Evans P, Wurster T S
Harv Bus Rev. 1999 Nov-Dec;77(6):84-94, 215.
In its first generation, electronic commerce has been a landgrab. Space on the Internet was claimed by whoever got there first with enough resources to create a credible business. It took speed, a willingness to experiment, and a lot of cybersavvy. Companies that had performed brilliantly in traditional settings seemed hopelessly flat-footed on the Web. And despite their astronomical valuations, the new e-commerce stars have appeared to be just as confused. Many have yet to make a profit, and no one has any idea when they will. Now, the authors contend, we are entering the second generation of e-commerce, and it will be shaped more by strategy than by experimentation. The key players--branded-goods suppliers, physical retailers, electronic retailers, and pure navigators--will shift their attention from claiming territory to defending or capturing it. They will be forced to focus on strategies to achieve competitive advantage. Success will go to the businesses that get closest to consumers, the ones that help customers navigate their way through the Web. Indeed, the authors argue, navigation is the battlefield on which competitive advantage will be won or lost. There are three dimensions of navigation: Reach is about access and connection. Affiliation is about whose interests the business represents. And richness is the depth of the information that a business gives to or collects about its customers. Navigators and e-retailers have the natural advantage in reach and affiliation, while traditional product suppliers and retailers have the edge in richness. The authors offer practical advice to each player on competing in the second generation of e-commerce.
第一代电子商务是一场抢占先机的行动。互联网上的空间被那些率先到达且拥有足够资源创建可靠业务的人占据。这需要速度、勇于尝试的意愿以及丰富的网络知识。那些在传统领域表现出色的公司在网络上似乎毫无准备。尽管这些新的电子商务明星公司估值极高，但它们看起来同样困惑。许多公司尚未盈利，也没人知道它们何时能盈利。现在，作者们认为，我们正在进入第二代电子商务时代，它将更多地由战略而非尝试来塑造。关键参与者——品牌商品供应商、实体零售商、电子零售商和纯粹的导航者——将把注意力从争夺地盘转向捍卫或夺取地盘。他们将被迫专注于实现竞争优势的战略。成功将属于那些最贴近消费者的企业，即那些帮助客户在网络中找到方向的企业。事实上，作者们认为，导航是赢得或失去竞争优势的战场。导航有三个维度：覆盖范围关乎访问和连接；归属关系关乎企业代表谁的利益；丰富度是企业向客户提供或收集的信息深度。导航者和电子零售商在覆盖范围和归属关系方面具有天然优势，而传统产品供应商和零售商在丰富度方面占优。作者们为每个参与者在第二代电子商务竞争中提供了实用建议。
