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Discussion Board Forum 2

Shannon Merchent

School of Business, Liberty University

BUSI 330: Principles of Marketing

Professor Ron Ballard

May 29, 2020

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Discussion Board Forum 2

When it comes to discussing Amazon’s marketing strategy, it is bar none compared to the

rest of online shopping websites and most brick and mortar retail stores. Amazon possesses a

competitive edge that no other company holds by offering its customers an expanded list of

products at the lowest costs possible (Smith, n.d.). Another reason Amazon is the leader in its

class is because of its demographic and psychographic segmentation. In other words, they gather

information about the customers purchases and the targeting of specific products. (Smith, n.d.).

With this being said, Amazon is a major competitor to conventional retail stores because of the

convenience of find the exact product needed but, also something that could make the customers

life easier or something they may just genuinely want all while in the comfort of their home.

The specific advantages that online merchants offer shoppers over brick and mortar stores

is the ability to have any item always in stock (most of the time). Conventional retail stores may

not have the right size, the items they have may be damaged, etc. and with online merchants, the

possibility of that chance is a lot lower. In other words, the customer can get instant gratification

compared to being let down while in the store and still having to wait.

The advantages that conventional store have over online shopping is the fact that a

customer can buy the item and take it home with them the same day. Instant gratification. This

means that the customer can use this product immediately. “Brick-and-mortar stores can also

play to their strengths by offering customers unique experiences that they wouldn’t get when

shopping online, such as in-store exclusives, invites to engaging events or perks that offer

convenience to the customer” (Wertz, 2018). Online shopping cannot give the instant

gratification like conventional stores can. There is shipping costs to account for along with the

wait for the package as well.

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Brick and Mortar stores are having to change their marketing strategies by trying to get

customers to shop their stores in person and online as well. To get the online shopping to happen,

some stores are offering special deals or free shipping, local pick up, and/or even allowing

discounts both online and in-store. (Wertz, 2018). This allows customers to still shop online at

their favorite stores but having the perks of they were shopping in-store. Another example of

these store changing their strategies is by training their employees to be more knowledgeable and

more focused on customer service (The Economist: Intelligence Unit, n.d.). So, by changing up

their strategies and offering customers more perks, free shipping, and better customer service in-

store, the conventional stores are fighting back again the big online retailers to keep their

customers loyalty.

Honestly, online merchants and retail stores most likely will never be on the same

playing field. As stated above, online shopping provides convenience and more in-stock items

while conventional stores give the customer instant gratification and take home the same day.

Each have their own advantages and disadvantages but, also because some people enjoy the act

of shopping. It is the experience of shopping that people enjoy, the shopping, the family time,

eating a restaurant, etc. While others prefer shopping from home and not having to worry about

going out in the crowds. I believe that this is what makes each shopping option so unique.

Amazon is offering fast and free two-day shipping with an Amazon Prime membership.

With these services, people are more inclined to order because shipping is free on qualifying

items and its delivered within two days. This is something that most online retailers cannot do.

The new services that they are using is drones to deliver packages anywhere from 30 minutes to

an hour to customers that are relatively close by to their warehouses. (Amazon: Delivering the

Earth’s Biggest Selection, n.d.). They are also offering small business the option to sell their
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products, also storing their products in their warehouses and then shipping it from there as well.

These technological advances are attracting more and more people to Amazon.

Overall, with the way Amazon keeps advancing, they will be more successful as the year

go on. While they may not snuff out most brick and mortar stores, Amazon is a huge competition

for all retailers because of the variety of products they offer. In my opinion, Amazon is doing

things no other company has ever been able to do.

Proverbs 15:22 is a very powerful verse for helping with routine business practices. This

verse says, “Plans fail for the lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (New

International Version). In other words, the more people a business owner can have to help make

ethically sound decisions, the better things can be. Without others, the decisions you make can be

emotionally driven and not be made with sound reasoning. As Christians, we need to always lean

on God when it comes to making decisions and our brothers and sisters of Christ. Without that

support, you are leading a life of uncertainty.

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References

Amazon: Delivering the Earth's Biggest Selection. [Video].

https://www.viddler.com/embed/89fd8c9b.

Smith, M. What You Can Learn from Amazon’s Marketing Strategy. Business Articles. Retrieved

28 May 2020, from https://www.businessarticleshub.com/what-you-can-learn-from-

amazons-marketing-strategy/.

The Economist: Intelligence Unit. (2020). Mastercardservices.com. Retrieved 28 May 2020,

from https://www.mastercardservices.com/sites/default/files/2018-09/brick-and-mortar-

retailers-fight-back.pdf.

Wertz, J. (2018). How Brick-And-Mortar Stores Can Compete with E-Commerce Giants. Forbes.

Retrieved 28 May 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jiawertz/2018/05/17/how-

brick-and-mortar-stores-can-compete-with-e-commerce-giants/#34e183253cc0.