1. Introduction:
Amazon.com has become the largest customer friendly online
retailer and provides one click purchase facility to its wide range of products
including books, music, toys, gifts, electronics etc. For 2011 Amazon’s net
sales documented the value of $48077 million to earn net income of $631 million
(Annual Report, 2011). Currently, Amazon is serving more than 137 million of
its customers with its 56200 employees all over the world (Distinguin, 2011). Moreover,
International traffic also ranks Amazon at 16th position. However,
Amazon achieved this milestone through deploying its threefold strategy of
limitless inventory, customer convenience and low price. The purpose of current
study is also to explore that how Amazon achieved its objective by using its
digital channel.
2. Mass Customization:
Primary difference between a physical retailer and Amazon is
its online operations that allow Amazon to adopt mass customization. Amazon.com
provides an opportunity to offer huge collection of books, music or other
products without keeping them physically on shelf. Millions of books are
available at Amazon for purchase while a large brick and mortar store is
required to keep such huge inventory. In 1999 Amazon consistently added new
product line or capabilities after every six weeks to increase its sale
revenue. Currently, its product range can be divided into 34 broad categories. Such
product customization differentiates Amazon with its competitors. It is argued
that product customization is a critical source of competitive advantage even
as compared to price competitiveness as it allows customers to select products
according to their needs and wants at one place (Dewan et al., 2003; Murthi and Sarkar 2002). So, one
can attribute such mass customization to the success of Amazon.com.
2.1 Amazon Operating Models:
However, to provide such mass customization Amazon follows
its three operating models. First, it sells its own inventories and manages
customer relation and supply chain on its own through Amazon.com. Second,
Amazon also act as third person and allow other companies to place their
products at Amazon.com for sale. However, Amazon only manages front end
customer relations while logistic issues are controlled by sellers. In 1999
Amazon offered Zshop facility that allows small companies to sell their product
through Amazon.com. His strategy was to compete with e-bay who was also
providing similar services of auction. At last Amazon has also introduced its e-commerce
solutions and design web sites and offer hosting services to its customers. In
other words these three operating models provide huge collection of products that
is consistent to its business strategy limitless inventory.
3. Integrated Business Operations:
Success of Amazon strategies lay within its integrated
business operations. Figure 1 illustrates that how Amazon fulfill its customers
order through integrating its operations. Amazon.com server uses the supply
chain optimization software to predict demand and also optimize its supply
chain. In first step customers’ data for credit card is processed to finalize
their orders. Amazon warehouse is also information about customer order in this
respect for coordination. This is done to find out stock information at Amazon
warehouse. However, in case of shortage at Amazon warehouse appropriate
suppliers are selected. This information is transferred to publishers, music
companies and electronic OEM for further process. After receiving order
information publishers, music companies and electronic OEM dispatch required
products physically to the nearest Amazon warehouse. At Amazon warehouse these
items are packed and also send to customer place through UPS or US postal
services. In this way Amazon develop integrated business operations that share
information over its network for effectiveness.
Figure
1: Amazon Network of Fulfillment
Amazon integrated system speeds up the process and customers
can receive their product at same or next day. This will positively contribute
to customer’s loyalty. Moreover, Amazon also made required changes to its
fulfillment system when needed especially for huge order fulfillments. For
instance Amazon received record advance order of 275000 for single volume of
Harry Porter. This challenged information staff at Amazon. During such event
Amazon mailed to its customers for confirmation of delivery information. Moreover,
before shipment data regarding each package was updated. For Shipment purpose
Amazon contracted with Fedex for shipping 250000 orders at released date that
scheduled 100 flights to fulfill orders. In this way, Amazon successfully met
such huge order fulfillment on released date.
3. Low Cost Strategies:
Porter (1980) argued that firms can gain sustainable
competitive advantages through adopting differentiation, cost leadership or
focus strategies. While on the other hand Loudon & Loudon, (2006) argued that firms can gain cost leadership
through online operations as it reduces ordering and inventory cost. Mass
customization at Amazon also augmented its profitability through high activity
with low variable cost. Fixed cost per unit decreases with the increase in
activity as compared to variable cost per unit (Drury, 2006). While in case of
Amazon fixed cost of system dominates as compared to nominal variable cost. Cost
of technology, many parts of fulfillment cost and advertisement costs are fixed
in nature. On the other hand Amazon is bearing nominal variable cost. This
indicates that high activity will lead to low fixed cost per unit cost that
Amazon can use to settle for low prices. So, this mass customization will also
lead to high productivity that ultimately will optimize profits through decreased
fixed cost per unit. Moreover, Amazon also reduces its costs through cross
docking shipments. For instance Amazon place its different items like books,
toys, electronic etc simultaneously in single order to the closest warehouse
located near to customers. To do so, Amazon uses its “12 technologies” to
optimize solutions and to predict demand.
4. Customer Fulfillment Network (CFN) Strategy:
On the other hand Amazon has also
adopted the customer fulfillment networking (CFN) strategy that emphasize to
augment gross profit margins through purchasing books directly from publishers
rather than involving distributors who add their profits. CFN strategy was
developed to integrate customer relationship management and order fulfills management
applications. CFN system compares customers’ demand with their capabilities to
recognize that whether Amazon can fulfill their orders with reasonable profits
or not. It also allows predicting dynamic demand that ultimately reduces the carrying
cost and transportation cost at Amazon warehouse. Moreover, it also allows improving
their cash flow as less cash is tired up in inventory and increase inventory
turnover that ultimately augments firm’s profits.
5. Customer Centric Strategies:
One can also explain Amazon’s success in respect of its
ability to extract and use of customer information. Amazon keeps a complete
record of all of its customers. Amazon main a data base that knows that when and
what a customer orders. If a customer has not been placing order for some time
then Amazon sends him an e-mail coupon containing information regarding
entirely different or related product line to stimulate customers for
reordering. For instance it is possible that you will receive an e-mail
regarding computer equipments products if you last purchased a notebook.
5.1 personalized Options:
Similarly, Amazon.com also provides convenience in selecting
products over its website through customization. Web pages are customized
according to the liking of their customers. One can easily personalize his
selection when he login as a customer at Amazon.com. All the Amazon products
are divided into 34 broad categories. A person can select and search within these
34 broad categories easily. It is consistent with their strategy of providing
convenience to customers.
5.2 Customer Review:
It is argued that digital means of information can be used
to communication product quality and also creates a bond between buyers and
sellers especially within online markets (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006). Amazon
also stimulates its customers to write editorial and review of book they
purchased. This option of book review communicates positive information to
other potential customers and increases the like-hood of purchase. It is also
consistent with Chevalier and Mayzlin, (2006) who also argued that improvement
in scores obtained by a book through book review contributes to purchase
intentions and lead to high sales revenue.
3.3 Quick Shipment:
Providing hassle-free fulfillment of customers’ order is
also viewed as one of the key success areas of Amazon. For most of the product
Amazon offers same or next day fulfillment. This is what makes different Amazon
with other online retailers. However, Amazon does this through its integrated
order fulfillment process as demonstrated in figure 1.
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Great! Thanks for sharing your Amazon Review Service. It was very helpful for amazon FBA sellers.
ReplyDeleteWhen a customer is browsing Amazon they will sometimes remember something else that they wanted to buy and they go and buy it. So you get a commission on the product you promote (assuming they bought that) as well as any other product they buy. topselling
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