Amazon is the king of eCommerce, which will soon become the world’s first trillion dollars company. The online retailer has become one of the most popular places to purchase goods. Amazon’s success is due in part to the company’s expansive selection and low prices but also to the convenience and ease of using the Amazon website and mobile apps. With over 100 million products and more being added, there is sure to be something for everyone.
Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and launched online in 1995, Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is an American multinational technology company based in Seattle, Washington, that focuses on eCommerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It is considered one of the Big Four technology companies in the world, alongside Google, Apple, and Facebook. Amazon is the largest eCommerce marketplace platform in the world, as measured by revenue and market capitalization.
However, Amazon was not always the eCommerce powerhouse that it is today. The company started as a simple online bookseller. Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos had the vision to see the potential of the internet as a shopping platform, and he was able to capitalize on this early on. While other retailers were slow to adopt online selling, Amazon was quick to embrace it.
In this post, we are set to dive deeper into Amazon’s success journey so you can start yours with the right mindset.
What is the secret behind Amazon’s success?
Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, is an American entrepreneur, computer engineer, and commercial astronaut. The company emerged from Bezos’ garage and reached every corner of the world. Today’s eCommerce giant started with one category and became a book-selling platform as Bezos found books simple to source, pack, and distribute. With his parents’ idea and initial startup capital, Bezos took the bet without having the foggiest idea that his online bookstore would explode into a worldwide eCommerce success.
Amazon was named “Cadabra” as a reference to the magic phrase “abracadabra.” But soon Bezos changed it to “Amazon,” referring to the river in South America, aiming at expanding his book store collection as expansive as the world’s largest river, and he seemingly didn’t disappoint.
From its first appearance in 1995 to Dec 1996, the company attracted about 180,000 customer accounts. In less than a year, Amazon.com boasted up to 1 million customers. From there, Amazon keeps expanding its sales through new areas, including fashion and beauty, consumer electronics, video games, and other software and home-enhancement products, also.
Besides all the effort, the biggest reason behind Amazon’s success is that Bezos decided to face the challenge of adopting the latest technological advancements. Amazon was the first company to leverage the digital platform to sell and was brave enough to experiment with AI.
Amazon did everything while enhancing its order processing, customer service, and recruitment activities. In short, Amazon has never ceased to seize the opportunity to innovate its platform, whether it’s about delivering orders the next day or within hours through drones.
The giant currently operates as a full-service marketplace, selling its own products in addition to third parties using its platform, allowing customers to compare prices and find the best deals. Check out the below stats that represent Amazon’s current popularity.
Top 5 reasons for eCommerce Success and the Secret Sauce of Amazon’s roaring triumph
You can also find your way out by looking into aspects that make Amazon an ideal platform for eCommerce success. Or an idea to create or boost your eCommerce business.
Invest in innovation
While management at most companies is attracted to the “delivery engine,” leaders like Amazon pays to heed to the “discovery engine.” As CEO and founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos has figured out how to devote the bulk of his time to innovation and how to delegate the implementation of ideas.
On the other hand, he spends most of his time analyzing what the world will need in the next five to ten years from now. For example, using robots to streamline eCommerce operations and applying AI throughout their supply chain. Or giving a hands-free shopping experience via voice assistant Alexa.
Thus, investing time, adequate skills, and money into refining and identifying a roadmap to innovation takes his company from zero to one and one to hundred, complying with the projection.
Commitment to world-class customer service
Whether it’s an order page to let customers track the status of active orders, cancel, return, refund, or profile management, Amazon ensures the utmost customer satisfaction. Customer experience has always been at the core of the platform. The eCommerce giant entails a perfectly ordered customer service page, providing required information intuitively in seconds. Because Bezos believes in focusing on the customers over competitors, this principle has never disappointed him.
Automate Order Fulfillment
As the internet and eCommerce continue to grow, so does the need for automation in order to speed up order processing and fulfillment times. Amazon is famous for its efficient and comprehensive order fulfillment system, which relies heavily on automation.
Among the various automation methods used by Amazon, one of the most popular is using robots. These machines use sensors and algorithms to navigate a warehouse and fulfill customer orders. This way, the company can focus on providing the best customer service.
Amazon has a complex system that coordinates the different parts of the order fulfillment touchpoints. All the steps are coordinated and monitored so that the customer experience is as good as possible.
Never fear diversifying
Amazon has always been a diversified company. Amazon has never been afraid to venture into new territory. This fearlessness is one of the reasons why Amazon is innovative and one of the most successful companies in the world.
It started as an online bookstore but then ventured into selling video downloads/streaming, MP3 downloads/streaming, audiobook downloads/streaming, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, and food grocery items. Amazon also has a publishing arm called Amazon Publishing which publishes Kindle books under a brand called Kindle Press.
Because of this diversification, Amazon was able to stay afloat during the dot-com bubble burst and keep growing its profits year after year.
UX impact that lasts long
Having a solid UX is a crucial reason for eCommerce success because it allows for a seamless experience that can result in more sales. Amazon understands this and has put together an entire UX team that consists of experts in various fields, such as user research, interaction design, and web development.
UX experts at Amazon then collaborate with engineers, product managers, and supervisors to create compelling user experiences that drive more conversions. And we can see how Amazon’s user experience impacts its success in many ways, from product discovery to the checkout process, from customer service to shipping, and from returns to reviews.
Follow in Amazon’s footsteps to become the next eCommerce sensation.
Do you wonder what other reasons for eCommerce success like Amazon are? So, let us reveal key elements of Amazon’s strategy for eCommerce success that we found in our research. There will be hints for how you can adopt them to drive desired eCommerce success in your organization.
Customized approach to meet customer needs
Amazon shows related items, a history of what customers have recently viewed, and suggestions for new purchases by carefully analyzing customer browsing and purchasing history and shopping behaviors. This eCommerce analytics helps Amazon promote more products, sell more, and personalize the shopping experience for shoppers.
You can also start tracking customer behaviors and making relevant suggestions. And when they get back to your platform, remember what they bought last time. From that point, you can tailor sections, such as “related items for you” and “You might also like,” to customers’ personalities. This stimulates customers to shop more and increases AOV–Average Order Value.
Experiment fast and fail faster
Amazon values experiments very highly, which is reflected in its website, which continually tests something new, be it prices, customization, recommendation algorithms, or something else. Using its hometown as a test market, Amazon gains consumer insights and Feedback to find what works and what doesn’t.
You can also leverage A/B testing by selling limited edition items to receive customer opinions and conduct surveys to measure their satisfaction with your online store. The data you will gain will make it easier to drive innovation in terms of features, products, and services of your eCommerce.
Customer-focused shopping experience
Among the significant reasons why Amazon is the king of eCommerce is its extremely convenient shopping experience. I mean, each step of the buyer’s journey is well thought out; customers get everything they want right out of the box.
You can also achieve the Amazon level of customer satisfaction by understanding your buyer persona first and then designing their journey. Not to mention, quality CRM (customer relationship management) software will significantly help a customer-centric brand.
Automate Feedback and review the system
Amazon pioneers the most effective review and rating system as it has been using it since 1995. The review system plays a crucial role in customers’ decision-making, thus driving more sales.
You can also start asking customers to give their honest reviews with photos or videos of the product right after the delivery. But do not forget to make it simple and accessible with the least effort, as customers don’t like complex and time-consuming functionality.
Pioneer Data and customer-led innovation
Data is at the heart of everything Amazon does. They have artificial intelligence engineers embedded in every business unit, every team, every region, and every warehouse. The customer data generated from every corner of their business allows them to sprout insanely great products. This provides a level of service that is unmatched by their competition.
You can also employ cutting-edge technology, such as AI and ML, and harness the data with a data analyst’s help. Consequently, you will hear data tell you about what customers might want next.
How can Kody help you become the next leader in your eCommerce?
Amazon has come to dominate the eCommerce landscape in recent years. This is due in part to the company’s expansive selection and low prices but also to the convenience and ease of using the Amazon website. Amazon’s success results from its commitment to customer satisfaction and comfort.
To start an eCommerce business, you will need not only vendors or a range of products but also technology geeks. Professional technology practitioners at Kody Technolab have first-hand experience in eCommerce websites and mobile app development from scratch. Right from analyzing your visions to aligning them with the right technology and developing and deploying the product, we can take care of everything.
Besides, you will need to keep experimenting with technology and functionality, adding new categories gradually to expand your customer base. In that case, the agility and skillfulness of our eCommerce development team will support you in staying ahead of the curve. On the other hand, we have an excellent design team to ensure your customers never get bored of browsing their favorite items intuitively.
With Kody Technolab’s experience, you will be able to strengthen your market position and generate high ROI.