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E-Business

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Course

Module Code, Module Tittle

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Date

Word Count: 2070

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Contents
1.0 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................2
2.2 Product Evaluation..........................................................................................................................4
2.3. Purchase Process...........................................................................................................................6
2.4. Post-Purchase Engagement and Retention....................................................................................8
3.0 Analysis.......................................................................................................................................10
3.1 Amazon's Customer Buying Journey...........................................................................................10
3.2 eBay's Customer Buying Journey................................................................................................11
3.3. Comparative Analysis.................................................................................................................11
4.0 Proposal.......................................................................................................................................11
4.1. Personalized Content Recommendations............................................................................................12
4.2. Auction-style limited-time access.......................................................................................................12
4.3. Interface You Can Learn and Informed Choices.................................................................................12
4.4. Secure and Streamlined Checkout:.....................................................................................................12
5.0 Bibliography........................................................................................................................................13
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E-Business

1.0 Introduction

In this report, we analyze and criticize the major e-commerce companies Amazon and eBay,
taking the customer buying journey as our starting point. The customer journey model selected
for analysis includes online research, navigation and browsing, product valuation, actual
purchase, and post-purchase maintenance. The aim is to analyze the characteristics and
operations of these two retail titans side-by-side to determine what makes them more or less
successful in meeting customer needs. But there is a good reason to choose Amazon and eBay,
namely that as global e-commerce giants with expansive operations they belong to the same
retail sector. Next, the report suggests launching an e-business venture, dubbed e-library, which
combines the beneficial characteristics of Amazon and eBay. They are a new venture that hopes
to provide a total product package that suits modern trends. The assignment consists of
segmenting and assessing customer purchasing trips for Amazon and eBay, and a detailed
investigation of feature elements of the websites. This inquiry will then form the basis for how
the e-library is conceived, as the latter develops in response to changing customer demands in the
Internet economy.
2.0 Findings

In this report, we delve into the customer buying journeys of two prominent e-commerce
businesses, Amazon and eBay, followed by the proposal of a new e-business concept: an e-
library. The evaluation is structured across various phases of the customer journey,
encompassing online search and navigation, product evaluation, purchase, and post-purchase
stages. The focus is on understanding and comparing the features and processes that contribute to
the effectiveness of each e-business.

2.1 Online Search and Navigation

Take the biggest e-commerce retailer, Amazon. A prominent feature of the company is its focus
on the customer in user experience at every stage in the online shopping process. For example, it
employs a highly developed recommendation engine, specially designed to be able to understand
user behavior and interests. In addition to personalizing the shopping experience, this engine has
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also made it much easier to find new products suited to individual preferences. In addition,
Amazon offers a simple and convenient interface which makes browsing a pleasure for all. The
design of the website makes it easy to go from searching to buying, which ends up making the
user happy. In addition, Amazon's highly effective search engine, bolstered by powerful filters,
guarantees that users get precise and relevant results, burning down the time spent searching and
increasing the chances of conversions (Nickelsburg 2017).

(Source: Nickelsburg 2017)

However, another online e-commerce powerhouse-eBay-has a unique perspective on the role of
the customer buying experience. Although its user interface might look a little cluttered, it is
designed like this to make it possible to handle a wide range of products. The secret of eBay's
success is precisely this use of a versatile search system that can serve specific and general
purposes while giving users the most extensive facility for exploration. To add some excitement
to the process, eBay also includes an auction function, letting users bid for products, which may
decrease somewhat in price. This special feature also adds an element of the unexpected, which
offers the consumer a bit of active participation, and is sure to be a hit among consumers who
enjoy shopping. Although it may seem crowded, you could say that eBay manages to strike a
compromise between variety and organization, allowing people with broadly diverse tastes and
habits to find what they're looking for (Easystorehosting 2022).
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(Source: Easystorehosting 2022)

Amazon, on the other hand, excels at personalized recommendations and raising the user
experience by customizing user suggestions based on user behavior and habits. This precision
adds to a smoother and more fulfilling shopping experience. But on the other hand, eBay has its
own special auction system, offering a special and exciting search experience. Auctions
'changing fortunes also give consumers interested in interacting with the market a new level of
exhilaration (Nickelsburg 2017). In comparison, Amazon specializes in personalization, while
eBay specializes in an unusual and lively auctioning environment.

2.2 Product Evaluation

Amazon does a very good job of helping customers learn about products. The platform also
features rich product descriptions, which, according to Lin, enable users to understand precisely
what is meant when people talk about a product. In addition, customer reviews and ratings are an
important factor in assisting decision-making by helping one find out the true-life experience of
other buyers. It's a transparent approach that adds to the sense of trust in the buying experience.
Good images and video on Amazon help give the customer an in-depth impression of a product's
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quality and appearance (Johnson 2023).

(Source: Johnson 2023)

Yet eBay takes an approach, providing a product evaluation strategy that would be difficult to
match. With its auction capability, the platform adds a sense of suspense and rivalry to the
buying process. Not only does this capture the interest of consumers, but it also offers consumers
the chance to sell their products at a discount, thus attracting price-sensitive shoppers.
Furthermore, like Amazon eBay uses customer reviews to further add to the credibility of
products (Easystorehosting 2022). Reviews like these provide tremendous information to
prospective buyers about the quality, usability, and consumer satisfaction related to a product.
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(Source: Easystorehosting 2022)

In contrast, the abundance of product information on the Amazon site helps to improve decision
making and makes things more systematic. This abundance of information enables customers to
weigh up products fully, and gives them the feeling of being in control. But on the other hand,
eBay's auction function provides an innovative, yet highly practical, method for price-conscious
shoppers. It also adds a competitive bidding system to the mix, which also suits the wishes of the
cost-conscious users who are looking for a good deal (Johnson 2023). This comparison
highlights the variety of strategies used by these e-commerce conglomerates, each tapping into a
different consumer market segment in the multifaceted task of appraising and purchasing
products.

2.3. Purchase Process

E-commerce giants Amazon and eBay in turn present diverging models in the makeup of the
power of last resort in the shopping process. Secure and simple checkout, and a convenient
variety of payment methods, are among the things that make Amazon so appealing. One-click
purchasing makes the user experience even more convenient and removes friction from the last
links in the purchasing process (Sellbrite nd). But this focus on speed is in accord with Amazon's
approach to the purchasing experience and its aim to provide a fast and convenient purchase
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experience.

(Source: Sellbrite nd)

In contrast, the eBay purchasing process involves safe payment methods but adds a novel auction
spin to the process. True, the auction system may increase the time required to buy a house, but it
does meet the needs of many different kinds of buyers. eBay meets the needs of both the gamers
and the impatient by providing a choice between urgent purchasing and bidding (Lapola et al.
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2023).

(Source: Copeland, nd)

Both the platforms stress secure transactions and safeguarding user data and financial
information. It's just that the one-click buy function of Amazon's is much swifter, creating a
more direct route to a sale. EBay, on the other hand, provides auction and immediate-purchase
options, thus appealing to tastes and buyer habits and allowing a wider target audience. The
comparison highlights how important it is to design the process of making a purchase be it by
making things efficient or by giving people choices to match their individual needs in order to
create positive and satisfying experiences (Copeland, nd).

2.4. Post-Purchase Engagement and Retention

As for post-purchase follow-up measures, two e-commerce leaders, Amazon and eBay, use
different approaches to create a high degree of customer satisfaction and loyalty. The system of
post-purchase contact employed by Amazon is complex. This platform also relies on email
notices to update customers on their order status, shipment information, and more. Also, there is
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a highly advanced personalized recommendation mechanism which suggests products to

customers based on their order histories and browsing habits in order to keep them browsing.
These are all provided by Amazon. The addition of loyalty programs only serves to encourage
customers to continue coming back. Amazon's tutorial spirit is thus displayed in its quick and
convenient customer service and its easy return policy, guaranteeing resolution of all issues and
reinforcing confidence in post-purchase satisfaction (Patel 2022).

(Source: Patel 2022)

EBay, on the other hand, stresses follow-up by email, promotions, and discounts to increase
repeat business. Such post-purchase communications not only express appreciation for the
customer's patronage but also offer some inducement for the next purchase. By quickly and fairly
resolving buyer-seller disputes, the eBay Resolution Center is important in establishing this trust
(Trivedi 2023). This provides not only a safe, open environment, but gives users the confidence
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that their complaints will be fairly addressed as well.

(Source: Trivedi 2023)

By contrast, both these platforms are concerned with post-purchase interaction. In addition, it’s
customized use of recommendations and loyalty programs reflect Amazon's personalized
approach and laser-like focus on the customer. In the interim, eBay's Resolution Center is a good
example of a company going the extra mile to ensure that problems are resolved quickly, and it
helps to build lasting trust (Lapola et al. 2023). Both of these companies 'differing tactics show
how personalized attention and open dispute resolution are key to maintaining customer
satisfaction and building long-term customer loyalty.

3.0 Analysis

3.1 Amazon's Customer Buying Journey

Amazon has made it a point to offer customers a smooth, personalized experience. This AIDA
(attention, interest, desire, action) model is ubiquitous, and we can see it in how the
recommendation engine captures user attention, how the personalized recommendations generate
interest and desire to purchase. According to the Consumer Decision Journey (CDJ) model, the
user-friendly interface and the search algorithm of the website support the product-discovery,
assessment (search), and buying process. This post-purchase experience dovetails with the
loyalty loop model (Mitchell 2019). It uses email notification and loyalty programs to sew up the
loop to retain customers and secure repeat business.
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3.2 eBay's Customer Buying Journey

On the other hand, eBay brings a completely different dynamic to the customer experience. This
auction system is also compatible with the interactive customer engagement (ICE) model
providing the user with an interactive experience. The crowded but neat interface has a similarity
with the CDJ model, in terms of its ability to meet the needs of different products and different
types of buyers. The Resolution Center is targeted at the Service Profit Chain model, where the
speed of resolving an issue will increase both the customer's trust and satisfaction (Saeedi 2019).

3.3. Comparative Analysis

Compared with the two, it is obvious that Amazon's focus on product information and
individualized recommendations gives consumers a much more orderly framework for decision
making, a framework close to that of the CDJ model (Crespo-Lopez et al. 2021). One-click
buying is a classic case of removing friction from the shopping process to make it more efficient
and pleasant. Apart from facilitating secure shopping, eBay catches the attention of consumers
who prefer a more active and competitive shopping style with its auction format (Combe 2012).
The Resolution Center also helps to foster mutual trust, and is in accord with service-oriented
models.

4.0 Proposal

(Source: Semantic Scholar 2009)

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4.1. Personalized Content Recommendations

Taking advantage of Amazon's highly developed recommendation system, E-Library will

provide each user with a customized list of digital content that is tailored to his or her
preferences, interaction patterns, and browsing habits. This feature guarantees that users find
things were interested in, and helps to create a more interactive and personalized environment
(Semantic Scholar 2009).

4.2. Auction-style limited-time access.

Inspired by eBay's auction system, E-Library is introducing a revolutionary model for access to
digital content. This will allow users to place bids on limited-time access to special content or the
exclusive release of products, thus instilling a sense of anticipation and exclusivity. Apart from
requiring a sense of dynamism and spontaneity, this approach also reflects attention to audience
diversity and to time-sensitive content (Combe 2012).

4.3. Interface You Can Learn and Informed Choices

E-Library is user-oriented, emphasizing visual quality and a convenient interface. Each digital
product will come with detailed content descriptions, high-quality images and user reviews,
helping the user make a proper choice (Combe 2012). It strives to serve as a haven for content,
guiding people through the process of browsing to selection.

4.4. Secure and Streamlined Checkout:

E-Library recognized how trust is essential to e-commerce, so it has made the checkout process
smooth and secure. Whether members use subscription-based services or those providing one-off
purchases, the platform will employ strong security measures to protect user privacy (Kollmann
2019). The object is to inspire confidence in users, so that their engagements with digital content
will not only be happy, but also safe.
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5.0 Bibliography
Combe, C., 2012. Introduction to E-business. Routledge.
Copeland, B. (nd) 'Analysis of two “first movers” that lasted, in the E-commerce space',
SlidePlayer, Available at: https://slideplayer.com/slide/4596068/ (Accessed: 15 June
2023).

Crespo-Lopez, M.E., Augusto-Oliveira, M., Lopes-Araújo, A., Santos-Sacramento, L., Takeda,

P.Y., de Matos Macchi, B., do Nascimento, J.L.M., Maia, C.S., Lima, R.R. and Arrifano,
G.P., 2021. Mercury: What can we learn from the Amazon?. Environment international,
146, p.106223.
Easystorehosting (2022) 'eBay launches visual search tools for finding products using photos
from your phone or web', Available at: https://www.easystorehosting.com/ebay/ebay-
launches-visual-search-tools (Accessed: 22 December 2023).

Johnson, R. (2023) 'Amazon Product Review Best Practices', Search Engine Journal, Available
at: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/amazon-product-reviews-best-
practices/388179/ (Accessed: 22 May 2023).

Kollmann, T., 2019. E-business. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden.

Lapola, D.M., Pinho, P., Barlow, J., Aragão, L.E., Berenguer, E., Carmenta, R., Liddy, H.M.,
Seixas, H., Silva, C.V., Silva-Junior, C.H. and Alencar, A.A., 2023. The drivers and
impacts of Amazon forest degradation. Science, 379(6630), p.eabp8622.
Mitchell, D.T., 2019. From Dodge to eBay: The Elusive Corporate Purpose. Va. L. & Bus. Rev.,
13, p.155.
Nickelsburg, M. (2017) 'Chart: Amazon is the most popular destination for shoppers searching
for products online', GeekWire, Available at: https://www.geekwire.com/2017/chart-
amazon-popular-destination-shoppers-searching-products-online/ (Accessed: 23
December 2018).

Patel, N. (2022). '5 Post-Purchase Email Campaign Tactics Worth Trying', Neil Patel, Available
at: https://neilpatel.com/blog/post-purchase-email/ (Accessed: 2 July 2023).

Saeedi, M., 2019. Reputation and adverse selection: theory and evidence from eBay. The RAND
Journal of Economics, 50(4), pp.822-853.
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Sellbrite (nd) 'Amazon Buy Box: How to Win it in 2020', Sellbrite, Available at:
https://www.sellbrite.com/blog/amazon-buy-box/ (Accessed: 12 January 2023).

Semantic Scholar 2009. The eCommerce Customer Journey: A Model to Assess and Compare
the User Experience of the eCommerce Websites. The Journal of Internet Banking and
Commerce, 14, 1-11.

Trivedi, A. (2023) 'eBay Customer Retention Guide You Need This Holiday Season', CED
COMMERCE, Available at: https://cedcommerce.com/blog/ebay-customer-retention-
strategies-you-need-this-holiday-season/ (Accessed: 21 November 2023).