Amazon is capitalising on its status as one of America’s most reputable companies with the launch of a new credit card, which lets Prime members earn extra rewards on their purchases. The brand may be widely trusted, but are people ready to replace traditional banks with its financial offering?

We might hate self-service machines, but we hate queues more. But Amazon may have found the ultimate solution to these woes; the e-commerce giant is opening a grab-and-go store in Seattle alongside the Amazon Go app, which automatically takes payment for goods as you leave the store.

Want cheaper groceries at Whole Foods? You'd better sign up to Amazon Prime. Part of the web retailer’s acquisition of the supermarket chain is to give Prime members discounts in-store on everything from beef to butter – another tactic to expand the subscription service’s base.

Amazon is well on its way to building its own self-contained ecosystem. With the launch of its Instagram-inspired shoppable feed Spark, the retail giant is encouraging shoppers to post, share and discover new products without leaving the Amazon app.