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    Case Study

    Amazon: The trillion dollar company coming to the Swiss alps

    By Carlos Cordon, Yuan Zhou, Swati Gupta and Dmytro Lyppa
    19 pages
    August 2019
    Order this case study
    Reference: IMD-7-2061

    The case describes two major dilemmas for Amazon’s expansion in Europe. First dilemma is about options to expand: Sweden has a sizeable and mature market, but Amazon is already #1 retailer through Amazon.com; Poland has the highest growth potential, but the strong local player dominates there. Switzerland looks to be the most attractive option with moderately growing market and no clear leader. To succeed Amazon has to be ready to compete on categories level where strong local or international players operate. What is more controversial, key competitor for Amazon.ch may become Amazon.de, which is already #4 by sales on Swiss e- commerce landscape but has a lot of issues due to complicated VAT reclaiming process and goods return by the customers. Defining value proposition for Swiss market clearly is the major task for Amazon and it clearly depends on giant’s capability to set the right delivery model and carefully selected Prime offering positioning.

    Learning Objective
    • How to define priorities for international expansion of the company.
    • How to analyze existing competitive landscape on the target market with focus on value propositions by the rivals.
    • How to define attractive value proposition based on existing pain points of the customers.
    • How to define applicable business model considering market specific and expected value proposition to be delivered.
    Keywords
    Strategy, Market Size, Market Entry Strategy, Macro Environment Analysis, Value Proposition, Business Model, Strategy Diamond
    Settings
    Switzerland
    Amazon, Consumer Services, Retail, Information Technology, eCommerce
    2017-2018
    Type
    Published Sources
    Copyright
    © 2019
    Available Languages
    English
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    Organization Daikin Industries
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    Copyright ©2024
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Daikin Industries
    Industry Consumer Goods, Home Appliances
    Available Languages English
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    Reference IMD-7-2620
    Copyright ©2024
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Daikin Industries
    Industry Consumer Goods, Home Appliances
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
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    This case study examines the remarkable evolution of Daikin Industries, a company that demonstrated resilience and innovation over nearly a century. Founded in 1924 by Akira Yamada in Osaka, Japan, Daikin originally focused on manufacturing aircra...

    Global Business Strategy
    By Kazuo Ichijo and Yunfei Feng
    Case reference: IMD-7-2618, © 2024
    Read more
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    By Joep de Caluwé
    in I by IMD
    Summary
    Learn why flashy innovation often fails and how a strategic, fact-based approach can drive real innovation success in corporate environments. Insights from industry experts.
    Read more
    Contact

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    By Joep de Caluwé
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    Summary
    Learn why flashy innovation often fails and how a strategic, fact-based approach can drive real innovation success in corporate environments. Insights from industry experts. In this final article in a series of three articles, Joep De Caluwé (EMB...
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