亚马逊接管西尔斯零售业霸权

    西尔斯曾投资于网络购物和手机应用，并曾模仿亚马逊网站推出了西尔斯网上商城（Sears Marketplace），通过第三方卖家提供约2,000万种商品。可惜的是，到目前为止，这些措施既没有改善公司的形象，也没有推动公司的销量。

    史派特也认为：“西尔斯百货本可以利用其品牌效应掩饰其最近的不良声誉，但它在吸引消费者方面存在更严重的问题。”

    店铺陈旧，服务缺失，价格毫无优势，西尔斯品牌根本无法吸引年轻消费者。年轻人对定位更清楚的高端品牌亲睐有加，例如苹果（Apple）、NorthFace或者体育运动品牌UnderArmour。而在采购低价服装时，他们则会选择西尔斯百货的头号劲敌杰西潘尼（J.C. Penney ）。

    西尔斯百货的核心客户来自工薪阶层，或者年收入在50,000到125,000美元的消费者。这个消费群体偶尔会为赶时髦大方一次，但面对就业的不确定性、失业的威胁和住房市场的严峻形势，越来越多的人开始转向沃尔玛、美元树（Dollar Tree）和塔吉特百货（Target）等商店购买日常用品。

    而且，许多消费者推迟了采购冰箱、炉具和其他家用电器等昂贵商品的计划，希望等到经济稳定、就业前景更有保障的时候再作打算。这些因素足以让身处零售业中间水平的商家几乎失去立足之地。

    此外，消费者也改变了他们的购物方式和预期。史派特表示：“消费者希望与公司建立一种关系，并且希望能够获得公道的价格——这些实际上是客户体验的重要组成部分，而亚马逊从成立之初便非常注重这一点。”

    最初，亚马逊主打图书配送市场，之后逐渐扩展到其他市场。史派特说：“亚马逊从不对自己无法配送的商品做出承诺。”

    利斯基称，消费者也不再像以前那么依赖购物商场。“购物不再是一种社交体验。而网罗众多购物商场运作的百货商店也并非服务导向型，因为它需要投入大量的人力，无助于改善经营状况。”

    六年前，对冲基金经理爱德华•兰伯特收购了西尔斯百货，并将其与折扣商店凯马特（Kmart）合并。兰伯特曾帮助凯马特摆脱破产的危机，但很明显，他并不关心西尔斯2,200家老旧店铺的翻修改造，而是花了数十亿美元来回购股票，并进行了裁员。尽管如此，裁员之后的西尔斯百货母公司西尔斯控股公司（Sears Holdings Corp.）仍拥有250,000名员工。

    利斯基认为，即便如此，消费者仍愿意“为获得优惠价格而放弃服务，不过他们也期望更高的价值和便利性。”此外，他表示，人们早在上世纪80年代就已开始选择折扣商店了，当时的凯马特便是全场折扣店的最佳范例。

    他说：“这使得百货商店放弃了提供全方位服务的理念。比如，他们关闭了餐厅，关闭了玩具与体育用品部门。所以，他们再也算不上是应有尽有的购物场所了。”

    Sears has invested in online shopping, mobile applications, and Sears Marketplace, an website that mimics Amazon's reach, offering nearly 20 million products available through third-party sellers. So far, though, that has not bolstered its image or its sales.

    Sears "could have used its brands to transcend its recent reputation," agrees Spector, but "it has deeper issues of relating to customers."

    Shabby stores, scarce help, and average prices have rendered younger customers indifferent to the Sears brand. They gravitate towards more clearly defined and upscale labels like Apple (AAPL), NorthFace (VFC), or UnderArmour (UA). Or, for lower-priced apparel, they might chose arch rival J.C. Penney (JCP).

    Core Sears customers are working class, or those earning between $50,000 and $125,000. For something special, they might splurge on a chic brand, but as they struggle with job uncertainty, unemployment, and a grim housing market, many are increasingly buying their everyday items at stores like Walmart (WMT), Dollar Tree (DLTR), and Target (TGT).

    And many consumers have postponed big-ticket purchases like refrigerators, stoves, and other home appliances until the economy and the outlook for jobs seems more secure. All of this has combined to squeeze out the middle layer of retail.

    Consumers also changed their buying patterns, and their expectations. They "want to have a relationship with the company, as well as the right price," says Spector. "Amazon, from the beginning, has been all about the customer experience."

    In its earliest days, Amazon tested out the book delivery market before it gradually branched out to other items, and, Spector says, "Amazon never promised something it couldn't deliver."

    Consumers also are not wedded to malls any more, says Lisicky, "Shopping is no longer a social experience. And department stores, which anchor many malls, now are not service-oriented because it requires a huge labor force and that does not help the bottom line."

    When Edward Lampert, a hedge fund manager, acquired Sears six years ago, he merged its operations with discounter Kmart, which he had helped nurture out of bankruptcy. Notably, though, he did not invest in remodeling or refreshing the many worn 2,200 Sears stores and, instead, spent billions on repurchasing shares and left the employee ranks too thin -- even though the parent company, Sears Holdings Corp., still employs some 250,000 people.

    Even so, the buying public is willing "to forgo service for price, but they expect value and convenience," Lisicky says, adding that trading down to discount stores began as far back as the 1980s when Kmart "perfected the full discounting store.

    "That led to department stores abandoning their full set of offerings," he says. "They closed their restaurants, shut their toys and sporting goods sections, for example. So they were no longer the place to find everything."