Starbucks Company : A Successful Internet Distributor Of All Things From Shoes

The threat of new entrants into the online shoe/apparel market is relatively small due to the fact that Zappos is such an established brand and has specialized their business model. It would be far too expensive for a new company to copy the characteristics of Zappos including their next day delivery and large overhead. The fact that Zappos was losing money initially illustrates this difficulty. Another issue that would create a high barrier to entry is Zappos commitment to the consumer through overnight shipping. Zappos stated that the overnight shipping caused them to leave their warehouses open for the entire day. Any other company would

As the world’s number one specialty coffee retailer, Starbucks sells coffee drinks, food items, coffee beans, and coffee-related accessories and equipment. In addition, Starbucks sells whole-bean coffees through a specialty sales group and grocery stores. Starbucks has grown beyond coffee into related businesses such as coffee-flavoured ice cream and ready-to-drink coffee beverages. The purpose of this paper is to analyze Starbucks business strategy, customer value proposition, company’s operations and the risks to financial results and reporting in the short term.

CASE 10: Zappos—They Do It with Humor When Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh was the featured guest on The Colbert Report, host Stephen Colbert grilled him about the company's success and customer loyalty. Hsieh replied that it's Zappos's goal to deliver WOW" in every shoe or clothing box. The company is consistently ranked highly as one of Fortune's "Best Companies to Work For Amazon's Jelieoris liked Zappos so much he bought the company. Customers First Zappos's relentless pursuit of the ultimate customer experience is the stuff of legend. The company offers fast shipping at no cost and covers return shipping if you are dissatisfied for any reason at any time. The Zappos brand is less about a particular type of product and more about providing good

Zappos.com owns a consistent share of shoe buyers’ market and maintain a solid and prominent position in online retailing. Although the numbers suggest that the company serves the US market like no other company, an expansion of its current share should be considered. Even thou the investments that this would require, we agree that Zappos could expand and build a stable source of competitive advantage by producing its own shoes line, followed in the future by it’s own shoe related wear line.

Zappos started out by selling shoes online to become the world’s largest online retailer of shoes. Subsequently, in their quest to boost sales, they moved beyond footwear to become an E-tailer that sells ‘anything and everything’.

Zappos is an online shoes retailer that started its business in the year 1999. Later on the company had expanded its business to include the beauty products, clothing and even the housewares within its leading e-commerce website. This case emphasizes on the customer service department of Zappos Company and initially the business focused only on the drop ship method. Later on the company also increased the variety of the products. The company had also created a bricks and mortar storefront to expand the business and increase the sales of the business.

Zappos.com, established in 1999, has rapidly become a strong competitor in online apparel and footwear sales. With the original corporate vison of offering the absolute best selection in shoes; the vision has evolved over the past several years to include the goal of being the retailer that “provides the absolute best service online -- not just in shoes, but in any category” (Zappos, 2014). The online retailer stocks millions of reasonably priced footwear products; carrying thousands of hard to find brand named shoes, handbags, apparel and accessories via the company website and 7,000 affiliate partners. In recognizing their rapid success, Zappos credits it to their commitment to the customer, stating,

The owners of Zappos did an amazing job coming up with the idea of selling shoes to from online. There was a market that was created by Zappos. Zappos has been able to continue to grow due the advancing in technology that has made it must easier for customer to shop online. A lot of people know what kind of shoes they like and what size shoes they wear. If a customer does need a product in the next few days and can be patient then Zappos is a great store for that customer. Zappos makes it very easy for the customer because of it policies and customer service. Zappos offers free shipping. Zappos also give

Zappos.com is a privately held online retailer with an extensive product category mainly including apparel, footwear, handbags, and watches. Headquartered in Nevada, it primarily operates in the US with about 1,300 employees and revenues mounting to $635M in 2008. Thanks to its strength in offering an outstanding customer shopping experience and strong corporate cultures and values related to customer service, it was the largest online shoe retailer in 2008, with a positive growth outlook. However, in the face of possible economic

The final value asks employees to remain humble; another value considered in the hiring process. Zappos has turned down many candidates for employment that boastfully spoke of individual accomplishments instead of giving credit to their team. The Zappos culture requires employees to take a modest approach to customer service; constantly obsessing over the customer’s needs. As aforementioned, building relationships is key to the Zappos brand. In order to build strong relationships, employees must treat everyone with respect.

Founded in 1999, Zappos started as site that only sold shoes. The idea for the site came to founder Nick Swinmurn in his quest to find the right shoe. Swinmurn couldn’t find exactly what he was looking for in the different stores he visited. The stores either didn’t have his size or the right style and color. After spending hours searching and getting no where he went home shoeless. Swinmurn attempted to shop online for the shoes he wanted. He couldn’t believe there wasn’t a site that offered a huge variety of shoes. This inspired him to create a site that he envisioned that had a big selection of different size, styles and colors of name brand shoes (“In The Beginning - Let There Be Shoes”, n.d.).

Zappos was founded in 1999 during the dotcom boom by Nick Swinmurn [ (Twitchell, 2009) ] on a quest to buy a pair of sneakers at a local mall. It has grown in to a 1.2 billion dollar subsidiary of Amazon.com and a leading on-line provider of everything from shoes to couture handbags. They have done this with a simple motto: “Powered by Service”. Providing all of their customers with free (sometimes next day) shipping and returns, Zappos has invested in the power of word of mouth to fuel their business.

Zappos has the capabilities to offer a variety of cyber selections such as unthinkable items of shoes, apparel, accessories, and home products, with every shopper dream of free shipping and full refunds within five business days of your returns date. Zappos willingness to think outside of the box has made a name for the corporations by employing a phenomenal innovative and creative diverse group of visionary individuals whom have made a cutting edge cyber industry. Zappos corporation make a personally commitment to serve the customers and employees has made them one of the most desirable places to work national and internationally that rewards with internal promotions. Unlike other corporations Zappos have been able to maintain its unique culture and continues efforts in developing innovative categories such as clothing and merchandise markets.

From personal experience I know they stay true to their values. The do deliver WOW through their FREE expedited shipping on all items; most of the items qualify for FREE overnight shipping as well. Fun, adventures, and creativity is obvious from their website and operating practices. Growth and learning is constantly rewarded and requested. They take consideration from employees and customers. Zappos has continued to operate while staying true to their core values. The next time you’re in the market for a new pair of shoes, heels, etc. give Zappos.com a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Zappos.com is a leading online based retailer that focuses and offers an incredible shopping experience to its customers through fast, friendly, and professional customer services. Having established a strong foundation in customer relations, Zappos shifts its attention to other opportunities and challenges.