[3360] in Humor
The S-Commerce Revolution
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Andrew Bennett)
Fri Nov 10 12:36:28 2000
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 12:29:53 -0800
From: Andrew Bennett <abennett@MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: abennett@irobot.com
To: humor@mit.edu
>
>Subject: the S-Commerce revolution
>
>
>They're calling it shops or "S-Commerce" and it's being rolled out in
>cities and towns nationwide.
>
>"It's a real revelation," according to Malcolm Fosbury, a middleware
>engineer from Hillingdon. "You just walk into one of these shops and
they
>have
>all sorts of things for sale." Fosbury was particular impressed by a
>clothes shop he discovered while browsing in central London. "Shops
seem to
>be the
>ideal medium for transactions of this type. I can actually try out a
>jacket
>and see if it fits me. Then I can visualize the way I would look if I
was
>wearing the clothing." This is possible using a high definition 2D
>viewing system, or "mirror" as it has become known.
>
>Shops, which are frequently aggregated into shopping portals or "high
>streets", are becoming increasingly popular with the cash-rich
>time-poor generation of new consumers. Often located in densely
populated
>areas
>people can find them extremely convenient. And Malcolm is not alone in
>being
>impressed by shops. "Some days I just don't have the time to download
>huge Flash animations of rotating trainers and then wait five days for
them
>to be delivered in the hope that they will actually fit," says Sandra
>Bailey,
>a systems analyst from Chelsea. "This way I can actually complete the
>transaction in real time and walk away with the goods."
>
>Being able see whether or not shoes and clothing fit has been a real
>bonus for Bailey, "I used to spend my evenings boxing up gear to
return.
>Sometimes the clothes didn't fit, sometimes they just sent the wrong
>stuff."
>Shops have a compelling commercial story to tell too, according to
Gartner
>Group
>retail analyst Carl Baker.
>
>"There are massive efficiencies in the supply chain. By concentrating
>distribution to a series of high volume outlets in urban
>centres-typically close to where people live and work-businesses can
make
>dramatic
>savings in fulfillment costs. Just compare this with the wasteful
practise
>of
>delivering items piecemeal to people's homes."
>
>Furthermore, allowing consumers to receive goods when they actually
>want them could mean an end to the frustration of returning home to
find a
>despatch notice telling you that your goods are waiting in a delivery
depot
>the
>other side of town.
>
>But it's not just the convenience and time-saving that appeals to
>Fosbury, "Visiting a shop is real relief for me. I mean as it is I
spend
>all day
>in front of a computer."
