1) Convenient shopping
Amazon provides a powerful retrieval system. Amazon's homepage provides a variety of all-round query methods. There are queries based on keywords, authors, titles and topics; There are classified queries; There are books in non-English languages; Theme-guided browsing and navigation system; There is a recommendation center and a special bestseller service window. Moreover, such a search device is provided on any page of the bookstore, which is convenient for customers to search and guide customers to buy. The company also provides a page for customers who log on to the website for the first time, providing customers with instructions on various online usage methods to help customers get familiar with the purchase process as soon as possible.
After customers enter Amazon. com, they can first find the books they want to buy through various retrieval methods, and if they find the books they like, they can put them in the shopping cart. In the shopping cart window, customers can also delete the number of selected books at will. On the payment page, customers can choose the payment method. If it is a gift, you can also attach a message and even choose the gift wrapping paper. Finally, you can choose the delivery method and location.
Amazon's one-click payment mechanism makes customers feel more comfortable. Customers only need to register once, and their mailing address and credit card account number will be automatically and securely stored by the system. The next time customers buy, they only need to click the book they want to buy with the mouse, and the network system can help them complete the subsequent procedures, including filling in the mailing method and address for customers, and even online payment can be completed by the network system. This quick response service effectively makes up for the distance that online transactions can't face to face.
2) Payment security
Amazon offers a variety of payment methods. At present, there are credit cards, cash remittances, checks and so on. Amazon has made a 100% guarantee for the electronic payment system. If the customer still can't use it safely, the company also provides another method: just fill out an online form and enter the last five digits of the credit card and the expiration date. Once the customer submits the order, the company will provide the customer with a phone number. The customer uses this phone number to tell the rest of the credit card number. Amazon also promised that if the customer's consumption in Amazon is wrongly claimed, he can pay nothing.
3) Smooth logistics
Smooth and fast logistics service not only brings satisfactory service to customers, but also brings low-cost benefits to Amazon.
(1) In terms of logistics management, Amazon gives customers a variety of transportation options. Customers can flexibly choose various transportation modes, including night transportation and various international transportation, as well as exquisite packaging services. As for other functions such as inventory management and vehicle scheduling, customers don't have to take care of them, which belong to the internal management of the company. Amazon has a distribution center operated and managed by a wholly-owned subsidiary and a complete logistics distribution network. By 1999, 15 distribution centers have been established in the United States (Georgia, Kansas, Nevada, Delaware, Kentucky, etc. ), Europe and Asia, covering more than 3.5 million square feet. Amazon believes that the distribution center is the last link to reach customers and is undoubtedly the key link to realize sales. Amazon doesn't want to lose any sales opportunities because of delivery mistakes. In addition, Amazon also relies on specialized courier companies such as USP, DHL and FedEx for delivery. Many books can be delivered within 24 hours, others can be delivered within 48~72 hours. On June 5438+ 10, 2000, Amazon reached a cooperation agreement with Kozmo.com, an online courier company, worth 60 million US dollars, so that the goods ordered by customers could be delivered within 1 hour. Under normal circumstances, Amazon's delivery time to customers is equal to finding the ordered goods plus delivery time without any delay. In addition, it has designed a more flexible distribution scheme to make users more selective, so Amazon has been welcomed by users.
(2) Compared with traditional bookstores, Amazon's inventory has great advantages. Traditional bookstores generally need 160 days of inventory to meet the needs of customers. After 45 ~ 90 days, payment must be made to the publisher or publishing house. Therefore, traditional bookstores must bear the cost of books for 4 months. Amazon only needs to keep 15 days of inventory, and the buyer will pay by credit card immediately, so there is always interest-free liquidity in hand for about a month.
4) Marketing strategy
(1) product strategy
Amazon is the largest e-commerce website selling books, CDs, electronic products and toys online in the United States, with 4.7 million products. According to the different types of goods sold, it is divided into three categories: books, music and film and television products. Each category has a special page, and it is easy to see the contents and messages of other pages in each page. In addition, on the homepage of Amazon Bookstore, there are authoritative book reviews, thus providing a high-quality consumer experience and making customers feel immersive.
(2) Pricing strategy
Compared with traditional commerce, Amazon online commerce belongs to large-scale commerce. Amazon once claimed to be the world's largest discount store, offering more than 400,000 kinds of discounted books with discount rates ranging from 5% to 40%. Amazon has also introduced a free shipping plan, which can exempt customers from shipping charges as long as their orders exceed $25. Amazon will transfer the cost saved by network information transmission to customers in the form of discount, so that customers can fully appreciate the advantages of e-commerce. Bezos once said: "It is a great mistake to refuse to offer discounts. The reason why most network enterprises fail is the value miscalculation theorem. "
(3) Promotion strategy
Common promotion methods include advertising, personal promotion, public relations and business promotion. These are effective tools for enterprises to communicate with customers and the public. In the website of Amazon Bookstore, except for personnel promotion, everything else is reflected.
① advertising
Home page advertising is reasonable and eye-catching. There are the best books of the day, the latest bestsellers, books recommended by book lovers, new books by famous writers and so on. There are not only a large number of multimedia advertisements on the webpage of Amazon Bookstore, but also its advertisements can often be seen on other related network sites, such as Yahoo! When you search for books on the Internet, you can see the advertisements of Amazon Bookstore. A major feature of bookstore advertising is its dynamic real-time performance. The advertising space changed every day allows customers to know the latest publications and the most authoritative comments at the first time. In the latest 100 hot news column, customers can also read their own hourly changing news.
② Gifts
In addition to offering discounts to customers who buy its products for a long time, Amazon Bookstore also attracts customers to buy its products for a long time by providing shopping vouchers or exquisite small gifts to customers of all ages. Amazon Bookstore has set up a special gift page to prepare various gifts for adults and children. This is not only a commercial promotion activity in promotion strategy, but also a public-private relationship activity.
(4) Customer service
Customer-oriented, people-oriented, is the biggest feature and highest purpose of Amazon website. Amazon knows that without a friendly face-to-face smile, it is necessary to conquer consumers with meticulous and caring service. Since the establishment of the website, Amazon has been committed to improving customer management capabilities and achieving customer-centric quality services.
① Personalized service
Amazon has been realizing the service tenet of "providing the fastest, most convenient and most enjoyable service and enjoyment for book buyers through the Internet", and maintaining and continuously improving personalized service. Amazon's success lies not only in providing readers with comprehensive, timely and effective book supply, but also in automatically analyzing customers' purchase records and recommending personalized bibliographies for each customer. Amazon analyzes books that customers may be interested in according to their previous buying habits, and then informs customers by email. Unparalleled product selection, extensive product information and personalized recommendation have improved customer satisfaction by 33%.
② Frequently asked questions
Bookstores also provide answers to customers' common technical questions. For example, the company has set up a FAQ page to answer some questions frequently asked by customers. Such as how to pay online? How much is the transportation fee? How to order out-of-stock books? Wait a minute. And if the customer himself has special questions, the company will also answer them specially.
③ Get customer feedback.
Customer feedback is not only after-sales service, but also the basis of market analysis and prediction in online marketing. Amazon has been trying to communicate information between enterprises and the public. With an open mind, it listens to and collects all kinds of public and related middlemen's reflections on enterprises and their goods and services. The website of Amazon Bookstore provides e-mails, questionnaires, etc. Get customer feedback on its business website. E-mail often contains customers' opinions and suggestions on goods. On the one hand, bookstores solve customers' opinions, on the other hand, they can get a lot of useful market information from customers' feedback, which is helpful for companies to formulate reasonable and effective business strategies.
④ readers' forum
Amazon also provides a BBS-like reader forum, the main purpose of which is to arouse public interest with some hot topics, guide and stimulate the consumer market, and grasp the market demand trend through the analysis of public topics and interests, so as to distribute books and audio products that users are interested in.
5) Strengthen cooperation and gain support from suppliers.
Amazon bookstore tries its best to promote its website and constantly seek partners. Amazon's "Partner Program" has attracted the attention of more suppliers. One year after Amazon was founded, it became the leader of the sales enterprise alliance. Links with websites such as Dell and Microsoft, through which customers can directly enter Amazon Bookstore; Cooperate with Borders Groud, one of the largest book retailers in the United States. As part of the agreement, Amazon provides e-commerce solutions for Borders Groud, including technical services, website content, product selection and customer service. Amazon records all online transaction information and data, and gives Borders Groud a fixed percentage of sales profits. Through this agreement, customers who order online can get the goods at the nearest Borders Groud store on the same day. Because there are many partners and middlemen, the convenience and shopping opportunities for customers to enter Amazon website have greatly increased.