Software Systems Choices - Amazon.com - Essay Example

In the beginning, amazon.com was just an online book store. However, as time went by, it grew to be more than that. Today, it has diversified its markets and now sells DVD’s; MP3 downloads, CDs, video games, software, electronics, food, furniture, apparel, and toys. In the countries where it operates in, it also offers shipping; internationally, for selected products it sells. This has really made it popular in so many quarters of its customer base. Bezos founded the online retailer back in 1995, motivated by what he has always referred to as ‘regret minimization framework’.

This was his way of saying that he felt regret for not taking part in online business at a time when the internet was growing at an annual rate of 2300 percent. His idea of an online book store really picked up quickly because it had great potential to grow. There was no limit to its size because it depended on nothing but the internet and online servers. No physical stores or warehouse were required to store the books. When starting Amazon.com, Bezos wanted to build a phenomenon that was unique in style and in the way it was operating and in its name as well.

He settled for the name ‘Amazon’ because it starts with ‘A’ and ends with ‘Z’ to signify that customers would find anything and everything they ever wanted in terms of books. In addition to this, the logo for the retailer forms some kind of a smile to show that customers can always get satisfied with the products and services the store provides. The name ‘Amazon’ was also used to signify the size of the company, or at least what he projected his startup would grow into; a very large company.

He borrowed the name from the largest river in the world, the Amazon River that flows across borders, and is exotic and different from the other rivers. Amazon.com has a mission of changing how people buy books using the internet into an experience that is easy, fast, and most of all enjoyable to all its customers. Bezos incorporated his company in 1994 in Washington State. The store started its services in July of 1995; that is when it sold its first book. By the end of the year 1996, the online retailer had grown so tremendously to become one of the most successful and most formidable web retailers.

By then, its revenues clocked $15.6 million. In the shortest time possible, Amazon grew to become the most successful online retailer for books in this wide world of ours. Presently, it no longer sells books alone. The bulk of its products have grown into 34 other categories. Anything you want online is available for sale via the web retailer. Every year since its launch, amazon has continued to expand its customer base. With the increasing number in customers and clients world-wide, revenues have rising as well.

By the year 2000, revenue had climbed up from $15.6 million in the year 1996, to $2.76 billion at the turn of the year 2000. Over 29 million people in 160 countries are buying items listed on Amazon.com. This makes it the leading retailer on the World Wide Web by a margin that other retailers cannot match. Amazon’s growth can be attributed to so many reasons, among them convenience in shopping. Over the years, Amazon has acquired about 11 other companies in its bid to expand into newer markets.

This number is as of late 2011. Other processes that have led to