New Media Markets: Amazon.com

For my case study presentation, I volunteered to answer the following question of the week: how does media convergence influence new media markets? I chose to research the impact Amazon.com has on new media markets and present it for the class. I decided to look specifically at the impact of customer service and the improvement of the customer experience since the advent of Amazon.com. Beginning in 1995 as an online bookstore, Amazon.com focused more on serving their customers better than making a profit. The founder, Jeff Bezos, had a vision for his website to become an “everything” store, where customers could purchase any and all goods, products, and services for affordable prices. Bezos instilled the concept of customer satisfaction in his employees by “ensuring that the customer’s voice is constantly heard inside the company” (Hartmans, 2017). Unsatisfied customers can email Jeff Bezos directly with their complaint and he will direct the email to the proper department for answers. The corporate mission statement for Amazon is as follows: “We seek to be Earth’s most customer-centric company for three primary customer sets: consumer customers, seller customers and developer customers” (Treanor, 2010). Amazon also listens to the customers wants in terms of products and availability, such as the demand for eBooks and eReaders, and was unafraid to leave their roots of physical books in the past. This type of customer service management and interaction is something special and significant in the revolution of brick-and-mortar establishments like Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and so on. By creating an atmosphere of excellence and high standards, Amazon.com is challenging other businesses to be better, thus giving consumers better experiences all around.

Sources:

Hartmans, A. (2017, April 09). 15 Fascinating Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Amazon. Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-amazon-history-facts-2017-4

Treanor, T. (2010). Amazon: Love Them? Hate Them? Let’s Follow the Money. Publishing Research Quarterly, 26(2), 119-128.