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Rise of Amazon - How it became a Global Conglomerate and what its Future may hold

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    Company Profile

  • 19 Pages
  • February 2021
  • Region: Global
  • MarketLine
  • Amazon.com, Inc.
  • ID: 5313847

Rise of Amazon - How it became a Global Conglomerate and what its Future may hold

Summary

On February 2, 2021 it was announced that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos would be stepping down as CEO, after almost 30 transformative years at the company. The following report will explore how Amazon went from a small online book retailer to an e-commerce giant, how it diversified into an empire and became one of the world’s most valuable brands, and where future growth opportunities lie under its new leadership.

Key Highlights


  • Amazon’s successful e-commerce platform has been the key driver of its impressive growth historically and has given it the financial backing to diversify its business. While the company’s astronomical growth was undoubtedly bolstered by the e-commerce boom, it has taken a number of strategic decisions since its inception which has made it stand out amongst the crowd, and truly cements itself as the leading global e-commerce giant. Despite this, it has faced challenges, most notably rising shipping costs, which have come to impact its margins.
  • It is clear that Amazon’s success in the field of e-commerce is what placed it on the map. However, over the years it has quietly entered and come to dominate a number of other industries and truly diversified its revenue streams. Its entry into thriving industries such as healthcare, subscription services and its bold decision to delve into physical retail has helped the company to become a global empire. It has also allowed the company to compete directly with technology giants such as Facebook, Apple, Google and Netflix and cement itself as a formidable competitor.
  • Over the years Amazon has evolved from an online book store to an e-commerce giant and finally into a global conglomerate with business interests spanning an array of industries. One of the headlines from the Amazon Q4 financial results was that Andy Jassy, the founder and current leader at AWS, will replace Jeff Bezos as chief executive officer during Q3 of 2021, raising questions as to what the future holds for Amazon. The company has a number of ambitious plans which could see it go through yet another period of transformation. Amazon Web Services has become a key growth driver for the company and its value is set to further increase as demand for cloud computing continues to grow. The Indian online retail market also offers future growth prospects, but the company’s future there is hanging in the balance due to a bitter dispute.

Scope


  • See how Amazon became the company it is today
  • Examine what the future of the company looks like
  • Learn what might happen with Jeff Bezos stepping down
  • Understand the challenges it has going forward

Reasons to Buy


  • What led to Amazon being so successful?
  • What problems does it face in the future?
  • Can it continue to grow at the same incredible rate?
  • What does the future hold for the company?

Table of Contents

1. OVERVIEW
1.1. Catalyst
1.2. Summary
2. AMAZON HAS BUILT STRONG FOUNDATIONS IN E-COMMERCE
2.1. Amazon has perfected the online retail model
2.2. The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted online shopping, Amazon has been a major beneficiary
2.2.1. Despite booming sales, high operating costs have had an impact on margins
3. AMAZON HAS DIVERSIFIED ITS REVENUE STREAMS TO BECOME A GLOBAL CONGLOMERATE
3.1. Subscription services represent a growing proportion of revenues
3.1.1. Prime kick started Amazon’s presence in subscription services
3.1.2. Prime Video has cashed in on the success of video-on-demand services
3.1.3. Amazon Music is a dark horse in the online music streaming market
3.2. Purchase of Whole Foods marked diversification into brick and mortar retail
3.3. Amazon has embarked on a course into the healthcare industry
4. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR AMAZON?
4.1. Amazon Web Services will see increased demand
4.2. Cloud gaming is in its infancy but has potential in the long term
4.3. Amazon has the potential to become a major player in the advertising sector
4.4. India holds great potential to become a major market
4.4.1. Amazon’s ambitions are being threatened by a bitter dispute
4.5. With great success comes great responsibility
5. APPENDIX
5.1. Abbreviations and acronyms
5.2. Sources
5.3. Further reading
6. ASK THE ANALYST7. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
List of Figures
Figure 1: Amazon and main retail competitors sales growth (%)
Figure 2: Top 10 destinations where UK consumers shopped for Christmas gifts (%)
Figure 3: Amazon revenue by business segment (2019)
Figure 4: Amazon acquired Whole Foods Market in 2017
Figure 5: PillPack’s USP is its simple, user friendly packaging
Figure 6: GlobalData Competitive Index: AWS
Figure 7: Global cloud computing industry value forecast: $ billion, 2019-24
Figure 8: Amazon Luna has launched
Figure 9: India retail market growth by channel (%)
Figure 10: Amazon is investing heavily in renewable energy projects