
Amazon.com was founded by Jeff Bezos in July 1994 and is an American international multibillion dollar e-commerce company with headquarters in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon.com started as an online bookstore, but soon diversified, selling DVDs, VHSs, CDs, video and MP3 downloads/streaming, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. The company also produces consumer electronics—notably the Amazon Kindle e-book reader and the Kindle Fire tablet computer—and is a major provider of cloud computing services. Amazon has chosen to propose several competing sources for the products it offers, rather than having a strategy affiliation unique. This strategy deprives potential exclusive affiliate income, but can offer more competitive prices (and therefore expect larger volumes). The company also acquires thereby a reputation for neutrality makes it a direct competitor of Google as a source of information on products.
Amazon is one with Apple, Google and Facebook as the “Big Four” internet players. In 2012, the company employs 51,300 people worldwide.
The Platform Marketplace Amazon
Amazon also offers individuals as specialized vendors, since November 7, 2003, to sell their own items, provided that they are referenced in the Amazon catalog, via the platform "Marketplace". For France, Amazon takes a commission on the sale price, management fee and a fixed fee per item, and also taken in accordance with the law, a tax on the value added. In February 2013, Amazon announced the unilateral 50% increase in fees levied on the sale of cultural products. For example, on each book sold from April 4, a seller affiliated sees subtracted management fees ranging from $1-$4; 15% of the total against 10 44% previously.
Worldwide Distribution
Amazon in addition to its main business has numerous other sites such as search engines A9.com, Alexa Internet and the movie database IMDb. Although the Company delivers to the whole world, the logistics center and internet stores focus on the very well industrialized countries and China. In Romania Iasi Amazon operates a development center for software.
Revenue
Over the last decade, Amazon has developed a customer base of around 30 million people. Amazon.com is primarily a retail site with a sales revenue model. Amazon makes its money by taking a small percentage of the sale price of each item that is sold through its website. Amazon also allows companies to advertise their products by paying to be listed as featured products. In Q1 2012, Amazon reported a loss due to its stake in Living Social.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video has recently emerged as a strong competitor in the online video content game. Similar to Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV who stream video over the internet, Amazon Prime Video allows members access to movies, TV Shows and other video content On Demand. Amazon's Instant Video store (on the Web site) has all the major studios and networks just like Apple does. Even so, availability of content is a mixed and mysterious bag, as it is with most online video stores these days.