Amazon experience and the first breeze session

Being based in Manila, I am unable to attend Breeze sessions live and so i have to make do with catching up with watching the recorded sessions.  I guess it can be quite fun , being a spectator, watching the action play by play and reading what goes on in chat room.  Now i really wonder how this experience would have been if we had a real in person class because the breeze sessions seem to bring a whole new aspect to the learning because of the constant and instantaneous feedback the professor gets just from the chat room.  Its not like he can write a script as to what the next question will be or what one of the students will type in.  Its very interesting how the discussion would feed off what was being said.  If you notice Prof. John encouraged the discussion as its what really gives the class more life.

I discovered Amazon while living in the U.S. in 2006, transforming this man from Philippines into a full time avid online shopper.  I purchase the majority of the things i buy online and Amazon has been and appears to always be the benchmark for online shopping experience. (As the text book mentions, retail stores are worried about shoppers who check out and fit the products in the store simply to go home and purchase the goods on amazon--THAT'S ME! Guilty as charged).

I didn't quite understand it yet then, but Amazon just seemed to work the best for me compared to all the other shopping sites.  The interface was more user friendly.  Selection always seemed better. It was easier to compare, and hey they even offered free shipping.  Amazon, as correctly pointed out was selling you the "online shopping experience" and not the products available on their site.  If you think about it, this open up the market for Amazon to just about anyone who wants to buy just about anything.

If Amazon was just about selling books, they'd only cater to the niche crowd that was really into reading.  If they were in the business of selling towels online, then they'd only cater to people who needed towels at any given point in time.  However, because Amazon is about selling the best online shopping experience, their market is just about everyone.  That's a really big market.

Secondly, Amazon actively engages customers and all but tries to pry feedback from you.  After a purchase Amazon will ask you how they did.  They'll ask you if the shipping was efficient.  They'll even ask if the shipper used enough of those puff plastic bubble wrap or if the box for your AAA batteries was way too big or way too small.  Sometimes I laugh at how trivial the questions can get and how the company appears to fuss over the details but heck, no wonder they continue to be good at what they do.

Amazon has always been the standard for online shopping for me.  And since im one to shop online for almost all of my stuff, I patronize Amazon quite a lot.  Now that I've been introduced to Jeff Bezo's i understand why Amazon operates that way and why the online shopping experience has always been a little more fun and convenient through Amazon.  Its because they fuss over details. Its because they always engage people like you and me.  After they get in touch they figure out what you'll like next.  And they'll never give up on doing this, because as Jeff said, its always day 1..