自考电子商务英语Unit5TextA

Unit 5 Text ACase Study: BabyCenterLauren Kawasaki, director of e-commerce for BabyCenter Inc., says her company distinguishes itself from competitors by ensuring an up-to-date product selection and great customer service. BabyCenter, San Francisco, has been providing online information and products for new and expectant parents since 1997. The site attracts customers through an extensive information network for new parents, then sells products to them. Kawasaki said BabyCenter expected a month-to-month growth rate of 50 percent in 1999, and she expects elements of her business — like hiring, and an increase in site traffic — to be driven by that growth rate. “We sell to consumers, and we originally partnered with a local retailer to use their inventory on the back end,” she says. “On the front end, we used the existing traffic that was driven to the site for content, then changed those visitors into buyers. Our new strategy is to have our own warehouse and inventory and again use our existing customer base that comes to us for information. We provide lifestyle and healthcare information along with baby products that we sell for manufacturers.”At the outset, Kawasaki says, BabyCenter had no management and operations plan in place, and things have worked out just fine so far. The operations started simply with a general manager who put the strategy together. Next, BabyCenter hired customer service employees, then staffed out operations, merchandising and marketing. “We got the store up and running prior to putting the marketing support in place,” says Kawasaki. “You can grow rapidly online, and our philosophy is to grow as needed — as expertise was needed, we hired accordingly.”When it comes to staying ahead of the competition, BabyCenter, which prices at market standards, distinguishes itself through a broad product sdlection, and excellent service and information. “Many of our competitors are simply online stores that carry products with short product descriptions. We not only have extensive product descriptions, but we have ‘shopping tools,’ where a consumer can answer 10 questions about products, and the database makes recommendations based on the desired features.”Predicting inventory needs was tricky for BabyCenter at first, though Kawasaki says it only took the firm a few months online to develop a sense of sales and inventory. And while dealing with returns is a major headache for any retailer, she says the company has a low return rate, which she attributes to the company’s market category and a strong customer service department. “They answer questions via phone and/or e-mail prior to a customer making a decision,” she says, adding that meeting customers’ shipping timeframes can get taxing at times. “The consumer has time demands and expects items to be shipped immediately. We often get follow-up calls the next day from consumers who forget that it takes two days or so for shipping. The Internet is a very timely medium, which is exciting because it puts pressure on us to make sure we’re delivering as quickly as possible.”BabyCenter, which charges sales tax in the three states where its offices are located, ships via United Parcel Service, or UPS, and U. S. Postal Service domestically and globally, and doesn’t treat the shipping costs as a profit center. Kawasaki says the company’s credit card system was simple to set up with the help of a bank and authorization company CyberCash.When asked what advice she’d give to a company considering an online venture, Kawasaki says: “An interesting fact about the e-commerce world is that companies think customers will come online, read product information, and buy. The truth is, you need to have very strong customer service that can be provided by e-mail and telephone.”。