CLOSING CASE
When Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1995, the
online retailer focused just on selling books. Musie
and videos were soon added to the mix. Today, you
‘can purchase a wide range of media and general-
merchandise products from Amazon, which is now
the world’s largest online retailer, with over S85 bi
lion in annual sales, According to Bezos, Amazon's
success is based on three core factors: relentless
fe to customers oper
focus on delivering ¥
ies and a willing
cellici ess to innovate
Amazon offers customers & much wider selec
tion of merchandise than they can find ina physical
store, and does so at a low pre. Online shoppin
and pure sy with a user-friendly in
terface, product recommendations, customer wish
Iists, and a one-click purchasing option for repeat
fic that Amazon
has been
ne retail
third-party
ceustomers. The per
falling for several yes
becoming mote depscareh engines This inate that Amazon is ine
‘seasingly becoming th staring poit for online
Pulchases AS a vesulits active estore base &
em appwoaching 250 lion
“Te dciner products to customers quickly and
soourately, Amazon bas Bsn imesting hen in a
‘etwork of dition entre Inte United Stes
‘hove there are on such centers Sapte
‘xed sotware analyzes customer purchosing Pe
ternsond informs the company wha fo ord wher>
toto iin te detrbuton ntwork, what to charge
Feri and when to markt down toa The goal
istoreduceimentory-hotingcess whic aboyshav-
Ing product instock. Tv incsaingly dene noon
‘of etrbtion centers xabas Amazon o rue the
Une taks te deter products to comune and to
Sitdown on dlvery cos Ax Amazon gneiss
Support a dans diribaion nctwork. Which tum
snabls ito ul usta ordre more rpicly and
talower cost, thoy sling compete a
‘anage ener aller le
"To make is diinbution centers eten more
‘ficient, Amuzon is embracing automation. Unt
racenly, most picking and packing of products at
‘Amazon detsittion eonlers am slone by hand,
‘sth employees walking as rich as 3 ike per
‘Bil topk mershandis of elves and bing to
packing stations. Athough walking 20 miles day
"ay be good forthe placa! beth of employes,
itrepmecents mich wai ime and hart proce
‘vig. Im 2012, Amazon purchased Kia, a leading
rmantactrer of robots that sevice warehouse,
Post the acqulsdon, Kia announced that for the
eat 28 years it would take no eternal onders
CASE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Wat ita ais os Anan
2, What feronallorl etogies hos Amazon
purted boost cuter erpondveren?
3, What does prac quallymean or
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fond Jrstead focus on automating Amaro's die
tubutioncontrs Kiva robots pick products fom
she and datver thm wo pathing stations This
edo thea nee po dtrbtion seer by
Dito and boosts productivity accordingly
‘On the innovation front, Amazon hae Bon @
leader in pushing the digtubaion of mela. si.
tention of the Kind dtl rete and the ai
bf cuslomcr fous tht rnc etherom a dsisted
Rial deve 0 on a gencal-purposedcviee soeh
25 an iPad, trboshargad the dial dsebution of
ooke-—tiatket segment whee Amarone the cat
leader. Ditalization of books is disrupting the c=
tablished Book oan industy amd arengtening
‘Amazon’ adventgs inthis segment, To tre dtl
‘medi, flr books to Ms and muss ard to ene
‘ap cntomer downlad, Amazon hex bul huge
Serer farms iseary investment in“eoul- based”
ffetroture has tuned Arsazon nt a leader in hie
{al snow lneragng sexpert and infasra
tare to build another binness Amizon We Servis
(AWS), which will oa chats data, an assoted
Seftvare for other companiss Ip 20, his new bs
‘as gnaried over $2 iio in evens, making
‘Amasomencof thea laderviheenerging eld
(of elo computing Je Bezas en ecard as s3ting
‘hath Bllvee AWS wil limtaly match Amazone
online ota busines in sale volume,
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4. How hes innovation helped Amazon prone
ite scien, ashore tesponsivenesy ae
gos aeiae
5. Bo you think hat Amazon has any rere and
‘valuable resources? ln what value erection
(inten ore ese escucrs lacie
6, How sntanoble i Aaron's compete
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