GLOBAL E-BUSINESS AND E-COMMERCE

Reading Head: GLOBAL E-BUSINESS 0
Global E- business
February 27
2020
Customer journey of e-commerce business.

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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Findings and Analysis................................................................................................................2
Amazon UK Customer Journey..............................................................................................3
e-Bay UK Customer Journey..................................................................................................5
Theories of E-commerce........................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
E-commerce business is the type of business which involves online trading of goods. There is
high growth and demand observed for this type of business. Customers are also more
attracted to this type of business because it is also easy for them to find their required
product. A customer journey model has also been developed by experts that show the journey
of customers while and after buying the product. In this report, the customer journey of two
e-commerce business i.e. Amazon UK and eBay UK will be discussed. Theories of e-
commerce businesses that will support these two businesses will also be presented.
Findings and Analysis
Amazon UK and eBay UK both the companies are involved in e-commerce business. They
are providing customers’ the facility to shop online from their websites. Both the companies
are updating features of their website so that customers can have the best experience. Both
the companies are different in terms of pricing, strategy, and features. The biggest difference
between both the companies is the implication of business model.
eBay UK is considered as a business which is involved in auction sale. This company acts as
a bridge between third party buyers and sellers. Buyers can visit company’s website and they
can search for their required products. They can also bid on the items through individual
auctions whereas Amazon UK is directly involved in buying and selling of products. Amazon
also has its own warehouse. For some products, amazon is also dependent on third-party
sellers. But majority of products are delivered to its customers by the company itself.
The main component for every business is its customers. Customers of e-commerce have to
undergo through a process called “Customer journey”. The customer journey identifies stages
of the customer before and after buying products from online websites. Generally, there are

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five stages that are involved in this process such as a) Awareness b) Consideration c)
Conversion d) Retention and e) Advocacy (Siddiqua, 2017).
Every individual buys product because there is a requirement for that product. For that also
customer completes a journey known as “customer journey models (for marketing
campaigns”). This journey has different stages such as, need; Search (SEO); Landing; Search
(internal); Evaluate; Order and Post Purchase. This model is also classified into two
categories such as one useful customer journey model and Multi-channel customer journey
model.
Amazon UK Customer Journey
Amazon UK has already become the number one brand of the e-commerce industry.
Therefore, the expectations of its customers have also increased from the company.
Customers are expecting that the company will provide the products at a reasonable price and
there would be an easy and hassle-free returns procedure. Amazon customer journey involves
the following steps:
1. Considered
Since Amazon has already become the number one brand on which people can trust easily.
Therefore, Amazon is considered to be a website from which customers can access
information about their required products. Amazon also believes in showing their customers
that they are highly committed in building positive response. The company is also
considering customers as its priority. Customers can also see a geo-specific version of the
company’s website. Taping the search button will be starting of the customer journey. There
are also different types of search options that are available on the website (Hong, 21015).
2. Evaluated

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The website of amazon is developed in such a way that it will evaluate the search of the
customer according to their preference. Descriptions of products are also clearly mentioned
on the website. Reviews of products are also available on the website so that customers can
easily decide whether to buy the product or not. Customers can also access a website
anywhere and anytime. The self-contained ecosystem is the process through which a website
can easily anticipate what customers are looking for. And Amazon really excels in this field
(Hong, 21015).
3. Purchased
After passing through all the stages of customer journey purchasing of the product is the most
important step. If customers made their mind to buy a product amazon will only take a few
moments in processing and customer can buy products within seconds. Amazon is also
creating loyalty among customers and they are also celebrating different festivals this can
also attract the minds of consumers (Hong, 21015).
4. Retention
Retention is the stage that is considered after buying the product. Retention means buying the
same product again and again. This stage occurs when the customer has built trust over the
company. Amazon is considering this stage as it has built trust among consumers. Amazon
has added a special feature by which it can easily understand the requirement of consumers
(amazon services, 2020).
5. Advocacy
Advocacy is also the stage that occurs after buying the product. In this stage, satisfied
customers will recommend the same product to others. Amazon has added a feature in which
consumers can write a review about the product and after delivery of the product also amazon

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asks for a rating of the product this will provide company idea consumers choice (amazon
services, 2020).
According to Amazon, the consumer journey will help the company in maintaining the target
customers’ effectively. For example, if company launches any new product then they should
also spend some money on creating awareness about that product. But if there is a case where
customer reaches to retention stage then the company should start focusing on Turning
customers into advocates (amazon services, 2020).
e-Bay UK Customer Journey
e-Bay UK is planning to boost the experience of customers and therefore the company is
launching some of the new features in their website. This will help the company in attracting
customers and a better experience will be provided to them. e-Bay has partly changed their
website for new users but existing customers of the company are finding it difficult to adapt
to the changes. The changes which the company has implemented in their website are: the
company is developing its own catalogue this will be developed with the help of sellers so
that they can directly contribute to the description of the product. The company is also using
data services which will result in the reduction of friction in selling and it will also improve
pricing recommendations. E-bay is also changing its payment feature this will also help
customers in easy payments. It will also reduce the cost of the seller (Dignan , 2018).
e-Bay is also following all those steps which are mentioned in the customer journey. The
company is also updating its website and including new features. But there is some difference
between both the companies. The main difference is of Business Model. Both companies are
using different business models as Amazon is involved in direct selling whereas e-Bay is
involved in third party selling (Krishnamurthy, 2004).

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Theories of E-commerce
The journey of customer is developed with the concept of e-commerce theories. There are
different types of theories such as transaction cost theory, marketing, diffusion, information
retrieval, and strategic networking. All these theories suggest that e-commerce companies
should update their website features so that consumers can have good experience. Stages of
the consumer journey are influenced by these theories because these are setting the base for
e-commerce industries. These theories are directly related to consumer journey as it shows
different features which are related to the consumer. Because while and after buying the
product online consumers passes through different stages and these stages provide them with
different kinds of experience (Hakes, 2017).
Conclusion
E-commerce is one of the new business trends. In this report, there are two e-commerce
businesses shown which are dealing in B2C and they both are from the same retail business.
Consumers are also highly dependent on the e-commerce sector. They are trusting e-
commerce websites. E-commerce companies are also providing product descriptions so that
the customer can buy products with ease. E-commerce companies are also having their own
warehouse so that they can provide products directly to consumers.
While consumers are involving in buying products online they are passing through a
consumer journey that involves different stages. These stages show the behavior of
consumers at each stage. To improve the experience of consumers companies are enhancing
features of websites. Companies want to attract a high number of customers if they provide
quality service to their existing and new consumers. This consumer journey s developed on
the basis of e-commerce theories. E-commerce theories describe essential for companies and
their consumers. It also sets a base through which a company can achieve a competitive

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advantage in the market. So, companies are trying to improve their website and add
additional features so that they can know the experience of customers. This will help them to
improve their performance.

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References
amazon services. (2020). Understand your customer's journey. Retrieved 02 27, 2020, from
amazon services:
https://services.amazon.com/fulfillment-by-amazon/grow-with-fba/customer-
journey.html
Dignan , L. (2018, 10 31). Here's eBay's 5-point plan to boost growth, improve customer
experience. Retrieved 02 27, 2020, from ZDNet: https://www.zdnet.com/article/heres-
ebays-5-point-plan-to-boost-growth-improve-customer-experience/
Hakes, T. (2017, 11 30). Rethinking the Customer Journey: How Ecommerce Companies Can
Take Control of the Full Customer Experience. Retrieved 02 27, 2020, from elumynt:
https://elumynt.com/rethinking-customer-journey-ecommerce-companies-can-take-
control-full-customer-experience/
Hong, P. (21015, 05 21). The Amazon Customer Journey: Leading The Way For Consumer-
Centric Ecommerce. Retrieved 02 27, 2020, from Linkdex:
https://www.linkdex.com/en-us/inked/amazon-customer-journey/
Krishnamurthy, S. (2004). A Comparative Analysis of eBay and Amazon. USA: Idea Group
Inc.
Siddiqua, M. (2017, 12 13). Typical Stages of a Consumer Journey in e-Commerce. Retrieved
02 27, 2020, from arpatech: https://www.arpatech.com/blog/typical-stages-consumer-
journey-e-commerce/

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