This book is designed for people who want to understand e-commerce – and by «understanding», we mean first and foremost Why and What, not How. Why is Amazon dominating the market? What happened between 1995 and 2015? Why were the incumbents like Walmart not able to fight back? What will become of the herd of new unicorn e-commerce companies? And what will happen to the traditional value chain on which retail companies operate? This is not a book about How, though, so don't read this hoping to learn «how to master online marketing». From our point of view, the Why and What is much more challenging and important, whether you are running a company in this market or are a student wanting to break into it. In this book, we'll share what we've learned. Look forward to 150 pages of valuable material about changes in the value chain, a lively review of how e-commerce has developed over the last 20 years, 50 case studies of digital business models large and small, three extensive interviews with leading e-commerce entrepreneurs, and strategic mind-games galore for a range of industries. This book offers a unique review of the e-commerce industry and the major changes it has seen, notably what key players have done to keep up with evolving technology and heightened consumer expectations. The authors give a solid look at what any retail or brand decision maker should know about the industry's history and future. Stephan Schambach, Founder of Founder of Intershop, Demandware, and Newstore More than ever, understanding the issues impacting the digital retail market as a whole will be critical to success in the years ahead. Alexander Graf and Holger Schneider deliver exactly the information to help you refine your perspective across markets and retail industries. Hans-Otto Schrader, CEO Otto Group
