This case discusses the hyperlocal food delivery business firm ZomatoTM and its business model. The case outlines how the firm went ahead and enhanced its business model to launch their new loyalty programme called Zomato Gold. It focuses on the sustainability of the hyperlocal business delivery model and the challenges faced by it to succeed and deliver against competition. This case outlines how Zomato put to disadvantage one of the platform participants and how this turned out for the platform as a whole. It also delves into an analysis of the loyalty programme to review the critical aspects of platform overreach and how it altered the network effects of this multi-sided platform business. The case can be used to teach the downsides of multi-sided platform business model - how an overreach on any one aspect of the platform sides can threaten the fine balance of the platform participants, remedial measures that need to be undertaken to restore confidence, and how platforms need to deal with the new normal that emerges after these confidence lowering incidents.
The case on Grab.in analyzes the hyperlocal delivery business in India, and provides details on how the founders built a business around outsourced delivery of food, grocery, and e-commerce packages. Through meticulously evolved business operations, the founders of Grab have ensured sustenance of the delivery outsourcing model by alleviating business outlets of having to maintain in-house delivery personnel. With growing demand for home service, customer mindset is more open than ever to pay a convenience fee for home delivery of food or grocery from their nearby favorite outlet. Grab.in has piggybacked on this mindset, and backed by increasing penetration of smartphones and Internet, it has enabled local businesses to expand customer reach. When used as an introduction to multi-sided platforms, this case can help the student understand the hyperlocal space, the challenges that food and restaurant businesses face and how these delivery service platforms help address the same. It should help the students appreciate how a technology platform brings differentiation to the traditional food and grocery delivery space, and how a platform business model can provide significant competitive differentiation. By presenting details on Grab.in and the hyperlocal delivery platform, the case study helps illustrate the business model while bringing forth the challenges in the same.
This case on Delhivery highlights how a young enterprise had grown phenomenally, embracing a variety of business models - hyperlocal delivery, software-as-a-service, pipeline business models for services, and a platform business model. The case is particularly useful to highlight how each of these business models within the firm complement each other, and what value addition they do to each other's business verticals and stakeholders. Being an advanced case (to be taught later in the course), the case narrative includes the network effects and other descriptions of the platform business model. The case is positioned as a growth/diversification question facing the entrepreneurs as they seek to sustain their core (technology) when the market is yet to tip (achieve critical scale).
This case on Qwikcilver and Woohoo analyses the development of the Qwikcilver gift card processing business, its various challenges in evolving the primary B2B business model and how the firm has introduced the Woohoo platform to help with direct customer connect. It begins with the efforts of the founders in identifying a green field opportunity, how they go about bringing in the initial customer base and then the case delves into the different developments that have shaped the firm's evolution. The case helps develop an understanding of the gifting market in India, the challenges of building a sustainable business in this sector and how the firm compares with the rest of the competition worldwide. It highlights how a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model could increase resilience to competition by bringing in a new side in the form of direct connect with customers who buy or redeem gift cards, thus transforming from a pipeline business to a two-sided platform business model. The case is used to teach the basics of pipeline and multi-sided platform business models, the different actors in the platform business and the concept of network effects. It should help the students appreciate the differences between the pipeline and platform business models, and how a platform business model can bring in additional competitive differentiation as compared to a pure SaaS approach by increasing switching and multi-homing costs for the customers.
This case on Qwikcilver and Woohoo analyses the development of the Qwikcilver gift card processing business, its various challenges in evolving the primary B2B business model and how the firm has introduced the Woohoo platform to help with direct customer connect. It begins with the efforts of the founders in identifying a green field opportunity, how they go about bringing in the initial customer base and then the case delves into the different developments that have shaped the firm's evolution. The case helps develop an understanding of the gifting market in India, the challenges of building a sustainable business in this sector and how the firm compares with the rest of the competition worldwide. It highlights how a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model could increase resilience to competition by bringing in a new side in the form of direct connect with customers who buy or redeem gift cards, thus transforming from a pipeline business to a two-sided platform business model. The case is used to teach the basics of pipeline and multi-sided platform business models, the different actors in the platform business and the concept of network effects. It should help the students appreciate the differences between the pipeline and platform business models, and how a platform business model can bring in additional competitive differentiation as compared to a pure SaaS approach by increasing switching and multi-homing costs for the customers.
The case on JOSEPHS® intends to highlight the various network effects in the architecture and operations of a Service Manufactory. Uniquely positioned as an open innovation laboratory in the Nuremberg city center, JOSEPHS® attracted a wide range of walk-in customers, who could be "prosumers", adding significant value to the tenant/firms, the university partner (FAU Wi1), Fraunhofer IIS, as well as the consumers themselves as they engage in the open innovation process. The case is positioned around the time when JOSEPHS® has completed one year of operations. This case articulates the architecture and design of JOSEPHS® as a platform, elucidates the network effects and complementarities, and pushes the students to analyze the various parameters of performance in a multi-sided platform such as JOSEPHS®.
The director of marketing for Lawrence & Mayo (L&M) was reviewing the company's results for the past financial year. Far from encouraging, the results were a reflection of an addition to the company's existing product portfolio: accessories. L&M was an established name in the field of ophthalmic and optical instruments. The prestigious brand had maintained an exclusive positioning for over 100 years. When L&M launched premium watches under its existing brand, it took a bold step. The product was, no doubt, world class in quality and design. However, the company's detractors wrote it off, calling it an attempt to ride two horses at the same time. Did the recent financial results vindicate these critics? The director of marketing wanted to comprehend the impact of the new product line, the reasons behind the poor performance and the way forward for L&M.
The caselet on Just Dial elucidates the business model of a matching platform, one that matches the users on one side (consumers) with those on the other side (local, small and medium businesses). The case elaborates on the business model, and elucidates the evolution of Just Dial's business from a simple local search platform, to a search & transact platform. The case ends with questions on the sustainability of the business model and the extension to product ecommerce. Key issues for discussion using this caselet in conjunction with the BharatMatrimony.com case and the Practo caselet include sustainability of matching platform business models and identification of the specific industry conditions where such business models could be extended (and where it could not be).
The caselet on Practo elucidates the business model of a matching platform, one that matches the users on one side (clinics) with those on the other side (patients). The case elaborates on the business model, and elucidates why a combination of the SaaS offering (Practo Ray) and the platform business model (Practo.com) is essential to the sustainability of the business model. Key issues for discussion using this caselet in conjunction with the BharatMatrimony.com case and the Just Dial caselet include sustainability of matching platform business models and identification of the specific industry conditions where such business models could be extended (and where it could not be).
The case on BharatMatrimony.com elucidates the business model of a matching platform, one that matches the users on one side with those on the other side. The case describes the entrepreneurial journey of the firm and its founder, elaborates on the business model, and its attempts at diversification. Key issues for discussion using this case include sustainability of the matching platform business model and identification of the specific industry conditions where such business models could be extended (and where it could not be).
The case on Tarnea Technology Solution is about a startup focused on providing supply chain solutions to the Indian pharmaceutical retail industry with a business model that connected distributors with retailers through a cloud-based interface, enabling real-time data access. In building an equivalent of a stock exchange at the pharmaceutical retail value chain (the last mile of the supply chain), Tarnea had developed the product and completed the pilot project. The case is set at a time when Tarnea had to decide on (a) pricing for both sides of the platform (retailers and distributors), (b) import of data from legacy products onto the Tarnea platform, (c) issues of direction of growth (whether to expand geographically first, or to diversify into other products), and (d) in their race to acquire customers, whether to outsource application development or not. The case discussion would help students to understand why and how platforms need to race to acquire customers as an insurance against envelopment.
The case on IndiaMART enumerates important decisions that are made in platform business models with regards to the pricing of the different sides of the platform. Discussions on the case would encompass the role of pricing in creating and leveraging network effects analyze the ''penguin problem'' and how firms could overcome manage and resolve the same. The case is set in 2013-2015 and describes the evolution of IndiaMART, the challenges they faced while addressing four major concerns at the turning point at which the organization was: namely, the speed of customer acquisition, arresting customer churn, responding to the opportunity of the increasing penetration of mobile phones for a platform such as IndiaMART and the decision to venture into new markets such as the B2B business.
SEL was set up by Mr. Ajith Kumar Rai, (who serves as its Managing Director), returned as a fresh graduate from Canada. Foreseeing a boom in the country's automobile market, Ajith decided to establish an automotive cable manufacturing unit. His clarity of vision convinced TVS Motors to invest in setting up Suprajit Engineering as a small, one-unit firm in Bangalore, a fast-growing Indian metro. Beginning in 1987 as a small-scale automotive cable manufacturer, Suprajit is now a public listed company, with some of the world's biggest automobile companies as clients, products spanning a wide range of automotive and non-automotive parts, and eight manufacturing units. This case traces the inspiring story of Suprajit Engineering Ltd., the case aims to highlight the reasons behind Suprajit's success, and is intended to demonstrate rapid growth strategies of entrepreneurial firms.
This case on Tally Solutions Pvt. Ltd. traces the evolution of the firm and highlights how the product has evolved from a ubiquitous accounting software into an all-encompassing platform, with the launch of Tally.ERP.9. The case is poised at a time when the company has to consciously make the shift from being a product sales and service company to repositioning itself into an enterprise software company (with the product still being sold in the shrink-wrapped form), and therefore begin encountering the forces of network effects and platform dynamics.
This case on CavinKare describes the incredible vision the organization set itself. This case is set at a time, when the company had achieved significant progress towards its incredible vision, but needed a quantum jump in performance to sustain its growth. The case describes the FMCG industry and the firm's capabilities, and evolves strategic challenges facing the company, including sustaining high-growth, expanding the product focus to men's range of products, and investment in the services business.
This case on CavinKare's founding describes the entrepreneurial journey of the founder, C K Ranganathan. As the enterprise outperformed expectations, the organization set itself an incredible vision. This case traces the history of the entrepreneur and the growth story of the enterprise. The case describes the context of opportunity recognition and exploitation, and elucidates the significant decisions taken by the entrepreneur and the organization in order to sustain rapid growth amidst liberalization and stiff competition from multinational companies with deep pockets and significant stakes in the industry.
On May 16, 2007, India-based Hindalco Industries, a subsidiary of AV Birla Group of companies acquired the US-Canadian aluminum giant Novelis. The acquisition was the result of an agreement arrived at between Hindalco and Novelis on February 10, 2007. Hindalco was to buy Novelis for US $6 billion in cash, making it the second biggest acquisition by an Indian company till then. The acquisition resulted in formation of a Fortune 500 company -- the world's largest producer of aluminum -- and expected to be the industry cost leader with a presence over the entire aluminum value chain from mining to final aluminum products. The case provides a general introduction to the aluminum industry including different products, players, and processes. Also there is indirect analysis of the industry and a mentioning of the critical success factors for the industry. The case covers the growth strategies of Hindalco and Novelis and briefly covers their competition as well. It also talks in detail about the various synergies of the deal and ends with the description of the situation post-deal, with Novelis turning black owing to a variety of reasons.