Sears.com: Is this where the Internet shops ?
Written: Mar 07 '02 (Updated Mar 07 '02)
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It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that John Sears invented modern retail shopping. The twentieth century version of shopping was largely fashioned after the stunning success story of the Sears stores and the ubiquitous Sears catalog. All the Wal-Marts , K-Marts , and Targets that were to follow had as their unspoken mission to match or exceed the stunning accomplishments of the Sears Department Stores .
But, in the present day, Sears has been buffeted by the winds of change. With roots firmly set in the past, this dowager of the malls has seen the slow and declining growth of it's bottom line at the expense of more modern and more product specific stores. Want a battery? Go to Pep Boys . In need of a slimming dress? The nearby Christoper & Banks or perhaps Cato's has a better selection. For years mighty Sears has been squeezed of precious market share from all sides.
What's a CEO to do ? Perhaps (just perhaps) as the midnight oil burned at the Sears Tower in Chicagoland, the company wunderkinds decided to return to their roots. John Sears had built this company largely upon catering to the dispossessed rural customer via his famous catalog.
Back in their heydays it is a fact that Sears used to weigh their money instead of counting the stuff! Perhaps a reprise of these halycon days could be achieved via the world wide web. Could a web offering be the second coming of this retailing miracle?
Alas..no It may have been said best by the old Confederate general, General Stonewall Jackson, " Git there furstus with the mostest." This simple prescription applied to selling to the masses had indeed worked miracles for Sears during its first incarnation.
During this second go round, the battle cry is more likely to be, " E pluribus unum". And, being just one amongst the many: Sears homogeneous offerings just aren't that exciting. It is one thing to be the only catalog in the entire nineteenth century from which one can purchase an entire unassembled house. It is quite another matter to be one of a vast array of web sites selling washing machines.
If the snot nosed teenager across the tracks can affiliate with your suppliers AND their competitors, how can you, brave Sears , stand out and differentiate your tired name from the offerings of Cookbrothers.com or even Absolute Maytag ? And, can you best Maytag's price on ANY of their products? Sorta doubtful.
Well..there you go again . That little conundrum repeated in countless variations is your dilemma, Sears . You see, it is grade school simple for me and my internet brethren to venture across the road and purchase ANYTHING at all directly from the folks that make the stuff.
If you want to know about Sear's product line, it is nothing to write home about. Customer service? Run of the mill. Shipping and handling? same 'ol same 'ol. Sears has thru the relentless march of time become average.
Sears you've had a great run, nevertheless; this is the end of the line. I'm truly sorry but your Unique Selling Proposition has become null and void in this time and place. Once you stood tall and you showed the way. Now your fallen flag has been surpassed by the many new and innovative upstarts in this brave new cyber-world.
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