What do you think of Amazon's decision to start with books? What differences might have occurred had Amazon tried to start out of the gate with another market?
I think this was a genius move because even though you could physically go to a book store there was no way to buy a book if it was out of stock in person, so having a platform like Amazon was really needed even if it wasn't obvious to other companies. If Amazon had tried to start with another product I'm not sure that they would have been successful considering who their first audience was and what people were like when the Internet first came out.
That's true to consider the audience because as an online company, Amazon's users would have to have at least some interest in technology or computers, and like they said in the book, the bestselling book was about how to set up a website so clearly a lot of people interested in computers might be interested in buying books as well.
I think it was a really smart choice because at the time, there was not really a way to get books online. I think Amazon still could have been successful purely because they had such a good business plan, but I think their success became a reality quicker because they were selling books. Additionally, it set them apart and made a name for them.
I agree that books online was definitely game changing for a lot of people. It made it more accessible, allowing customers to do what they love in an easier fashion.
I think Amazon was smart to start with books, because it was a popular industry and one that everybody was comfortable with. If Amazon tried to start out with a different market, they may not have gotten as much attention, as literature was a much more inclusive and familiar industry.
I think that's a great point. It was a very comfortable market at the time and wasn't really out of the ordinary. Books did reach a lot of people and people would keep buying books. They still found a way to make a name for themselves.
yeah I definitely think Amazon was smart to start with books because they are so universal. People were familiar with the industry and could put trust in a new business because Amazon wasn't manufacturing the books, they were just the middleman.
Erin Burke: I think that it was genius to start with books for all the reasons listed in the chapter but also because reading is very universal, esp before the internet was truly BIG. If they hadn't I don't know that they would have been as successful. Things that fit the product model they were looking for all have some other flaw: magazines are released as issues, furniture is too large and there are too many ways for it to go wrong, etc.
I think that Amazon made a good move to start with books. It was a way to connect the online world with the real world. Books were heavily being used at this time. This was a large market and Amazon was able to show the true capabilities of online retail.
I meant that while people were starting to use the internet more, they still were buying and needed physical copies. Books of course are used now, I just meant how people were getting them :)
When I first read that, I was surprised because I didn't think books were a big enough or important enough market but I think it ended up being a good idea since there would be no discrepancy between the books from store to store (in other words, a book is a book no matter where you get it). If they started out with a different market, it might have been harder to dominate so quickly, but books were in demand and Amazon provided what people needed.
I agree with this, I think everyone was familiar with books and it helped that all copies of a given book were identical. This definitely allowed Amazon to establish credibility and dominate faster.
I agree with you. Starting with books was good because it reaches a broad audience. It is also hard to realize how common and needed books were at the time, as people were adjusting from getting information from books and the internet.
I was also surprised because I feel like I don't see a lot of people buying hard copy books anymore. But then I realized that's because there are so many ways to download books or read them online, and at the time the only way to get a book was to have a physical copy
I think that it was a smart strategy to start with a specific market, especially considering that it was books. I think books appealed to a lot of people and it was a very new concept having every book available on one website, rather than only a few in a bookstore. Books are also used by virtually everyone so I think Amazon would've been less successful if they started with a smaller, more niche, market because they wouldn't have had enough users to expand into new markets.
I think that Amazon's decision to start with books was definitely a good move. Since books have a strong long tail, this was a good market to be in for the company. Book distributors were also uninvolved with the web at the time. If Amazon had started out of the gate with another market, they might not have achieved the level of success they had with books.
The element of competition is a good point. Barnes & Noble and Borders were the only other big book suppliers and they weren't online so it made sense to start in an industry where there would be minimum competition
I believe that it was a genius idea because bookstores was one of the few things that have not advanced in a long time. By combining book selling the internet led to a powerful combination that set amazon up to be successful.
I believe that it was smart to start with books. Going off of what was expressed in the book, it made sense to start with a market that was not brand-dependent, so they only had to get people who wanted specific books, not clothes or something else of a certain type.
I completely agree with your point about books not being brand dependent. This allowed them to not be constrained by typical biases other than what books people wanted to read.
I think it was a good decision. I agree with what the book said that clothing is too tricky to start off with because it's hard to just order something and trust that it will fit right, look the way you thought it would, and feel the way you expected. That being said, I think they had to do something in the entertainment industry, and the only other thing I think could have been successful would be movies. We've seen how Netflix succeeded, and they started with mailing movies. I think Amazon would have had the same outcome if they started with movies, and they may have not turned into the massive online store that they are today.
thats a really interesting point i think the web would be a really different place if they had gone that route, i wonder if we would still have netflix
i think it was a really smart idea, since everyone reads and its such a stable and concrete market. if they had started out with a different product, even computer tech, it wouldn't have been so stable or successful, because even in the booming market of the web, early internet users weren't always well versed and amateur users who might not know much about the web could definitely understand books.
One thing that was not pointed out in the book is that books are easy and cheap to ship. It's difficult to damage a book in shipping and the USPS has media mail which is discounted for books, dvds, etc.
I think that starting with books was a very interesting choice. It made sense to start with this kind of market, one where it did not matter the specifics of the brand. It helped Amazon grow into other markets, it gave them a leg up in the field.
I think this was a genius move because even though you could physically go to a book store there was no way to buy a book if it was out of stock in person, so having a platform like Amazon was really needed even if it wasn't obvious to other companies. If Amazon had tried to start with another product I'm not sure that they would have been successful considering who their first audience was and what people were like when the Internet first came out.
ReplyDeleteThat's true to consider the audience because as an online company, Amazon's users would have to have at least some interest in technology or computers, and like they said in the book, the bestselling book was about how to set up a website so clearly a lot of people interested in computers might be interested in buying books as well.
DeleteI think it was a really smart choice because at the time, there was not really a way to get books online. I think Amazon still could have been successful purely because they had such a good business plan, but I think their success became a reality quicker because they were selling books. Additionally, it set them apart and made a name for them.
ReplyDeleteI agree that books online was definitely game changing for a lot of people. It made it more accessible, allowing customers to do what they love in an easier fashion.
DeleteI think Amazon was smart to start with books, because it was a popular industry and one that everybody was comfortable with. If Amazon tried to start out with a different market, they may not have gotten as much attention, as literature was a much more inclusive and familiar industry.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a great point. It was a very comfortable market at the time and wasn't really out of the ordinary. Books did reach a lot of people and people would keep buying books. They still found a way to make a name for themselves.
Deleteyeah I definitely think Amazon was smart to start with books because they are so universal. People were familiar with the industry and could put trust in a new business because Amazon wasn't manufacturing the books, they were just the middleman.
Delete^^ Erin Burke
DeleteErin Burke: I think that it was genius to start with books for all the reasons listed in the chapter but also because reading is very universal, esp before the internet was truly BIG. If they hadn't I don't know that they would have been as successful. Things that fit the product model they were looking for all have some other flaw: magazines are released as issues, furniture is too large and there are too many ways for it to go wrong, etc.
ReplyDelete"reading is universal" is the ultimate validation of Amazon's original business model
DeleteI think that Amazon made a good move to start with books. It was a way to connect the online world with the real world. Books were heavily being used at this time. This was a large market and Amazon was able to show the true capabilities of online retail.
ReplyDeleteDo we not use books now? Even if they are digital like kindle?
DeleteI agree that books were a good way for Amazon to show what they could do with external markets and beat out physical retailers.
DeleteI meant that while people were starting to use the internet more, they still were buying and needed physical copies. Books of course are used now, I just meant how people were getting them :)
DeleteWhen I first read that, I was surprised because I didn't think books were a big enough or important enough market but I think it ended up being a good idea since there would be no discrepancy between the books from store to store (in other words, a book is a book no matter where you get it). If they started out with a different market, it might have been harder to dominate so quickly, but books were in demand and Amazon provided what people needed.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised when I read this at first. I didn't think that books would have such an expansive market, but their rationale does make sense.
DeleteI agree with this, I think everyone was familiar with books and it helped that all copies of a given book were identical. This definitely allowed Amazon to establish credibility and dominate faster.
DeleteI agree with you. Starting with books was good because it reaches a broad audience. It is also hard to realize how common and needed books were at the time, as people were adjusting from getting information from books and the internet.
DeleteI was also surprised because I feel like I don't see a lot of people buying hard copy books anymore. But then I realized that's because there are so many ways to download books or read them online, and at the time the only way to get a book was to have a physical copy
DeleteI think that it was a smart strategy to start with a specific market, especially considering that it was books. I think books appealed to a lot of people and it was a very new concept having every book available on one website, rather than only a few in a bookstore. Books are also used by virtually everyone so I think Amazon would've been less successful if they started with a smaller, more niche, market because they wouldn't have had enough users to expand into new markets.
ReplyDeleteI think that Amazon's decision to start with books was definitely a good move. Since books have a strong long tail, this was a good market to be in for the company. Book distributors were also uninvolved with the web at the time. If Amazon had started out of the gate with another market, they might not have achieved the level of success they had with books.
ReplyDeleteThe element of competition is a good point. Barnes & Noble and Borders were the only other big book suppliers and they weren't online so it made sense to start in an industry where there would be minimum competition
DeleteI believe that it was a genius idea because bookstores was one of the few things that have not advanced in a long time. By combining book selling the internet led to a powerful combination that set amazon up to be successful.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it was smart to start with books. Going off of what was expressed in the book, it made sense to start with a market that was not brand-dependent, so they only had to get people who wanted specific books, not clothes or something else of a certain type.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your point about books not being brand dependent. This allowed them to not be constrained by typical biases other than what books people wanted to read.
DeleteI think it was a good decision. I agree with what the book said that clothing is too tricky to start off with because it's hard to just order something and trust that it will fit right, look the way you thought it would, and feel the way you expected. That being said, I think they had to do something in the entertainment industry, and the only other thing I think could have been successful would be movies. We've seen how Netflix succeeded, and they started with mailing movies. I think Amazon would have had the same outcome if they started with movies, and they may have not turned into the massive online store that they are today.
ReplyDeletethats a really interesting point i think the web would be a really different place if they had gone that route, i wonder if we would still have netflix
Deletei think it was a really smart idea, since everyone reads and its such a stable and concrete market. if they had started out with a different product, even computer tech, it wouldn't have been so stable or successful, because even in the booming market of the web, early internet users weren't always well versed and amateur users who might not know much about the web could definitely understand books.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteWhy do you think that Barnes and Nobles couldn't get as big as Amazon?
Deletei think the public viewed them more as a physical store rather than an online entity like amazon
DeleteOne thing that was not pointed out in the book is that books are easy and cheap to ship. It's difficult to damage a book in shipping and the USPS has media mail which is discounted for books, dvds, etc.
ReplyDeleteOh that's really interesting..and adds to why books were the right choice in the beginning
DeleteI didn't think about that! That actually provides a lot more perspective on another reason why they may have started out with books.
DeleteI think that starting with books was a very interesting choice. It made sense to start with this kind of market, one where it did not matter the specifics of the brand. It helped Amazon grow into other markets, it gave them a leg up in the field.
ReplyDelete