It was a governance problem involving distribution, incentives, authorization, inventory and accountability.

Those questions are even more relevant when a company is PE-backed or approaching a transaction.

A buyer will eventually ask whether the company actually controls the systems responsible for marketplace economics.

Explore Controlling Your Brand in the Age of Amazon

Related EVA resources:

How My Thinking Has Evolved

When I wrote these books, much of the discussion around Amazon centered on marketplace strategy and operating control. I now view many of the same issues through a board lens.

Consider unauthorized sellers.

At the operating level, the immediate question may be how to remove a seller.

At the governance level, the better questions are:

Where did the inventory originate?

Which incentives allowed it to move?

Is excess inventory contributing to the problem?

Who owns the underlying distribution system?

What are the consequences for contribution, retailer relationships and enterprise value?

The same evolution applies to Amazon concentration. The relevant board question is no longer simply what percentage of revenue comes from Amazon. It is how much of the company’s contribution, demand generation, inventory velocity, customer discovery and operating capability depends on the platform.


The books focused on marketplaces. The work has increasingly become about governance.

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