09:02 AM EDT, 04/18/2024 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with an Amazon ( AMZN ) spokesperson's response to a request for comment in the fourth paragraph.)

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.

"Benchmarking is a common practice in business," an Amazon ( AMZN ) spokesperson said in an emailed response to MT Newswires. "Amazon ( AMZN ), like many other retailers, has benchmarking and customer experience teams that conduct research into the experiences of customers, including our selling partners, in order to improve their experiences working with us."

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)