Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Ecommerce Brands: Digital Scale

Laseter, Timothy M...

Case

Ecommerce Brands: Digital Scale

Laseter, Timothy M.; Thomas, Doug; Yemen, Gerry

OM-1776 | Published December 21, 2022 | 16 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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This case uses Ecommerce Brands (ECB), an aggregator of online retailers focusing on the auto parts space, to prompt an analysis of the firm’s capabilities, scalability, and operations strategy. ECB was about to close on five online retailing brands owned by a private equity firm in the aftermarket auto parts industry. ECB’s business model involved acquiring and operating direct-to-consumer sites and replatforming everything from a technology standpoint, with the expectation that with a common platform and functionalized services, these businesses would reach new levels of revenue and profitability. That leaves the case open to exploring the uncertainty in achieving that value across brands, technology challenges, and the role of operations in scaling the business. The case provides an overview of the role of an aggregator in e-commerce businesses and allows a discussion to analyze the process thinking and ideas.

(1) Examine the process and operations strategy of an aggregator. (2) Understand the tension that exists around scaling technology. (3) Explore sourcing speeds, costs, and the efficiency required to deploy features and functions to target different types of customers across multiple websites.