The top three tech companies, Amazon, Apple, and Alphabet (the parent company of Google) have been battling for first position as the most valuable tech provider in education. In the first quarter of 2018, Amazon surpassed Alphabet/Google sales and came in at second place, just behind Apple.

Amazon, under the direction of Jeff Bezos, isn’t stopping there. Amazon’s digital advertising alone has seen a 2.7% growth rate, which is nearly five times what it was the prior year. Amazon has proven itself to be a heavyweight when it comes to fighting for prominence in technology, but can Amazon overtake Google in the education market?

Edtech companies know they can rake in large amounts of revenue if they can corner the education market by providing hardware, applications, and cloud storage.

Standout services

School districts commit substantial funding to the purchase of tech devices like iPads, tablets and digital readers. In response to educational need, Google offers schools a productivity tool called the G Suite. This collection of software is a combination of cloud-computing, collaborative tools, and productivity software that is part of one convenient platform.  For easy access to the G Suite and other edtech needs like Internet access, Google sells Chromebooks.

Amazon, however, has taken another approach to meeting education industry needs by providing Amazon Web Services (AWS). Districts no longer need servers to store their data because ASW provides ample cloud-based storage. To take their involvement in the education market one step further, AWS is also changing the way that schools make purchases.

Cost vs. savings

The Google classroom gained favor in educational settings because of cost. The tech giant offered schools low-cost devices and free software, making it easy for classrooms to trade laptops and iPads for Chromebooks. Google is so affordable that it has permeated education.

Amazon, on the other hand, is no stranger to providing almost any product quickly at a tremendous saving. By efficiently warehousing and shipping physical and digital resources, Amazon has changed the way people shop. They are also changing the way school districts make their purchases.

The Amazon commitment to making the shopping experience an easy one for school districts, teachers and even parents who dread the back-to-school chaos of getting school supplies, has spurred consumers to rethink who their preferred vendor might be.

Amazon Inspire, for example, is a warehouse of digital resources for teachers, and parents and students can access the LMS Integrated Store and School Lists for convenient shopping tailored to every budget.

Based on current growth, Amazon may become not only the premier education resource but more significantly, the primary provider in the education market.