CHICAGO, IL (PRWEB) JUNE 05, 2017—Nominated twice previously without taking home the top prize, Amazon.com Inc. today was named winner of the Internet Retailer of the Year, the most prestigious of the 13 categories in the annual Internet Retailer Excellence Awards. However, technology products distributor Tech Data Corp. bested Amazon Business and three other finalists to capture the B2B E-Commerce Player of the Year award.

Tech Data also shared with PacknWood, a manufacturer of eco-friendly food packaging, the B2B E-Commerce Website Design of the Year award. Plumbing supplies distributor SupplyHouse.com also won in two categories: Best Product Video of the Year, which included competitors from online retailing and business-to-business e-commerce, and B2B Marketer of the Year.

“The competition was impressive for the third annual Internet Retailer Excellence Awards, as so many companies are doing really creative work in e-commerce,” says Molly Love, CEO of Vertical Web Media, whose publications include Internet Retailer, B2BecNews and Internet Health Management. “The 45 finalists represent a big range of companies, from big to small and across product categories. What they have in common is that they’re investing heavily in selling online and breaking new ground as they compete for market share in the increasingly competitive e-commerce arena.”

Driving much of the competition in online retail is the No. 1 web merchant, Amazon, which impressed the judges with its 300% increase in net income in 2016, along with its above-market growth. Internet Retailer estimates Amazon’s revenue from online retail sales increased 24.9% in 2016 over the prior year, far above the 15.6% increase in U.S. e-retail sales as reported by the U.S. Commerce Department.

One indication of the success of the finalists for these awards is that three of them have been acquired by major retailers or brands in the past year. They are: eBags, acquired by Samsonite; Chewy, bought by PetSmart; and Dollar Shave Club, which is now part of Unilever.

Determined by a team comprised of Internet Retailer senior editors and e-commerce industry experts, here are the winners for each of the 13 Excellence Awards categories, followed by the finalists:

Emerging E-Retailer of the Year: Chewy
Finalists: Hollar.com, MeUndies, Purple, MVMT Watches

E-Retail Growth of the Year: Poppin
Finalists: Chewy, Leesa Sleep, Ulta Beauty

Web Redesign of the Year: Lowe’s
Finalists: Califia Farms, Kate Somerville, Oliver Sweeney

E-Retail Marketer of the Year: Wayfair
Finalists: eBags, Target

Best Marketing Video of the Year: Pampers
Finalists: SupplyHouse.com, Reef

Best Product Video of the Year: SupplyHouse.com
Finalists: Sylvane, Vurtego

B2B E-Commerce Marketer of the Year: SupplyHouse.com
Finalists: Lightning Labels, MSC Industrial Supply Co.

B2B E-Commerce Website Redesign of the Year: PacknWood & Tech Data (co-winners)
Finalists: Cole-Parmer, Sullivans

B2B E-Commerce Player of the Year: Tech Data
Finalists: Amazon Business, Cisco Systems, Garrett Popcorn Shops, Kimball Midwest

Mobile Commerce Award: Lancôme
Finalists: eBay, RealTruck, Wayfair

Global E-Retailer of the Year: Benefit Cosmetics
Finalists: Anker, Nike

Omnichannel Retailer of the Year: Home Depot
Finalists: Amazon, Best Buy, DSW, Fabletics

Internet Retailer of the Year: Amazon
Finalists: Dollar Shave Club, Nike, Ulta Beauty

In July, Internet Retailer will publish the 3rd annual awards issue recognizing the 2017 IR Excellence Award finalists and winners. This special edition will provide an in-depth look at all the nominees and winners–who they are, why they were nominated, best practices, insights from the winners and more. This report will be available for free download on http://www.internetretailer.com on July 21, 2017.
For media inquiries, contact: IR Awards Team at irawards(at)verticalwebmedia(dot)com.

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