CASE QUESTIONS 1. How can Amazon leverage its Prime program to increase its total retail market share? Undoubtedly, with 65 million memberships on Amazon Prime, it is apparent that this program has helped the company fuel its success in the past two decades; it has turned it into a dominant force in the U. S e-commerce. The Prime product gives its customers access to stream videos, music, shipping discounts and other specific Amazon deals and services. For those invested in the company ecosystem, the program is beneficial. The subscription program fee is $99 per year. The prime promises to deliver products in one hour to its Prime members. Notably, the Amazon strategy seems to take note of changing time in customer behaviors. It does not …show more content…
Transactional loyalty is based on spending, where a customer is encouraged to spend a particular amount to get something in return. This way, customers are motivated to come back to achieve more rewards, rather than shifting to alternative sites. Amazon has built such loyalty by focusing much on its membership program. With the payment of an annual fee, subscription members can obtain various benefits and discounts such as free shipping and media streaming services. Such benefits entice customers to come back to take advantages of the services or browse other offers provided by the company rather than going to a competing company with similar products. Emotional loyalty is used to build a stronger relationship with the customers, which in the long run can be more valuable, not by just rewarding customers but also by allowing them to become a brand ambassador. When a customer engages on behalf of the brand, they become the brand advocates. Amazon has used this loyalty model by using reviews, which enables the customer to share their experiences about products on the website this way they become brand’s ambassador. Additionally, they have collaborated with charitable organizations, where customers buying from their company donate a part of the purchase to charitable agencies at no cost. In other words, they know that part of their purchase is meant
The low cost product can also change customers buying behavior. Some customer who prefer to buy goods in the physical stores might decide to buy Amazon’s online product if they see it is in so low a price.
Amazon has earned a great reputation in customer service for allowing customers to shop without face to face, avoiding talking to a customer’s service representative agent on the phone, everything it done online. Sales clerk does not exist, everything is ordered with a click of the mouse, and arrives extremenely quick in the mail (Cohen, 2009). Amazon at interval has gotten involved with the customers when they can have too. According to Green, H. (2009), “Amazon stands out most markedly from other companies, and helps explain how the company earned the No. 1 spot on Business Week’s customer service ranking this year”( para. 1).
Amazon.com has successfully managed to make its customers to feel that anything they could possibly want could be found on their website. Additionally, its products are marketed at a competitive price. Another important factor is their speedy delivery with their usage of UPS and FedEx (United States) and Royal Mail (United Kingdom). The company also caters for people that prefer online shopping with extra services such as Amazon Prime - a service with a yearly payment, customers are eligible for free next day delivery. Even though Amazon.com is known to be an online seller of most things, it still excels in its original market of book selling. Evidence of such is
Amazon.com has built the relationship with its customer based on a particular shopping experience that is tight to three levels in the supply chain
Due to the growing competition and diminishing market share, companies are opting for different strategies to achieve their survival objectives as well as growth. Companies are thus executing grand strategies to provide their businesses with a clear direction for its strategic actions. These strategies, therefore, aim at both short term and long term sustainability and growth, and they include innovation, market development, product development, and concentration.
Amazon Prime is the exclusive membership that allows you to log on to the internet and find items that are conveniently delivered within two days for a cheaper price. It uses technology like the 1-click feature to allow you to make purchases via just one click. Imagine,
Amazon’s core competencies are in its ability to effectively use and develop technology to drive site traffic and enhance the customer experience. Their distinctive use of website real estate coupled with their ability to leverage their brand and effectively use that leverage to deliver low prices and high quality products, makes them a leader in online retailing. Their partner brands and their ability to adapt and recognize deficiencies enable them to effectively cut out the middle man, or at the very least, partner with them.
Retailers have adapted to the online marketplace out of necessity and opportunity. The great recession placed many retail companies in financial hardship and while some failed, others innovated and became some of the largest companies in America such as Amazon. A recent trend is consumers are buying more products online than ever before. As a consumer, I enjoy shopping in the convenience of my home and having the items delivered to my doorstep in 48 hours or less. Global internet access continues to increase, with mobile devices and affordable internet for the home, consumers will continue to shift and buy products online rather than in retail brick and mortar locations. Online sales in the United States have increased over 250% in the last ten years, accomplishing $250.0 billion in 2012 (Tehrani, 2014). Therefore, Amazon is in a solid market position to capitalize on the future trends and booming ecommerce
Organizations like Amazon store realized that attaining long-term customer value through delivery of quality services is the key to their existence. Also, be alert to the customer’s needs and wants, because having a loyal base of satisfied customer brings relevant performance indicators. For example, increase in sales improved profits, and possible higher market share (Shamma & Hassan, 2013).
Amazon faces threats that the company cannot ignore. First, the company has competition from various rivals, which include Salesforce.com, eBay, Wal-Mart stores, Best Buy, Apple, Netflix, International Business Machines, Barnes and Nobles, among many others. For example, Wal-Mart introduced a shipping policy to compete with Amazon’s Prime membership service. With this new policy, customers receive free two-day shipping on all orders of $35 or more. Second, cybercrime is present and Amazon should find ways to ensure that it always guarantees that customer privacy and security are protected.
They have this thing called Amazon Prime Now, that gives customers that have it, better deals and discounts in products on the website; to clarify, the website makes their audience spend money twice when shopping there. First, they have to become an Amazon Prime Now and that costs a subscription fee and then they will purchase the products with a discount; this is beyond genius because, Amazon not only uses the time limited technique, but also uses the Competition for Scarce Resources technique. Therefore, people will feel attracted to purchase, because there is a competition against customers that are not prime and those deals are only exclusive for
Amazon.com is a Fortune 500 company that has revolutionized the retail industry. In recent years, Amazon has faced increased competition in the highly competitive online retail space as competitors invested heavily in their online storefronts and infrastructure. Positioned in a highly fragmented industry, Amazon must find solutions that can sustain its long term profitability and maintain its market share. To that end, Amazon should grow the Amazon Prime membership base and expand on its media and mobile offerings.
In 2000, Amazon and Toys-R-Us entered into a symbiotic agreement that would benefit both corporate entities. Both companies had recently had unimpressive fiscal years due to differing issues. Toys “R” Us struggled with poor order fulfillment. Although they were equipped with enough merchandise, other issues kept them from being able to get orders to customers in a timely manner; especially during the busy holiday season. Conversely, Amazon was forced to write off $34 million because of a miscalculation in inventory and had orders that could not be honored (Ouchi, 2004). Following these debacles, both organizations felt that joining
With the proliferation of communication and information technology, particularly the Internet, most business organizations have been at the forefront to join the e-commerce platform. Amazon is considered as one of the existing and largest e-business platform in the world. This report outlines Amazon’s strategic intent and key resources and capabilities. In addition, the report will also include an analysis of the company 's assets and capabilities that have provided it a sustainable competitive edge as well as, the recommended future strategy of the giant online organization. Amazon defines its line of business operations based on product and service sales, fulfillment, digital content subscriptions, publishing, and co-branded cards. The company 's line of business is defined as an online store, Internet service provision, and the Kindle ecosystem. This project will explore the truth that has made the online company to be considered as the top online retailer, which mainly focuses on strategy. This report also outlines how inventories play a fundamental role in the organization 's business or corporate strategy. The other issues covered in the report include the approach used by the online company deal with the supply chain and the reason behind fast shipping fast. The paper will outline the finance statute of the company and whether the finance effect will bar the organization from developing in future. In order to achieve the answer to the questions
Jeff Bezos looked out the open doorway of his office and stared at the “problem of the day,” which his assistant Sarah had posted on the whiteboard in the hallway. It was Friday, September 13, 2002, and the whiteboard read: ”You have 10 bottles with 100 pills each in them. In nine of the bottles, each pill weighs 10 mg. In one bottle, each pill weighs 9 mg. These pills are poisonous. You have a digital scale that reads out in mg. Can you determine which bottle contains the poison with only one weight measurement?” Bezos—founder, chairman, and CEO of Amazon.com—normally enjoyed trying to solve these brainteasers. But today his mind