You probably ran into this situation too. Let's say there is a book or something you order from Amazon.com and you are being told "Usually ships in 1-2 business days" or "Usually ships in 24 hours." When you actually complete the transaction, unless you paid for expedited shipping, you learn that the item you've just ordered would ship in 14 to 20 business days.
This seems to be another way for Amazon.com to segment its customers and/or boost the adoption of its "Free Two-Day Shipping or $3.99-per-item Overnight Shipping on over a million eligible items sold by Amazon.com" program. Alas, all this comes at the expense of service level.
That Amazon.com is not the most economical is old news to its customers, who paid the premium because of the quality of service. Does Amazon.com think its service level is so high that it only can be lowered? Or could it be that they borrowed from the book of some top-service retailer in Kirkland WA, that charges for membership?
Hmm, I don't think this can work in the long run (factor in those looming state taxes), but then again I'm not the one running their numbers...
Since we are talking about Amazon.com, who likes the bazaar atmosphere on their pages anyway? I can even imagine one line of defense: Amazon.com is doing real-time trials on what sells and it actually sells more by cluttering the space. However, based on my years of history with the Company, I would expect at least the option to customize my Amazon shopping portal if not a default minimal design. Is it just me?
This seems to be another way for Amazon.com to segment its customers and/or boost the adoption of its "Free Two-Day Shipping or $3.99-per-item Overnight Shipping on over a million eligible items sold by Amazon.com" program. Alas, all this comes at the expense of service level.
That Amazon.com is not the most economical is old news to its customers, who paid the premium because of the quality of service. Does Amazon.com think its service level is so high that it only can be lowered? Or could it be that they borrowed from the book of some top-service retailer in Kirkland WA, that charges for membership?
Hmm, I don't think this can work in the long run (factor in those looming state taxes), but then again I'm not the one running their numbers...
Since we are talking about Amazon.com, who likes the bazaar atmosphere on their pages anyway? I can even imagine one line of defense: Amazon.com is doing real-time trials on what sells and it actually sells more by cluttering the space. However, based on my years of history with the Company, I would expect at least the option to customize my Amazon shopping portal if not a default minimal design. Is it just me?
Here are the details of Amazon.com "membership" or fast shipping (universal) option
ReplyDeleteAmazon Prime™: "All You Can Eat" Express Shipping
READY TO JOIN?
Sign up for the introductory
price of $79 a year
Unlimited Express Shipping
Free Two-Day Shipping on over a million in-stock items sold by Amazon.com
Overnight Shipping for only $3.99 per item—order as late as 6:30 PM ET
Ship to any eligible address in the contiguous United States
Effortless Shopping
No minimum purchase required
No need to consolidate items to save on shipping
Convenient Sharing
Share the benefits of your Amazon Prime membership with up to four family members living in the same household
As far as being able to customize one's shopping portal, one shouldn't think that in this day and age technology is the obstacle. For example, one can do most everything within Yahoo!
ReplyDeleteIt is rather the result of a decision from some marketing type who wants to advertise on 80% of the place (and transaction time) Amazon.com products you don't need but they think you do.