@chapeau-noir wrote:
Great reasons why I don't sell what Walmart does.
I hear ya!
Walmart is but one example. See for years on end supply chain has counted on authorized delist channel sellers. Amazon called them "Anchor Tenants" back in the day. uBid, Onsale, Overstock.com etc all basically that authorized business to consumer channel. It's one the big reason you would see say at uBid everything starting bid at $7. For example we'd prior generation motherboards for PC's and even if we sold that $100 motherboard for that $7 we were only at a loss of $8, obviously that didn't happen often. Those mainboard be basically 6 months delisted, so still quite useful.
Most these business to consumer sites killed themselves off via fierce competition and as that happened Amazon sucked them in as did eBay. Back in the day you'd even some of the retailer delist sold right here, Best Buy etc. get banner placement at say eBay. Those arrangements with manufacturers keep the unsold, open box etc. product from coming back to the manufacturer (or distributor) towards the price protection (credit) towards new merch. Sort of a win win, they make exclusive arrangement.
This now is happening more and more whereby the retailers via the Internet are integrating those delisted products as blow out deals online. They are using centralized warehousing to do so and helping manufacturer supply chain move unsold product. I don't know how much that erodes those authorized delist resellers who do use Amazon and eBay, be interesting question.
But you get the point, the retailers are evolving how online commerce can operate. Traditionally they completely ignore the delist channels. Aside all of it they are better at evolving the technology. You can get notifications on mobile devices, partnerships with cellphone providers is another thing beginning to shape up. There is all this 3D technology being worked upon whether succeeds or not is of question. But the point is Supply Chain can readily think outside the box, make new boxes whereby third party marketplaces really don't have that luxury. They'd need to evolve the entire transacting mechanisms from ground up.
Now towards that end as I'd said some moons ago in a different thread there is a solution IMHO! We designed it way back when with Amazon in mind, The Auction Mall. Can call it whatever. But point being it's an extensible hybrid commerce platform conceptually designed around the common mall in many ways. Thus is has a natural evolutionary curve even towards 3D shopping should it come to bare.
Its a hybrid of commerce concept taking into account merch types, localization and not, live auction floors, search, browse and even advertising in a variety of forms. Obviously it represents a considerable change from anything that exists online. That's not to say there are not issues with the concept. For example Amazon's CMO told my ex that every retailer online is going to be very displeased by it.
Why? Well it puts mom and pop into a more known type shop environment with consumers and gives them a highly professional appearance. Bob's clothing look like Macys instead of for example what is here or Mercari or even Amazon third party sellers. Yet Bob's operating out of shipping containers. Her response to that was, "Well... Macy's is in Malls. Macy's can be in this mall."
Yea well... "We're Amazon we're not into platforming competitors." Understandable.
They snatched the reverse price mechanism or so she says. I've never been sure but she said they did. What I do know is after the presentation we rode free, no fee's and they allowed us to use our re-pricer as long as we didn't sell it to any other sellers or sell the entire application to some other operation.
I think the concept is still valid today and for the foreseeable future. Back in the day she presented it to chamber of commerce folks and everyone was WOW'd by it. Next thing I know local venture capitalists are all a go, "Lets do it!" I'm like wait what? Huh? Who? Me? Oh there's my dream be anchored to this Mall stuff for the rest of my days? Nooooo thank you. Eat, breathe and drink eCommerce? I'd rather eat dye and _h_t! LOL.
But Chapeau change is always on the horizon. Perhaps in 10 years we've a large microwave where we place an order, atoms are scrambled and presto my underwear appears in the box. Oh yes... I take a medium rare LOL.
mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
