Amazon India: Disrupting the market with digital innovation

Abstract

Amazon is a USA based e-commerce and cloud computing company. Its Global HQ is in Seattle, USA. The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. Amazon was initially named as "Cadabra". The company got its name "Amazon" in 1995. Amazon started off by offering five major products: CDs, computer hardware & software, videos and books/e-books. The company currently operates in 4 continents and 15 countries around the World Currently, Amazon offers the following major products and services: 1) Amazon pick-up Service: This service serves the sellers who want to sell on Amazon platform. Amazon picks-up products from the sellers as a part of its inbound logistics strategy. 2) Amazon Studios – Amazon produces a series to be shown on its Prime platform 3) Amazon Kindle – Originally designed and developed by Amazon, Kindle is an e-reader that has a better display and is apt for a reading experience similar to that of a real book. 4) Amazon Prime – A value-added service for loyal customers of Amazon. Prime subscribers get numerous benefits. Discounts, fast delivery and access to Prime Video and Music library being the major ones. 5) Amazon Basics – Amazon’s private label for electronics products. 6) Amazon Cloud Drive – Amazon provides cloud storage services to businesses. 7) Amazon web services – This is a cloud computing platform, that provides numerous web hosting and analytics services, as well as data centre support to B2B customers. 8) Amazon Appstore – This is an interactive venue where developers and buyers can interact. Not all, but majority of these services are available to India consumers. In addition to the above, Amazon offers the following Value-added Services to consumers: 1) Free return on select products, subject to conditions. 2) 1-day delivery in select cities. 3) Gift wrapping for gifting items bought and shipped through Amazon. 4) Fulfilled by Amazon (free shipping) by Amazon owner logistics network AMZL (Amazon Logistics) 5) AàZ Guarantee, which is a promise for a wide variety of products available on the platform. Amazon markets itself using the slogan “Aur dikhao”, depicting the typical mentality of Indian shoppers who prefer to explore all varieties of products before finally buying. 6) Delivery tracking through the website and mobile app using its tech-equipped logistics network.