Amazon…
Things You Didn’t Know
Amazon has become such a household phenomenon that it is hard to imagine that there may be facts about it that we have never heard of. Sometimes, it is interesting to find out a few things that may not impact your business…but are nevertheless worth knowing.
Business is hard enough without ever taking a minute to “unwind.” On the other hand, there is something to be said for exploring some of the inner workings of one of the world’s largest and most successful companies.
Let’s take a few minutes to consider some of these interesting points. Who knows, they may someday be of use in a Trivial Pursuit game!
Non-Trivial Trivia
- Amazon’s warehouses have more square footage than 700 Madison Square Garden’s and could hold more water than 10,000 Olympic sized swimming pools.
- The first location for Amazon was in the home garage of Jeffery P. Bezos.
- The current logo used by Amazon was designed to depict a smile that goes from A to Z. It signifies that the company is willing to, “… deliver everything to everyone, anywhere in the world!”
- Every two years an employee is required to work at the customer service desk. This includes all employees including the CEO. This is designed to encourage all employees to embrace a strong commitment to customer service.
- Amazon’s unique users are at least 5 times more valuable than eBay’s. A unique user for Amazon brings in over $189.00 while eBay’s brings in just over $39.00.
- It took Amazon until the last quarter of its sixth year to report a profit! In fact, Amazon saw losses of over $3 BILLION in its early years.
- 44% of U.S. households are Amazon Prime members, totaling over 54 MILLION users.
- Over 44% of web shoppers go directly to Amazon for their product searches.
- The average Amazon Prime member spends over $2,500 annually.
- The name Amazon was chosen as the company moniker for two reasons, first the Amazon Rain Forest is vast in size and varied in species. This is what the founder of the company wanted Amazon to be…”vast and varied.” Second, he wanted a company name that started with the letter “A.”
Why IS Amazon So Successful?
Like many dot.com companies, Amazon always claimed it was “unconventional, and radically different than traditional retail.” However, the truth is….those claims have been so true they are actually understated.
When the dot.com “bubble,” burst several years ago, so many web-based companies were casualties that there was too many to name. However, Amazon not only survived….it posted its first profitable quarter within a year of that calamity.
Amazon management also committed itself to developing unmatched customer service, which during the early days of digital sales was an all but nonexistent concept. In every way possible, Amazon leadership chose to think out-of-the-box and ratchet their business model up to the next level.
Go back and read the 10 trivial points listed above. After giving them a bit more thought, you may notice that they reflect innovation, motivation and a commitment to service in almost every point. It is no accident that Amazon is the giant it is. If they weren’t so good at what they do, you most likely wouldn’t be an Amazon Seller…..or an Amazon Buyer.
There are lessons to be learned in the “trivia,” that is reflective of a company’s success. Applying those lessons to your own business model…..now that is the real challenge.