I. Opening

I encourage you all to picture a world without online shopping! A world where you have to shop for EVERYTHING in person. No UPS or Fedex trucks speeding through our streets. No joyful, long-awaited moments when packages finally arrive. Hard to imagine, right? eCommerce has become an integral part of modern day communities, especially during pandemic and is indisputably dominated by Amazon.

It is especially useful for people with busy lives and disabilities. Amazon also grew with the rise of technology and with people becoming more tech savvy. As technology developed, the exponential growth of eCommerce was only to be expected.

II. Body

Amazon frames the civic by improving the habits of average consumers and the ability of small businesses to survive in an ever changing economic climate.

• Amazon provides businesses with a more dependable business model amidst the pandemic and the decline of brick and mortar stores.
  • Many small businesses have had to close due to COVID-19 safety guidelines or  a general decline in sales accompanying the growth of technology.
    • According to SmallBizTrends.com, more than 60% of small businesses selling on online platforms such as Amazon receive at least half of their sales from those websites.
• The company also creates a civic process in customers can improve the economy by their purchases.
  • As more people buy more things from Amazon, the company has to employ more workers. Their high standards, such as with one day shipping, necessitate hiring more employees to cope with growing demands. This idea was especially evident during the quarantine
    • According to Fortune.com, Amazon’s stock price jumped 25% in May 2020 from the beginning of the year, showing the drastic effect quarantine has had on sales. Consequently, the company hired an additional 170,000 workers during April and May of this year (Fortune).
• Amazon’s emphasis on innovative yet accessible technology creates a more tech savvy society.
  • From the Kindle to the Amazon Fire Stick to Amazon Alexa, the company is pioneering mainstream technology advances.
    • In response, people become more tech savvy.

Amazon responds to the constant need of people who don’t have the time, resources, or physical ability to shop in person. During COVID-19 times, Amazon is of even greater use and can provide people with life necessities without demanding in person, human contact. The company’s early successes were partially due to kairos in the sense that technology was rapidly growing when Amazon was beginning its massive leap forward. The increased popularity of the Internet, smart phones, and laptops definitely propelled Amazon to where it is today.

Jeff Bezos built his business off of the commonplace that people have busy lives. Amazon makes it as easy as possible to shop, especially now that they offer one day shipping and groceries as well. It also builds off of the ideology that time is the world’s most valuable resource; it’s fast shipping, one button purchasing, and other convenient features make it as quick as possible.

I plan on utilizing certain facts and statistics that represent Amazon’s growth as a company, especially during pandemic times.

II. Conclusion

Amazon is one of the world’s most powerful companies and is as economically influential as it as civically. Amazon has remodeled both the modern day consumer and the way businesses function. The company adheres strongly to the ideology that time is a valuable resource by providing the best and fastest experience for its customers. Amazon is one of the most influential companies in history and will continuing impacting the civic for years to come.