More on the Amazon Zappos deal…specifically the robots.
Amazon’s Acquisition of Zappos Is “A Good Thing for Kiva,” Says Robot Company’s CEO.
Also check Forbes, “Bot-In-Time Delivery” for more about Kiva.
When your blog is called 12Sided, The Blog, you have to link to the Tron Legacy trailer. Tron was one of my favorites as a youngster and I am actually looking forward to this movie. I played an awful version on the family TRS-80 Model 3. Decked out with 2 5.25 floppy drives and 48K of RAM, it was well ahead of its time. The parents still have it. It still works. TRS-DOS and the tron/troff command. heh.
Found this via Gizmodo
I am originally from Chicago as is the Weber Grill. I proudly have 2 in the backyard. Charcoal only.
Years ago, my parents acquired a cast iron grill for their Weber, and I have been searching for one since. The search is over. Finally. Check Cast Iron Grate and salivate. I am.
Have a great weekend.
A lot of recent conversations on CRM have revolved around using cloud based platforms for xRM and other CRM extensions. It is a smart way to go. Check Architecting a Commercial Application on Force.com for a solid read on the topic.
So the big news from yesterday is Amazon buying Zappos. Cash and stock and all that. Congrats to two of my favorite online retailers. The financials are one thing and will be debated. I believe that this will be a great deal for both companies. Also, the notion that Zappos is fun and Amazon is not is irrelevant. The real question is: Why did a Zappos deal happen when a purchase of Netflix was rumored?
First, a deal with Netflix has been speculated for many years. The overlaps are obvious. I am sure the smart people at Amazon have investigated Netflix and determined if the addition would be a fit. To be sure, there were some synergies a few years ago. Netflix had a solid customer base and fulfillment. The advent of digital video and applications like Amazon Unbox and iTunes have shown that the digital video is for real. Netflix is nice, but likely not a growth segment. Today, Amazon would have interest in the fulfillment but knows the Netflix customer base is likely to get smaller not bigger. Plus the fulfillment model is great for envelopes not for packages.
Second, Zappos is strong where Amazon’s brand struggles. Sure Amazon is trying to compete with Endless.com, but have you shopped for shoes from Amazon? Most of the product is third-party and non-Prime. Being addicted to Prime, I really have to want a product to pay for shipping in addition to the Prime membership. Zappos does do apparel and sunglasses, but these products are not truly “core” Zappos. A shoe print is on the delivery box. I have been very happy with Zappos purchases and the return policy rocks. The customer experience is key to both Zappos and Amazon. Zappos gets the great customer experience like Amazon does. Is Netflix known for great customer experience?
Third, Zappos likely realized that if Amazon turned both barrels to better compete with them, they would likely lose in the long run. The venture, Sequoia and others, likely pointed this out in gentle soothing tones. Netflix has been feeling the heat of iTunes and Unbox and digital video. They have made attempts to be in that game, but it is really not their core. Living in Seattle, the public library provides a great alternative to Netflix and I enjoy a benefit of my tax dollars.
Fourth, based on my customer experience alone, I would bet that Zappos has an impressive fulfillment model that interested Amazon — more than the Kiva robots (See earlier post). Amazon’s core is retail. Online retail requires fulfillment. Amazon wins because they are always improving fulfillment, thus customer experience. More products on Prime, better experience.
News Coverage of Amazon and Zappos:
TechCrunch: Amazon buys Zappos
TechFlash: Sequoia, Zappos and the secret to venture capital success
Thanks to Zappos for checking out 12Sided, The Blog. You have pushed my readership to over two. Disclosure: The wife is employed by Amazon, but she does not read my blog.
Great read by Holman Jenkins, Jr. in the WSJ Opinion Page discussing the recent Google OS and Office Live announcements.
Check Techdom’s Two Cold Wars at the WSJ.
Some great advice for your next interview. Pitch yourself. Inevitably you will be shuffled from place to place and interview to interview. Why not craft your own elevator pitch?
Check How to Perfect an Elevator Pitch About Yourself.
I found this via LifeHacker Get Comfortable Bragging to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch.
“I” before “We”.
One of the great things things of print media pre-Google was the art of zeugma. It is economical. It makes you think. Unfortunately it has been a victim of the search engine age that makes most headlines vanilla as noted in a post regarding an outage at Amazon AWS six weeks ago: Storm Clouds.
Glad to see that TechFlash being more creative this time around with Amazon AWS issues over the weekend. See Amazon’s cloud services experience turbulence for the details.
Happy Monday.
If a candidate is qualified, I tend to judge by the questions the interviewee asks. It shows the level of interest and a slice of the behavioral aspects of the individual’s work approach. People that ask no questions or questions about compensation before an offer never get the job.
Check Seven Great Questions to Ask at a Job Interview for some insight into questions that you can tailor to your next interview.
Prepared = Luck = Success
Interesting article in the Seattle Times, Starbucks tests new names for stores.
How do you compete with saturation? Change your name. Will be interesting to see how this works. Anyone remember all the “Seattle’s Best” stores that were shut down after the Starbucks buyout?
Friends ask me all the time if I live in Starbucks. I am pretty equal opportunity with my coffee shops. Some Starbucks stores are great while others are blah. I do frequent the local stores for unique product, atmosphere and free wifi.
Have a great weekend!
UPDATE (7/24): 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, the “not-a-Starbucks” Starbucks, opens this morning in Seattle’s Capitol Hill. The new pilot store will offer traditional coffee and tea beverages, and will also feature bottled beer and wine, with no official Starbucks branding. Here is Jason Brooks interviewing Major Cohen of Starbucks at the new store.
Have a great weekend!