Why Argos & eBay's distribution methods can work together in harmony

I have to say, as someone who is more-interested-than-most in the digital marketing space, eBay is one of the only brands I really pay attention to when it comes to their email marketing campaigns. They are often well-targeted, relevant and provide decent value. Hence I was pleasantly surprised to see this email in my inbox recently:

There was an existing partnership between Argos and eBay with many Argos product sold through eBay regularly. However, this extension of the way the channels work together is a great strategic move from both parties.

A few years ago, upon the spark of the digital age, which saw the likes of Woolworths, HMV and Habitat struggle- I was worried that Argos would simply be destined for the same fate. It was surely going to be out-priced, out-producted and out-branded by the likes of Amazon? However, by thinking and accepting that their existing distribution model wasn't going to be sustainable long-term, Argos have adapted their strategy which blurs the lines between the online world and bricks and mortar retailers.

I think the key to success in what Argos is doing is the fact they are so accessible, convenient and efficient. Their Click and Collect service was pioneering, their digital channels are fantastically-integrated with their retail channels and they partner with the best brands- often I don't even have to check if Argos stock something I just presume they will and I'm not often wrong. They also have great, local stores, you don't have to go in to a big town or city to find exactly what you are looking for.

However, this isn't just beneficial to Argos in terms of defining their brand as a digital, well-distributed service. eBay gain something they've never had before- a physical presence in the UK market. So many brands (especially those who are solely online) are realising the importance of an omni-channel experience and that 'human interaction' with the brand. By collaborating with Argos, eBay have a tangible setting in the form of hundreds of stores. 

eCommerce sold us the idea the home delivery is the way forward, however consumers are starting to realise that it is not as convenient as originally thought. Fear of leaving your house whilst waiting for a parcel or having to cart it home on the tube after having it delivered to work or worse, queuing in the post office depot on a Saturday morning- all build the case as to why click and collect has become a phenomenon! Amazon locker was a solution that had won over many consumers and now eBay is matching that with their own offering.... featuring humans!

Not only is this a great strategic move for the two brands, but this will ultimately provide a fantastic experience for the customer. They are able to drop whatever they've sold on eBay at a local Argos store (open late evenings and weekends), pay a rate for P&P which by far rivals the Post Office and provide a tracked and signed for parcel to the customer! 

In terms of change management, the organisational impact is minimal, the infrastructures for delivery and storage are already in place as Argos have been delivering their own products for years and as mentioned above, have the processes down to a T.

I look forward to hearing more about this exciting partnership!

Inspiration and stamina

Hellooo! Well I finally completed all of my coursework for 2nd year! This means no more assignments until 2015! Can't believe how long away that is, although no doubt it will come around fast!
Now, I'm the kind of person who gets fascinated with certian people and then stalk their every movements on twitter and have to research everything about them!!
Well at the moment I'm a massive fan of Matthew Hussey- his speeches are amazing and although this video is long it is sooooo worth watching for anyone interested in business, not just entrepreneurship.

Everything he said inspires me and his drive and determination is something I try to mirror. No matter how many times people in your life tell you to give up, if you believe you can do something never give up. If I had have listened to people telling me to give up, I never would have passed my driving test, got in to university, moved to Bristol, worked in America, got a job at IBM... all things I am proud of achieving. And I think despite people using the reccession as an excuse for why they don't have a job or why they aren't looking for one, there are jobs out there for people who are willing to go the extra mile, put themselves out there and not give up.

 

Another thing which gives me motivation to work hard and prove people wrong is the fact I am female- when people consider 'success' or a 'successful person' I feel like they always think of a business man. I want to exceed the norm and make my own success as a female.

In the video, Matt talks about 3 key attributes of success in business;

• Selling yourself

I think I'm lucky as I am a naturally confident person who never stops talking, but for others who struggle with confidence they may have a problem in doing this. It's never cocky or embarrasing to talk about YOUR achievements and the things YOU are proud of, I think in order to impress others you have to go about this in the right way, but at the end of the day- opportunities are never going to come knocking on your doorstep you have to go and look for them

• Don't be afraid to take risks

I've learnt not to be scared of rejection recently, rejection in everything, not just in terms of a career.

My Mum tells me off sometimes because I just can't get my head around people who want to do the same thing day in day out and never want to make changes in their lives, she tells me "some people are just happy living their lives" well I know for a fact I NEVER want to be that person. I want to be stunned, surprised and thrilled every day of my life! I know this means I will be constantly working to do so, but I get bored easily and love change! I'm not afraid of trying new things, moving half way across the country, travelling to America and I think this mindset really pays off. Being comfortable is BORING.

• Say YES to everything

People always always tell me to stop doing this, that I take too many things on at once, but I feel like if I hadn't said yes to everything at the beginning of this year I wouldn't be in the place that I am now. At first I thought maybe I was trying to please everyone and just couldn't learn to say no, now I realise that by doing so I have put myself in a better position.

When you say yes to everything you can then make your own decisions on what you want to do, opening up your options can never be a bad thing.


Luckily, I have been blessed with confidence and I think having the confidence to be sure of yourself, your aspirations, goals and having the confidence to talk to new people, realise not everything will work out, something which Matt talks about a lot, are traits not everyone has, yet I think without these, the potential to succeed in business is less prominent.

Anyway a personal blog- not my usual type of post! You might not agree, all comments welcome.

Stephanie

Camp America and Losing my virginity...

Hey and happy new year!
So summer 2012 I took part in Camp America and worked in Boston, MA for 2 months. When people ask me about the experience I'm often reluctant to talk about it or explain what really happened, this is kind of because I want to forget what happened or maybe because I'm sick of explaining it over and over again. People expect me to say I had an amazing time and how benefitial it was etc. and presume that it was. However this actually wasn't the case. I don't regret going at all but I definately wouldn't reccomend camp america to anyone else nor praise the company.
I initally decided to take part to have a great summer and had heard from so many people how many friends you make and how amazing it is to travel the states etc. However as I grew further into the scheme I realised how good it looks on your CV to have worked in a different country and the skills you gain from camp. I know can talk about all of these things in interviews and applications and for that reason I am glad I did it.
But at the time I wanted nothing more than to come home, I'm not going to go in to why but I didn't get on with one of the girls I shared with and I really missed home. However I think more than anything, Camp America as a brand aren't a company I could rely on.
Firstly, I felt they almost tricked me in to thinking it was a free experience and that I would earn enough money to travel the states after. When in truth, I paid out over £1000 in flights, admin fees, visa, insurance etc. They claim the flights are "free" but then you pay out £400 in admin fees and the flights are only £300 on the virgin atlantic website. I don't understand the dishonesty behind them saying they aren't for flights? And I feel they didn't fully explain the fees before hand as I was well into my overdraft paying for these fees, whereas if I had have known about them earlier I may have considered not taking part.
Then when you arrive at camp, all the americans are paid minimum wage for full time work which isn't a bad wage in the states. The camp were also paying this amount out for me, but I wasn't recieving it. I was actually recieving $100 a week for working full time, which works out at about 50cent an hour. Camp America took the rest of the money from me. So despite the admin fees which I had paid they also recieved over 60% of my wages. I wasn't even aware of this until I spoke to the other workers at camp. I felt so betrayed and again, why were CA being so dishonest and frankly decieptful!
When I arrived back from the states, Camp America asked me to become a brand manager and despite the fact I didn't want to represent their brand, I was interested to see some of their marketing strategies and gain some brand management experience. We were signed up to a forum and I was the representative for camp america at UWE.
However as I looked into it further, some of the tasks they asked us to compelete were so anti-competitive and unjust. They asked us to rip down competing summer camp companies posters, stand outside competitor talks and tell people about camp america and bombard students with CA's name. Now I realise why I hadn't heard of any competitors when I was applying to work at camp. I can only reccomend to people to research other summer camp companies, as Camp America charge the highest fees and the lowest salaries. I just feel that although CA were trying to make me positively represent the brand, they were giving me negative perceptions of a brand that my summer was in the hands of. The forum is just full of people slating other summer camp companies so I removed myself from the group!

Sorry about how negative that was! I just wanted everyone to know the truth about camp america! Some positivity now...
Over the christmas period I have been reading Richard Branson's book "Losing my Virginity". I don't normally read autobiographies however I think it's one of the best books I've ever read! Definately a reccomended read! I think Branson is such an inspiration and it has definately taught me some important business knowledge! I think Virgin is such an exciting brand and the risks he is prepared to take are inspiring and I'm now fascinated by Virgin! A must read if your interested in business, entrepenurism or marketing.

Finance exam next week then our big product pitch presentation next week! And can't wait to hear if the marketing societies budget request for the networking event has been approved or not! All very exciting and I am very confident that they will all go fine!
Steph