A SWOT Analysis for B2C E-Commerce: The Case of Amazon.com

A SWOT Analysis for B2C E-Commerce: The Case of Amazon.com

Pauline Ratnasingham (Central Missouri State University, USA)
Copyright: © 2006 |Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/jcec.2006010101

Abstract

A key challenge for e-commerce firms is how to attract customers in business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce. Forrester research predicts that the growth of B2C e-commerce in the U.S. will grow from $95.7 billion in 2003 to $229.9 billion in the year 2008. Although the overall growth of B2C e-commerce has been promising, its full potential has not been fully realized. This case examines factors that impact of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of Amazon.com a giant online book retailer. We first discuss the rationale for applying the SWOT analysis followed by the growth of Amazon.com. We then provide an in depth description of the background information of Amazon.com. While serving as a valuable teaching case, this study contributes to the theory of B2C e-commerce as we discuss factors that impact the SWOT framework. The practical significance is derived from the lessons learned from Amazon.com thereby contributing to strategic vision as it increases the awareness for other B2C firms.

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