(Image credit: The Verge)

We've heard of how Amazon is positioning itslef as a leader in the mobile industry through its content business. While the Kindle lineup has been a popular low-priced tablet due to its integration of e-books and content, here's a significant piece of news that competitors should watch out for: Amazon will soon offer in-app purchases of real-world goods.

Amazon has partnered with game publisher Activision, which will be selling actual toys within its Skylanders series of games for children. Skylanders Cloud Patrol, which costs 99 cents, will feature in-game purchase of actual Skylanders toys. Doing so will also unlock a virtual version of that character, which can be used immediately within the game.

All of this is done through Amazon's 1-Click, which makes the purchase of online and physical goods more convenient. The e-commerce giant is now seeking to market the service to developers, who can now monetize their apps through real-world merchandise.

So far, Amazon's advantage here is its capability to physically distribute merchandise, which Apple and Google clearly don't have at this point. Some third-party services  offer such a functionality — such as LoopJoy, which launches in beta soon — although not to Amazon's scale.

Is there promise in offering real-world goods from within apps? Or is it just another way for consumers to easily part with our hard earned-cash through our mobile game and app addictions?