Recommended preface to "Logistics Winning": E-commerce is a battle between logistics, cash flow and information flow
[
](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYulMSklJtCbOzD7rh43UzTaFWCVWEMMgZ_EJzSolLv8fwc3Ju kcfo4j7taeW96wb9N_la_sN8-scVzofLOMI7Rdot9B8KF1Nw0InDBSgbi-eLpeTD_9Pri3Da0Ld8oW0N9O4QFWNx19k5/s1600/logistics.jpg)
When it comes to [Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/), which was founded on July 5, 1994, some people’s impressions are still of the fledgling online bookstore at the end of the 20th century, but others have realized that the world’s largest online retailer has not only targeted the e-commerce industry with endless business opportunities, but in recent years has also extended its business reach into cutting-edge technology fields such as cloud services, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence.
In recent years, Amazon has also actively taken merger and acquisition actions. For example, in mid-June 2017, Amazon just announced the acquisition of Whole Foods Market (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/) for US$13.7 billion. At that time, it shocked the global e-commerce and retail industries and caused an uproar.
In addition to the field of e-commerce, Amazon’s CEO Bezos (Jeff Bezos) is also very interested in the media. In 2013, he bought the Washington Post, one of the oldest newspapers in the United States, for US$250 million, and has now successfully helped this traditional media turn a profit.
Everyone is full of curiosity about Amazon’s rapid growth. In addition to CEO Bezos’s unique vision, has this e-commerce giant done anything right? And why do some people say that Amazon is essentially a “logistics company”?
I still remember that I had read a report in the Wall Street Journal about the head-on competition between Amazon, UPS and FedEx. The article mentioned that Amazon not only wants to become the world’s largest online retailer, but also hopes to be able to deliver its own packages and even those of other retailers and customers. This move not only reveals Amazon’s desire to develop its efforts in the logistics field, but may also subvert the current logistics industry.
This reminds me of a recent dinner conversation I had with the executive of a large domestic online shopping company. This smart female executive said to me: “To put it bluntly, the e-commerce industry is fighting battles related to logistics, cash flow and information flow.” Think about it, it actually makes sense!
There are actually many books on Amazon’s success or biographies of Bezos, but few discuss Amazon’s business strategy from the perspective of logistics, cash flow and other infrastructure.
“[Logistics Winning](https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/products/0010767126?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign =ap-202004)” is written by a Japanese logistics expert Ryoichi Kakui. He made an in-depth analysis of Amazon’s efforts to improve logistics technology over the past two decades and how to provide consumers with cheaper services. He also explained the response methods of retail industry cases such as Lotte and Walmart, so that we can understand the importance of logistics to e-commerce and retail from a more comprehensive perspective.
As the author said, logistics is a market with very high barriers to entry. “Rome was not built in a day.” Similarly, a skilled logistics business cannot be established overnight. Therefore, once an industry establishes a strong logistics network system, competitors cannot imitate it from the extremely limited external information and perspectives. Thinking about the recent dispute between Chinese express delivery company SF Express and Cainiao Network, a subsidiary of Alibaba (http://www.alibaba.com/), it is not difficult to imagine that even an e-commerce company as large as Alibaba needs a logistics company that it can control.
While I was reading “Logistics Winning”, I was thinking about the future development of e-commerce. In the past, when we talked about e-commerce, we always focused on the overall output value, number of items, and sales amount. However, with the evolution of the times, we should also focus on other key players, such as the logistics industry mentioned in this book.
The logistics system with complicated processes can be said to be easy to understand but difficult to master. It is full of details and knowledge, and it often takes a lot of time to explore before you can understand it. I am very happy to hear that Business Week Publishing has introduced this book. I am happy to recommend this good book “Logistics Winning” to everyone.
★ Featured image credit: Lionello DelPiccolo
Further reading
- “Amazon 2022: Bezos’ Strategic Blueprint for Conquering the World” Recommended Preface: Completely Deconstructing Amazon’s Business Model and Strategy
- “Iron Rules for Selling Your Own Website: 68 Tips for Selling Your Website as soon as you post it” Recommended Preface: Use your home field advantage to win exciting battles
- “Compound Interest Thinking: Make Small Changes Become Big Changes, Use Compound Interest to Improve the Long-term Effect of Life Profits” Recommended Preface: Wake up every day and be smarter than yesterday
📖 深入探索相關主題
