07:59 AM EDT, 04/18/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Amazon.com ( AMZN ) created Big River Services International in 2015 to covertly gather intelligence on competitors like Walmart ( WMT ), eBay ( EBAY ) and Shopify ( SHOP ), The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with Big River and corporate documents viewed by the news outlet.

Big River sells around $1 million annually of goods through multiple e-commerce marketplaces under brand names like Rapid Cascade and Svea Bliss, the report said.

Through its sales across several countries, Big River gathers pricing data, logistics information and other details about its competitors' e-commerce marketplaces, logistics operations, and payments services. Big River has then shared that information with Amazon ( AMZN ), according to the report.

Amazon ( AMZN ) did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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