Amazon.com doesn't have a brick-and-mortar retail presence, but it should, says retail analyst Robin Lewis, publisher of The Robin Report.
And how should it attain this tangible presence? By purchasing struggling Sears, he suggests.
"If you have any doubts, just wake up and think about it. It's a win-win for both [Amazon CEO] Jeff 'Get Big Fast' Bezos and [Sears CEO] Eddie 'Take the Money and Run' Lampert,"
Lewis writes in his newsletter.
Editor's Note: 18.79% Annual Returns ... for Life?
"Amazon gets roughly 2,400 U.S. stores overnight (1,300 Sears, 1,100 Kmart). The acquisition becomes Bezos' answer to omni-channel and the proven revenue synergy of consumers' ability to shop online and off; the convenience of proximity for pick up and returns; and facilitation of even greater delivery speed."
Amazon could use the Sears/Kmart stores as distribution centers, just like Wal-Mart does with its stores, Lewis notes.
Meanwhile, "What Eddie gets in such a sale is a potentially profitable exit strategy that many analysts, myself included, believe he is pursuing," he argues.
"If Sears and Kmart aren't discarded in this kind of a deal, at some point in the very near future, they will end up in the trash bin of history."
Belus Capital Advisors analyst Brian Sozzi is skeptical about a deal between the two iconic retailers.
"James Cash Penney has a better chance of rising from the grave and personally delivering a check to Edward Lampert to buy all of Sears than Amazon offering up even a bid for the company,"
Sozzi tells CNBC.
"Retrofitting these stores into Amazon fulfillment operations all at once so as to start driving value is a task and extra financial burden that Amazon doesn't need or want."
Amazon shares have soared 25 percent during the past year, compared with a 17 percent drop for Sears.
Editor's Note: 18.79% Annual Returns ... for Life?
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