Zappos eCommerce strategy – magic trick or viable culture?

Hello folks,

It’s been some time since the last time I wrote, but I promise now to keep the blog updated more frequently.
I’ve just seen the interview on with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh (see the full interview below). I must say that I’m mighty impressed.

You know that hubris is considered a sin in many ancient philosophies, and Tony proved that a humble and moral standard does count.

I think that this time especially, with the sub-prime crises and the ensuing economic chaos, all the false idols of today’s “show off” culture are being taken down.

It’s just like having a fever, when we do not feel so great for a while, but then the germs are gone and we feel rejuvenated, with healthy new cells and a positive outlook.

I think we are going to be much healthier society after this, and Tony’s presence in the market is a sign that we’re headed for a genuine cultural recovery. I really like what Tony represents, and I think we should all learn from Tony and his company’s culture every day.

However, there are still some questions that have to be addressed:

1. Why doesn’t Zappos.com go international – UK, Germany, Australia?

2. When will Zappos go and upgrade its brand to other eCommerce filed (e.g. electronics, apparel, flowers, online ticketing, and even airline reservations)

3. I’ve noticed that the Zappos.com website design is very simple as compared to other eCommerce giants such as Amazon, Endless, Bluefly, Menswearhouse, and even some eBay stores. Even the Zappos-owned sub-brand website 6pm.com looks much better. It’s obvious to me that it’s not a problem of resources, but rather something intentional. The million-dollar question is – why?

People who know Zappos know about its 10 core values, and none of them are about high IT quality. But isn’t the shopping experience also about the features that are on the website? As it appears from this example, I guess the public has proven that web design and cutting-edge site is not what counts – what does count is the service.

4. The Zappos policy is also about answering emails personally. I can only imagine that Tony gets dozens, if not hundreds of emails, Twitter and Facebook messages per day. When does he have time to run the company?
In any case, I can definitely say that we need a guy like Tony in every company.
So what I recommend is to go and get out your inner Tony. For myself, all I can say is that I’m a big fan of Zappos.

see the full interview

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