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• Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2015 (Revised April 2018)

  Flipkart (A): Transitioning to a Marketplace Model

  Das Narayandas, Sunil Gupta and Rachna Tahilyani

  Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, co-founders of India's largest e-commerce company, Flipkart, were reviewing the foregoing Facebook post, which had gone viral and received more than 20,000 likes. A third-party seller listed a pair of women's sandals on Flipkart's website at 799 Indian rupees (₹) and offered it on promotion at ₹399. However, upon close examination of the product's display photo, consumers noticed a ₹399 price tag printed on the strap. Consistent with stated goals of transparency and building trusted relationships with customers, the Bansals immediately drafted an apology and terminated the seller's agreement with Flipkart.

  Keywords: marketplaces; online retail; e-commerce; Market Platforms; Online Technology; Corporate Disclosure; Ethics; Retail Industry; India;

  Citation:

  Narayandas, Das, Sunil Gupta, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Flipkart (A): Transitioning to a Marketplace Model." Harvard Business School Case 516-017, November 2015. (Revised April 2018.)  View Details

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• Supplement | HBS Case Collection | April 2018

  Flipkart (B): The Ongoing Battle for India's E-Commerce Market

  Sunil Gupta, Das Narayandas and Rachna Tahilyani

  In 2017, both Flipkart and Amazon claimed leadership position in India's recently concluded key annual festive season sale, but it was too early to declare victory. Amazon continues to invest heavily in India. Competition from newer players is increasing. Media reports hint that Reliance Industries, a large Indian conglomerate, is planning to extend its e-commerce offering beyond fashion to electronics, mobile phones and even groceries. As the battle for India's lucrative e-commerce market gains pace, experts wonder--who will win? Is India a winner-takes-all market or is there space for more than one player?

  Keywords: Market Platforms; Online Technology; Competition; Retail Industry; India;

  Citation:

  Gupta, Sunil, Das Narayandas, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Flipkart (B): The Ongoing Battle for India's E-Commerce Market." Harvard Business School Supplement 518-097, April 2018.  View Details

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• Article | Customer Needs and Solutions | March 2018

  In Pursuit of Enhanced Customer Retention Management: Review, Key Issues, and Future Directions

  Eva Ascarza, Scott A. Neslin, Oded Netzer, Zachery Anderson, Peter S. Fader, Sunil Gupta, Bruce Hardie, Aurelie Lemmens, Barak Libai, David T. Neal, Foster Provost and Rom Schrift

  In today’s turbulent business environment, customer retention presents a significant challenge for many service companies. Academics have generated a large body of research that addresses part of that challenge—with a particular focus on predicting customer churn. However, several other equally important aspects of managing retention have not received similar level of attention, leaving many managerial problems not completely solved, and a program of academic research not completely aligned with managerial needs. Therefore, our goal is to draw on previous research and current practice to provide insights on managing retention and identify areas for future research. This examination leads us to advocate a broad perspective on customer retention. We propose a definition that extends the concept beyond the traditional binary retain/not retain view of retention. We discuss a variety of metrics to measure and monitor retention. We present an integrated framework for managing retention that leverages emerging opportunities offered by new data sources and new methodologies such as machine learning. We highlight the importance of distinguishing between which customers are at risk and which should be targeted—as they are not necessarily the same customers. We identify trade-offs between reactive and proactive retention programs, between short- and long-term remedies, and between discrete campaigns and continuous processes for managing retention. We identify several areas of research where further investigation will significantly enhance retention management.

  Keywords: customer retention; churn; customer relationship management; Customer Relationship Management; Measurement and Metrics;

  Citation:

  Ascarza, Eva, Scott A. Neslin, Oded Netzer, Zachery Anderson, Peter S. Fader, Sunil Gupta, Bruce Hardie, Aurelie Lemmens, Barak Libai, David T. Neal, Foster Provost, and Rom Schrift. "In Pursuit of Enhanced Customer Retention Management: Review, Key Issues, and Future Directions." Special Issue on 2016 Choice Symposium. Customer Needs and Solutions 5, nos. 1-2 (March 2018): 65–81. (Pre-published online, November 9, 2017.)  View Details

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