Abstract

The case study describes the growth of US-based Zipcar Inc. (Zipcar), the world’s largest car sharing service. It also discusses some of the company’s business processes and the key role of technology in its operations. Later, the case talks about the changes initiated by Scott Griffith, who became the CEO of Zipcar in February 2003. It then gives an overview of the competitive scenario and the challenges facing the company. The case concludes with a brief discussion on the company’s future prospects.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Innovation and its impact on mature markets.
• Popularizing a new concept, in an established industry.

Keywords

Zipcar, Car rentals, Car sharing, Services marketing, Promotional strategy, Business model, Zipcard, Zipster, Zone marketing, Word-of-mouth marketing