article thumbnail

For Some Platforms, Network Effects Are No Match for Local Know-How

Harvard Business

Uber, like all transportation services, has never and will never offer a product that’s composed purely of digital “bits,” as companies do in media (Netflix and YouTube), music (Spotify), or advertisements (Facebook and Google). ” Yoshihiro Kitamura, the president of Recruit, said to me. “‘Why us?’

article thumbnail

How Amazon Adapted Its Business Model to India

Harvard Business

To respond to these challenges, after launching its Indian website in 2013, Amazon developed a program to recruit an army of suppliers and convince them it was a trustworthy partner that could help them increase the market for their products. But rural areas, which often are literally off the beaten path, pose special challenges.

Retail 28