Lesson Learned From Amazon We All Can Use

There are two schools of thought when it comes to taking care of “business”. Many people believe that being direct or straightforward is the best way to achieve goals, yet others swear of being diplomatic as the hands down method. While neither approach is wrong, any method used should be purely strategic.  Perhaps we all can learn from the retail tech giant. 

Amazon continues to generate buzz with its innovations and lofty goals. In fact, it’s almost impossible to navigate the web without seeing a feed about the company's activity. If it’s not about building its own shipping company then it’s leasing jets to build its logistics network, or flying its own planes. The company continues to amaze me, but this is hors de sujet. My central point is to emphasize the company’s approach and the slickness of its executives in fulfilling its grandiose goals.   

When Amazon started in 1994, there was zero to little chance that the company would be able to compete directly against the established players.  With the end goals in mind, and using its innovation, it created another way to take a bite of the retail market. The company became so successful, to the point that it was challenging the very existence of competitors with brick and mortar stores.  Amazon forced a vicious move toward online retailing and caused many retailers to shut down operations of their conventional stores.   

As the world's biggest retailer, Amazon is where it wanted to be in the first place, “to provide the best products and services to its customers at the best price”, and it is pioneering to stay ahead; from expanding throughout the world to cutting out shipping middlemen. As it triggered a shift toward online retailing, the current real estate market is just right.  Even in a packed city like New York, the availability of vacancy increased in nine of the 11 Manhattan retail submarkets. Per real-estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield, rents fell from 18.1% to 2.3% in all the shopping districts except for lower Manhattan.  

If Amazon adopted the same approach as its competitors in 1994, would the company be where it is now? Would it have enough capital to invest in its wildest ideas? I think it's very unlikely. What I see here, is Amazon taking advantage of the economy to expand its brick and mortar presence. As the world's tech giant, I foresee Amazon investing in more conventional stores to extend its reach into the brick-and-mortar retail. With a large market share and investors eager to fund its next innovation, the sky is the limit.     

I hope to have highlighted the importance of your approach when taking on the giants; whether that's a job, a promotion or a challenge. Your approach can be the factor in actualizing your ambition.  Please feel free to give me your spin. 

Brief Biography

Standley Thomas is a passionate Logistician with nearly a decade of leadership and managerial experience gained from practical supply operations in US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Enjoys writing about professional development and ways to optimize the various functions of Supply Chain Management. Currently working in the government sector, seeking opportunities to lead, manage and improve the logistical operations of any organization.