Company/Brand Selected (Amazon):

Due to the diversity of products they provide, the company has made an effort to appeal to customers of all ages. Older adults are specifically targeted with the acquisition of Whole Food Market since they will go there to buy the majority of their products. Since they can buy what they want online, pay digitally, and have it delivered to their destinations, millennials and those who are comfortable with computers and mobile devices have been catered for. The company offers a variety of products such as food, toys, entertainment, video games, sports equipment’s, books, home appliances among others which captures the taste of all the clients. Amazon has approximately 58 million members in the world. Older people have been noted to be loyal customers of the company as compared to millennials. The young generation can easily be convinced to try other competing companies especially upcoming ones since they usually want to associate with new brands (Dave, 2015).

What do the customers buy/use?

[Customers can be able to buy products and services through Amazon’s website or mobile application and request for shipping. The products range from as food, toys, entertainment, video games, sports equipment’s, books, home appliances among many other products.] What changes can the company/brand expect in the future? How can the company/brand better serve its customers? Include information about potential opportunities and threats.

[The company can continue to increase the variety of services they offer to the people. Amazon should also venture into new regions such as Africa as there is a lot of potentials and no major company has ventured there. The company should continue to be more innovative in its delivery of service as more companies are coming up and want to take a stake of the e-commerce industry which will affect Amazon in terms of sales and revenue. The need of the customers is also changing and the company can ensure they always offer what the clients want to stay competitive in the e-commerce industry.]

Company

[This is what the brand is currently.] Identify strengths and weaknesses of the company/brand as it exists today. What does the company/brand do well and not so well at this very moment?

• Strengths

Amazon offers a variety of products enabling clients the convenience of getting all products at one place.

It is available in many countries.

Many forms of payment existing.

• Weaknesses

The delivery time for products and services is still a lot.

It does not exist in some regions such as Africa.]

[This is what the company/brand needs to become.] How can the company/brand improve its weaknesses and maintain or grow its strengths? Suggest how the company/brand can improve upon the things it does well and not so well.

[The company can collaborate with more innovative companies in the market to improve service delivery. Amazon can find a solution of reducing the delivery time and reduce the shipping cost that clients incur.

The company can consider venturing into Africa as the continent has a lot of potentials and the market is still raw.]

Context

Define the current business environment. Include information about political, legal, economic technological and societal factors that may influence sales.

[Success for Amazon has not been easy as there have been various challenges experienced along the way. There of the main factors that influences sales in the company are legal, technological and economic factors. Amazon has gone through a lot of legal battles which in a way affects the brand. Some of the notable legal challenges that Amazon has experienced was from Walmart and Barnes & Noble. A lot of revenue is spent in trying to win these cases which could have been used to fund programs to improve sales and since the media cover the cases, it may change the perception the clients have about the company. Amazon is an internet based company and every day, there are innovations in the field of Information Technology. There are a lot of innovative startup companies that are coming up with an aim to offer competition to Amazon and other online retailers and this is a challenge since some of the customers of the company may be taken by competing companies. To ensure the company is not left behind, resources are spent to research in more innovative ways that would help the business be more efficient and productive. When the economy is struggling, people do not have the capital to purchase some of the products and services that the company offer. The company benefits when the economy of the countries they have invested in rises as they get more clients which means more sales hence more revenue generated.]

Collaborators

Define the business partnerships. Does the company/brand have any current partnerships? What other company/brand may be a good partner for them?

[Since its formation in 1994, Amazon has formed a lot of partnerships over the years. The aim of the collaborations has been to help the company improve its efficiency in some of the services they offer.

Some of the companies include Nike, DC Comics, Lacoste, Living Social, Whole Food market among others. The collaborations have been through companies in various sectors including technology, retail, and finance.

Amazon should collaborate with more technology and logistics companies such as Ethereum, Blockchain, Instacart, Card Cash among others.]

Competitors

Who are the main competitors?

[Amazon specializes in many products such as beauty products, books, pieces of art, entertainment products, electronics, foodstuff, professional services, music video games and many others. I will group this into six main sectors and categorize the competitors.

Advertising sector: The competitors are Facebook, Twitter, and Google.

Cloud computing sector: The competitors are Microsoft and Google.

E-commerce sector: The competitors are Alibaba, Costco, and Walmart.

Procurement sector: The competitors are Staples and Grainger.

Stream media sector: The competitors are Netflix and Hulu.

Digital content sector: The competitors are Google and Apple.

Recently, Google and Walmart formed a partnership to compete against Amazon in the online shopping business. There is a lot of potential in this field with billions of revenues generated and the partnership will have an impact on Amazon business especially if they get some of the clients Amazon have been having over the years (Daisuke, 2017).]

Recommendations

Based upon the analysis you just completed in this worksheet, what are three (3) key recommendations that you could pass along to Management regarding the future direction of the company you selected?

[Currently, it takes up to 8 business days for the product or service to be delivered. To ensure that the company continues to achieve success in the market, they need to form more partnership with various companies that will enable them to deliver products and services within the shortest period. Quick delivery will make customer more satisfied and will prefer Amazon to other competitors in seeking for various products and services.]

[They should also venture into other areas and establish themselves there especially in emerging markets such as Africa. The African market is untapped and if Amazon can venture and offer the products and services they offer to their clients in the United States and Europe, they will be more successful. They can invest in opening a branch in one of the countries in Africa and roll out the business there. Now, for clients in Africa when they order products from Amazon, they get them after a long time which can even be a month and they must pay high shipping costs. Opening a branch there will reduce the time clients take to get products as well as the shipping cost making the company increase its customer base.]

[The company should also continue to be more innovative especially in ways they deliver products and services and how people pay. This will improve efficiency and continue to acquire more customers which will help them be able to counter competition from other existing companies and upcoming companies.]

References

Daisuke Wakabashi, Michael Corkery. (2017). “Google and Walmart Partner with Eye on Amazon”. https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/23/technology/google-walmart-e-commerce-partnership.html?referer=

Dave Smith. (2015). “Older people are more loyal to Amazon Prime.” http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-demographics-chart-2015-1?IR=T