Rivalry in the Industry: (Medium to High)
Is there a strong competition between the existing players, is one player very dominant or all equal in strength or size.
E-Bay is one of the dominant players in the global e-commerce market; but because of low entry barriers E-Bay is currently facing competition in its different market segments. Therefore, this market is full of competitors such as Amazon, Craigslist, Yahoo! Auctions, and other new players such as Alibaba, Jet.com, Groupon and Overstock.com. The battle between e-commerce players engage in price- based competition to persuade buyers, therefore these players limit their ability to raise prices. Also, due to relatively low barriers to entry, new companies continue to crop up in the global e-commerce market, which intensify the competition. However, one of the biggest competitors of eBay is the drop off industry, which are independent consignment stores with one or multiple locations. EBay continues to appeal to their customers and provide the best possible service at the lowest price, using a cost leadership strategy. They have also considered other important factors such as price, product selection which influences the purchasing decision of the customers in their business model.
They are also continuing to expand horizontally into new markets. EBay has built a good brand identity, which keeps paying off by attracting more customers and generating higher revenue. Yahoo! Auctions and Amazon are considered the biggest
EBay has paved the wave in this industry and being in a billion dollar industry making things happen to benefit consumers in many ways.[5]
Dembosky, A. (2012). Ebay moves beyond its dotcom roots. Available:http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/df3723ca-1773-11e2-8cbe-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2EbzDqb5Y. Last accessed 10th Dec 2012
eBay has a choice preferred standpoint. Regularly contributed similar to the world 's greatest store, and have a bigger number of things available to be purchased than anyplace else. However its maintainability props on patch up unstable ground as omnichannel world envision, for arranging purposes, that everything is available to be purchased in each commercial center, each methods, and each channel. Partaking connected shoppers may never get to that world, yet it 's a helpful arranging presumption.
The competition among rivals is very high due to price and non-price factors. Companies try to attract customers to their products by introducing
High level, intense rivalry may result with profit lost for the company. In most cases, new entrant barriers are high due to the intensity of rivalry (Porter, 2008).
The definition of E-Commerce or E-Tailing is replacing the traditional relationship of buying and selling in person or the phone with the use of the Internet, Smart Phones and networking. The more people that use the Internet regularly, the more Internet commerce increases. This causes a continual loop of improvements and innovations of which businesses must be aware. Most economists see e-commerce as a market segment that leads to intensive price competition and consumers armed with greater knowledge. E-commerce has changed business models globally, and allows customers to engage in the process of shopping either online or to a destination. Brick and mortar stores do have a conundrum do you want traffic into the store, or do you want the sale based on ease of shopping and/or convenience? (Eisingerich).
Moreover, the development of eBay and Amazon causes a big impact on the customer demand in a retail market. The convenience of the online shopping makes the retail stores suffer some losses in a sale if there is no online system updated.
Degree of Rivalry: Medium. The degree of rivalry within the industry is balanced in that a few factors lend to strong rivalry while a similar amount do not. Because
In a hyper-competitive world economy and with increasingly rational buyers, the competitions among e-commerce businesses are becoming more and more intensive.
E-Bay was founded in 1995, it was as radical and cutting-edge as many of the other "dot com" startups launched in that era. Today, however, eBay is one of the world’s most venerable online companies, not to mention one of the most endlessly emulated and discussed companies in the world (Hsiao, 2016). In an Article written by Aron Hsiao, Hsiao states, “eBay is place to buy meaning, you can get nearly anything you need or want at prices better than you can find in traditional brick-and-mortar or even online stores. Though there are lots of rotten deals on eBay, too, the careful consumer can always come out ahead. He then says, “eBay is a place to sell meaning, whether you are a Bix-box retailer or just an average Joe (or Jane) cleaning out your garage, nearly anything you list on eBay will sell if you are flexible enough about the price. E-Bays global reach can even move unusual items that are not in demand in your
A steady increase in the popularity of online sales has caused a major push towards e-commerce in the retail industry.
How the five forces analysis reveal about the nature and strength of the various competitive pressures eBay faces
The market eBay takes place in is primarily the Internet market. Around 1995 the Internet market was just beginning. “there will be more than 500 million users by 2003 and a rapid increase in e- commerce turnover, rising from US$500 billion worldwide in 2001 to more than US$3 trillion in 2004” (Fichter, 2003) EBay was a pioneer in Internet market until competitors such as Amazon and Wal-Mart began to sell products online as well. “Online marketing is now the fastest-growing form of marketing” (Armstrong, 2013). The difference between eBay and its
The fact that eBay does have some successful competition means that its strategic capability has become less unique. There is a hint in their competitor profile that innovation and perhaps adaptability to different cultures as they innovate is not core to eBay and something which has been developed more successfully by others working within their own national culture. Indeed, eBay rules in its own territory of North America and in Europe. The search capability of eBay also means that niche players do not really make sense, whereas the consumer trust that comes from being a big player is worth everything when trading on-line, as is the notion that whatever you want it will be on eBay because of its size. Thus, the so-called network effects of eBay (the bigger the company, the more successful it will be) and its first mover advantage that has led to this level are key to its success.