Global eCommerce

Global eCommerce represents a vast market, driven by advances in internet and smartphone penetration, improving supply chains, lower online prices and variety and a growing, aspirational middle class with increasing demand for branded goods. This class will deep dive into the eCommerce industry to understand its competitive dynamics, success factors, business models and strategic dimensions. The class will have a global perspective, focusing on various aspects of eCommerce in the US as well as Asia, including China and India in particular. More broadly, the class will use the industry as a microcosm for how to build and succeed in modern data and technology driven markets. This is important because success in eCommerce requires bringing together in a meaningful way several disparate aspects including efficient supply chains, well functioning product marketplaces, frictionless payment systems, meaningful content, hardware and devices, as well as facilitating advanced search, advertising and marketing technology. Additional factors such as managing vendor and supplier relationships, fraud, user reviews and private labels make the industry complex and provide learnings for several other verticals. For instruction, we will use a mix of cases and lectures, and leverage significant participation from several eCommerce industry leaders.