Pity_the_parcel_people_快递员有得忙了E-commerce.docx

Pity the parcel people 快递员有得忙了【导读】中国电子商务蓄势待发Chinese e-commerce中国电子商务Pity the parcel people快递员有的忙了Online sales are booming in China. But where are the profits?中国的网络购物如火如荼，但利润何在？Nov 17th 2012 | SHANGHAI | from the print editionIT IS “one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy,” says Zeng Ming. He is talking about e-commerce. Mr Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firms platforms will top 1 trillion yuan ($159 billion) this yearmore than Amazons and eBays combined. That is a bold claim; but consider what happened on Singles Sunday.中国互联网巨头阿里巴巴集团【注1】的总参谋长曾鸣【注2】将电子商务称为“中国经济少有的亮点之一”。他预测，今年阿里巴巴各平台的数字交易额将突 破10000亿元人民币（约合1590亿美元），超过亚马逊和 eBay 的交易额总和。曾鸣此言大胆无畏；看看上周日光棍节那天的情况就可想而知了。Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the 11th day of the 11th month (since 1 is the loneliest number). It is like St Valentines Day, only worse. Singletons shower each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets.几年前，一些学生把每年的11月11日定为单身者的节日“光棍节”【注3】（因为“1”是最为“孤独”的数字）。随后，数字营销者抓住了这个商业机 遇。光棍节和情人节有些类似，只不过没有情人节那么美好。在这一天，单身人士会彼此交换很多贴心的礼物：比如大包的珠宝首饰、大把的糖果。This November 11th they spent a staggering 19 billion yuan on Alibabas online platformsa fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online). More than 100m purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day. Couriers were buried in parcels.今年11月11日，阿里巴巴各个网络平台的销售额达到了惊人的190亿元人民币，比一年前翻了两番，也是去年“网络星期一”当天美国网购交易额的两倍以上 （“网络星期一”是感恩节之后的周一，美国零售商鼓励人们在这一天在线购物）。根据记录，今年11月11日有一亿份以上的网购订单生效，占当天总发货量的 80%。运送包裹的快递员忙得不可开交。So life is good for Chinas etailers, then? Not exactly. The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming (see chart). Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety. The problem? The pressure on margins in Chinese e-commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker. “Almost no one makes money,” she says.那么，想必中国电商【注4】的日子过得很滋润吧？不尽然。数字营销者的队伍越来越庞大，网络销售也是红红火火（见图表）。消费者享受着更低的价格、更好的服务和更大的选择范围。可问题在哪？里昂证券经纪人 Elinor Leung 认为，中国电子商务的利润压力比美国还大，“几乎没什么人在赚钱”。The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks-and-mortar rivals. Dangdang, a firm that resembles Amazon, and 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices ferociously. Tencent, a cash-rich online giant known for its instant-messaging software, is splashing out to win market share. 360buy has also just raised $400m from investors to do the same. But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital.传统实体企业是网络零售商的竞争对手，二者正在打着几场最为惨烈的商战。当当网和京东商城展开了一 场血拼价格战（前者是类似亚马逊的公司，后者是另一家网络零售商）。以即时通讯软件而闻名的腾讯公司是一家财大气粗的网络巨头，它也为占据市场份额花费了 大笔资金。前不久，京东商城还进行了四亿美元的融资，同样是为了提高其市场占有率。但这些公司的“烧钱”行为还能支撑多久？不得而知。That is especially so since physical retailers are fighting back. Walmart has increased its stake in Yihaodian, a local e-commerce firm. Jeff Walters of BCG, a consultancy, argues that in a good year a retailer like Walmart could open 40-50 physical stores, just a sliver of the Chinese market, “which is why e-commerce is so important for them here”. Many Western rivals have flopped in China with the big-box strategy; including, most recently, Best Buy (an electronics chain) and Home Depot (a do-it-yourself shop).这种情况尤为明显，因为实体零售商已经发起了反攻。沃尔玛增加了自己在中国本土电子商务公司“1号店”【注5】所持有的股份。来自咨询公司 BCG 的 Jeff Walters 认为：在效益好的年份里，像沃尔玛这样的零售商可以开设四五十家实体店，而这个数目在中国市场上只是九牛一毛 “所以电子商务对这些公司来说非常重要”。很多在中国推行仓储直营模式的西方竞争者都栽了跟头，比如最近的百思买（一家电子产品连锁企业）和家得宝（一家 自助式家居建材用品零售商）【注6】。Suning and Gome, big Chinese high-street electronics stores, are putting an expanded range of products on their websites. Alan Lau of McKinsey & Co, a consultancy, says they are also pushing manufacturers to stop offering etailers such big discounts. He estimates that in 2011 computers and handsets sold online were 12% cheaper than in stores; this year they are only 7% cheaper. As the gap gets smaller, so do nearly everyones margins.中国两家大型连锁家电销售企业苏宁电器和国美电器都在各自网站上扩大了产品门类。麦肯锡咨询公司的 Alan Lau 认为，两家企业此举也在向制造商施压，促使其减小对电商的打折力度。他估计，2011年网上销售的电脑和手机比实体店便宜12%，而今年只比实体店便宜7%。随着价格差距的缩小，几乎所有企业的利润都受到了影响。The great exception is Alibaba, which handles nearly three-quarters of Chinas e-commerce. Because its Taobao (consumer-to-consumer) and Tmall (business-to-consumer) platforms connect buyers and sellers, the firm does not carry the cost of logistics or inventory. It makes none of the products it sells. (American officials have branded it a “notorious” counterfeit market, a charge Alibaba deems unfair.) It makes money chiefly through advertisements, not user fees, a model that works thanks to its dominant position.阿里巴巴是个大大的例外它控制了中国电子商务将近75%的市场份额。由于阿里巴巴旗下拥有“客对客”的淘宝网和“商对客”的天猫商城等平台【注7】来 让买卖双方联系起来，该公司无需承担物流或是仓储方面的成本。它销售的产品也并非由自己生产（美国官员将阿里巴巴斥为一块“臭名昭著”的假货市场，而该公 司认为这种指责有失公允）。阿里巴巴主要通过广告来盈利，而不依靠用户缴纳的费用。由于它在市场上占据了主导地位，这种模式行之有效。Privately held Alibaba does not discuss its finances, but Yahoo! owns a stake (which it is winding down). The American internet firms disclosures this month reveal that Alibabas revenues nearly doubled year-on-year, to $2.9 billion for the three quarters ending in June. Its profits tripled to $730m over that period.阿里巴巴是私人控股公司，并不会公开其财务状况。但雅虎公司拥有阿里巴巴的股份（雅虎正在逐步减少其份额）。根据这家美国互联网公司本月披露的数据显示， 阿里巴巴的收入与上年同期相比几乎翻了一番，在截至今年六月的三个季度中达到了29亿美元；同期利润也增长了两倍，达到了7.3亿美元。Alibaba is bullish. In China e-commerce already accounts for nearly 5% of total retail sales, roughly the same as in America. But its potential is greater, argues the firm. In America, physical retailers are already efficient and everywhere. In China, they are highly fragmented, inefficient and barely visible outside big cities. So etailers could leapfrog them.阿里巴巴对前景感到乐观。该公司认为：中国的电子商务已经占了零售销售额总量的近5%，和美国的比例大致相同；但该行业的潜力尚未得到充分挖掘。在美国， 实体零售商无处不在，已经有了不错的效率。而在中国，实体零售产业高度分化、效率较低，而且在大城市之外鲜有涉足。因此，电商可以迎头赶上，抢占市场。Mr Zeng notes that legions of Chinese have yet to go online. As they do so, Alibaba will be watching, recording and analysing their shopping habits. The firm is devising a “big data” strategy. It hopes to help vendors harness customer information quickly and share insights among themselves. This could allow them to accelerate product-design cycles.曾鸣指出，中国目前还有大批民众尚未开始网络购物。随着他们走上这条道路，阿里巴巴将观察、记录并分析其购物习惯。该公司正在设计一种“大数据”战略，希望帮助各销售商高效地利用客户信息并彼此分享商业经验。此举可以让他们缩短产品设计周期。The firms lofty ambition is to help China move towards “mass customisation” and “user-generated innovation”turning trendy jargon into reality. “The entire supply chain will sit on e-commerce,” insists Mr Zeng. “It will be not just a tool, but the heart of the entire economy.”阿里巴巴有着宏图壮志：帮助中国走向“大规模定制”和“用户创新”把这些时髦的行业术语变成现实。曾鸣坚称：“整个供应链将以电子商务为依托。电子商务将不仅仅是一种工具，更是整体经济的核心。译者注：1. 阿里巴巴集团创立于1999年，是一间经营互联网业务的公司，业务包括 B2B 贸易、网上零售、购物搜索引擎、第三方支付和云计算服务。集团的子公司及关联公司有阿里巴巴 B2B 、淘宝网、天猫、一淘网、阿里云计算、中国雅虎及支付宝。2. 曾鸣于 1991年获得复旦大学的经济学理学士学位，并于1998年荣获美国伊利诺斯大学的国际商业和战略学博士学位。2006年8月加入阿里巴巴集团，任战略部 执行副总裁，并于2006年11月至2007年12月任代理中国雅虎总裁。他于2008年1月获任阿里巴巴集团总参谋长。3. 光棍节是流传于中国大陆年轻人的娱乐性节日，以庆祝自己仍是单身一族为傲。这一天也是众多为单身男女脱离光棍状态而举办交友聚会活动的日子，因此又同时是“脱光节”。与此同时，也是各大商家以脱光为由打折促销的时期。 光棍节的来历有多种说法，广为认可的是起源于南大。1993年，南京大学“名草无主”寝室四个大四学生每晚举行“卧谈”，一段时间卧谈的主题都是讨论如何 摆脱光棍状态，卧谈中创想出了以即将到来的11月11日作为“光棍节”来组织活动，从此，光棍节逐渐发展成为南京高校以至各地大学里的一种校园趣味文化。 随着一批批学子告别校园，这个节日被渐渐带入社会，并随着成年单身男女群体的庞大，以及群体活动和网络媒体的传播，光棍节在社会流行开来，并由光棍节发展 出了“脱光节”。 由于2012年11月11日是星期天，所以作者在第一段称其为 Singles Sunday。4. etailer 为“electronics”和“retailer”缩略复合而成，文中译为“电商”。5. 1号店为 电子商务型网站，2008年7月11日正式上线，开创了中国电子商务行业“网上超市”的先河。公司独立研发出多套具有国际领先水平的电子商务管理系统并拥 有多项专利和软件著作权，并在系统平台、采购、仓储、配送、和客户关系管理等方面大力投入，打造自身的核心竞争力，以确保高质量的商品能以低成本、快速 度、高效率的流通，让顾客充分享受全新的生活方式和实惠方便的购物体验。 沃尔玛公司已收购1号店部分股份。6. 百思买（Best Buy）是一间来自美国的消费电子零售商。家得宝（The Home Depot）是美国一家家庭装饰品与建材的零售商 。两家公司于2006年先后进军中国，又分别在2011年和2012年由于“水土不服”、盈利模式碰壁等原因退出中国市场。7. Consumer-to-Consumer 缩写为 C2C，指消费者个人与个人之间的电子商务。文中译作“客对客”（也有人译为“私对私”）。 Business-to-Customer 缩写为 B2C，是电子商务的模式之一，即“商对客”（也有人称作“公对私”）形式的商业零售（直接面向消费者销售产品和服务）。这种形式的电子商务一般以网络零售业为主，主要借助于互联网开展在线销售活动。The prospect of ecommerce in ChinaCreative idea is seldom understood or accepted at that time. Afterwards more and more people have realized the rationality of it and find its a great pity to lose that chances that they could seize in the past. The ecommerce in China encountered the same thing. The venture tour of Ma Yun to US Silicon Valley well proves the point. Venture investors were not optimistic about Chinas e-commerce, for very few people in China knew much about internet.Time changes! Nowadays there are 420 million netizens across China. And the number is still increasing with a high speed. The international financial crisis in 2008 has greatly impact on traditional enterprises. According to relevant statistics, nearly 5 times much reflects the proportion of a traditional enterprise in trouble compared with an ecommerce enterprise. This has forced many small and medium enterprises to participate in the ecommerce businessEcommerce has a few advantages compared with traditional business. It solves the geographical problem and enjoys a fast transaction which meets global traders requirement. Under the model of ecommerce, many channels and marketing cost will be saved. We are confident that there will be a bright future for ecommerce in China.Started in 1997, ecommerce has walked through B2B, B2C and C2C process. They are acting as wholesale, wholesale to retail and retail separately. Information based B2B portal has helped a lot of small and medium enterprises out of trouble. However, new problem has shown, it is very hard for a small and medium enterprise to win order under such competitive international environment. And this is the one that the old B2B cant help.Fortunately, another creative idea offered by IBUonline (a vertical B2B website) demonstrates itself to you. It is a helper for both global buyers and China suppliers. Working with IBUonline, new problem will not be problem any more. I believe nobody would like to miss the moon after missing the star.E-commerce refers to the buying and selling of products and services over the Internet.E-Commerce E-commerce today is widespread and includes everything from retail sales of books and DVDs to banking, stocks and bond trading. There are two main types of e-commerce: business-to-consumer-B2C-is usually a traditional retail business now conducted also or exclusively online, while business-to-business-B2B-activity includes supplies, maintenance or payroll services conducted online between two companies.Advantages Conducting business online allows companies to reach new markets more easily and service them faster. It also reduces costs in staff, buildings and inventory.Considerations Conducting business online requires investing in technology and staying on top of the changes in the computer industry. Additionally, expanding into new markets means increased competition.Advantages of an eCommerce BusinessBy Lizz Shepherd, eHow Contributor , last updated April 15, 2012 eCommerce has changed the way that everyone does business. The Web has put some companies at an advantage, allowing them to sell items that they wouldnt have been able to otherwise. It has made some online companies so successful that they never have to open a retail store. Other People Are Reading1. HistoryeCommerce began slowly, as the general public had to get used to the idea of buying things online. Since that time, ordinary people without retail stores sell items online as either their full-time job or to supplement their income because of the advantages that eCommerce offers.significanceLarge companies as well as small ones have discovered that in many cases, it is far cheaper to sell things online than to maintain a full, brick-and-mortar retail store. There is no rent on a storefront, no store fixtures to buy and no liability insurance payments for customer falls.GeographyUsing the Internet to sell items means that the potential pool of buyers is most of the world. Rather than just the people of one neighborhood or city, people from any country can buy items.EffectsThe lower overhead costs of ecommerce versus opening a physical store has enabled people from all walks of life to start a business on a smaller budget.MisconceptionsEven large items can successfully be sold online. Even if a customer has to pay more for an item because of high shipping costs, many people are willing to pay more to stay away from the hassle of shopping in retail stores.The Advantages, Disadvantages and Limitations of E-CommerceBy W.D. Johnson, eHow Contributor , last updated April 17, 2012 E-commerce makes transactions more convenient for consumers and businesses, but also subjects both parties to security risks. Forrester Research, a technology and market research company, reported in 2010 a five-year forecast which predicted that United States electronic commerce, e-commerce, sales would reach nearly $250 billion by 2014 - up from about $155 billion in 2009. However, despite the immediate benefit of convenient shopping experiences for consumers and significant growth potential for businesses, the online marketplace also poses concerns for customers and companies. Other People Are Reading1. Advantages for Businesseso The marketing avenues that e-commerce offers make it easier for companies to gain visibility and accessibility to reach consumers on a national or global scale, if desired, regardless of physical location, time or distance. E-commerce also saves on overhead by sparing businesses extensive maintenance of physical locations. Inventory can be arranged and tracked easily, and processes like document preparation, catalogue distribution and record keeping become more automated saving owners in time and labor costs.E-commerce tools also better inform businesses about customers interests and preferences. Analyzing web pages viewed immediately before and after a customer viewed a given business website or product helps companies better shape the ideal shopping experience, as well as personalize individual alerts and recommendations.2. Disadvantages for Businesseso As geographic limitations diminish, competition with other businesses increases. To remain relevant, competitive and effective, businesses must continually adapt to rapidly changing e-commerce technology, practices and trends. With e-commerce also comes the added necessity of protecting the online security of a business, as well as its customers.3. Limitations For Businesseso Online businesses must ensure that their websites can accommodate all their content, inventory and customers. Underestimating bandwidth needs can lead to having a website temporarily suspended and unavailable for business. Additionally, businesses will continue to need brick and mortar stores to satisfy the remaining consumer desire for the traditional ta