Zalando

Zalando WHAT IS ZALANDO? © ZalandoZalando is one of Europe’s largest fashion retailers. In this article we will look at 1) what is Zalando?, 2) products, 3) business model and key components, and 4) learning from Zalando’s success.WHAT IS ZALANDO?The CompanyZalando is an ecommerce retailer in the fashion industry that sells shoes, clothes as well as other related fashion and lifestyle products. The company has operations in several countries across Europe including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the UK.The company was created in Germany in 2008 by Robert Gentz and David Schneider. The founders received guidance from Rocket Internet, one of the world’s largest e-commerce centric venture capital firms and a startup incubator. Rocket was founded by the Samwer brothers in 2007. The company identifies and replicates successful ecommerce businesses from other countries in emerging markets. A similar situation was t he basis for the creation of Zalando’s which is often thought of as a European version of the successful and popular US online retailer, Zappos. © ZalandoWith Zappos as an inspiration, the Zalando founders created a company called fliptops.de and sold shoes from a Berlin basement. Fliptops eventually turned into Zalando with a $70,000 investment from Rocket. By 2010, the company had moved well beyond shoes into many different categories or products and started to achieve annual revenues of close to $200 million.ExpansionZalando began as a German company in 2008. It began its international expansion with deliveries to Austria in 2009. By the following year, the company launched local language websites in France and the Netherlands. In 2011, the company was well on its way to cementing its place as a multinational by expanding into the United Kingdom, Italy and Switzerland, as well as a separate site for Austria. The company further expanded to Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Finland and Norway in 2012.The company shifted focus in 2013 to slow down entry into new markets and focus on growing in the existing ones. The company also aims to further improve its processes, systems and infrastructure to ensure that customers continue to receive the best customer service possible.IPO AnnouncementThe company has announced plans for its anticipated initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the second half of 2014. The company has plans to sell ten or eleven percent stake and with its continued strong performance, it is expected that no current investors will sell out during the IPO. Instead, the IPO is expected to consist of only new shares. The IPO is set to be the biggest in the German technology sector since 2000, when Deutsche Telecom was listed on the stock exchange.Currently, the largest stakeholder is a Swedish Investment firm, Kinnevik with a share of 36 percent. Kinnevik remains convinced on Zalando’s promise.PRODUCTSZalando, arguably the largest online fashion retailer in Europe, offers over 1,500 labels and brands including sports brands, high street stores, accessories bran ds and home textile suppliers. Some of the popular brands include Calvin Klein, Escada, Pier One, Warehouse, Max Factor, and Agnes b makeup. Sports brands include Adidas, ASICS, and Nike. There are also some brands that sell exclusively on the website including Apepazza and Femme.BUSINESS MODEL KEY COMPONENTSThe Zalando business model is obviously hugely successful and continues to be the right way to do business for the company. Any business model is made up of several components that interact with each other. The Zalando’s business model has the following components. © ZalandoBusiness Model ComponentsKey PartnersSince the company manages its own customer service and logistics, its key partners are investors who have provided the required funding to grow and expand the business and the suppliers who stock their products on the online store.InvestorsZalando has many investors who have been with the company long term. These include:Rocket Internet (1%)European Founders Fund (Possibly 17%)Kinnevik (36%)Danish billionaire businessman Anders Holch Povlsen (10%)Investment firms DST Global (8%) Holtzbrinck Ventures (8%) Tengelmann Ventures (6%)Another 15 percent of the company is owned by ‘other’, unnamed shareholders, but these are likely to include J.P. Morgan and Quadrant CapitalSuppliers/Brands/LabelsThese partners include both high end brands as well as high street labels that sell their product to Zalando to be sold in turn to the customers.Key ActivitiesAny business performs hundreds of activities in their daily operations. However, the key a ctivities are those that form the core of the company. Key activities for Zalando include:Marketing Promoting the webpage and products to the current and new target customersSourcing â€" Buying from existing suppliers and identifying new ones, as well as the logistics or acquiring these productsFulfillment â€" Managing all logistics associated with getting the products to the buyerCustomer Service â€" Zalando prides itself on its excellent customer service that is available at all timesPlatform (IT) Management â€" The webstore is the only sales channel for the business and needs to be constantly maintained and updated to keep it functioning smoothly.Key ResourcesThe key resources that support the business include:Strong brandLoyal investorsEfficient logisticsMarketing expertise and experienceValue PropositionThe value proposition or the unique selling point of a company is what sets it apart from competition. Though inspired by its United States based counterpart Zappos, Zalando ha s managed to leverage its value proposition successfully in a very different market. The key elements of the Zalando value proposition are:Excellent customer serviceFree Shipping on all ordersFree returnsImmense variety within and among product categoriesCustomer RelationshipsSince strong customer relationships and support are a core element of the business, this aspect of the business model is extremely important for the company. There are anecdotes from the founders where they have spent time personally taking feedback from clients over the phone and using this feedback to make the business better. Key channels of communication with the clients include:Call centersOnline chat and emailSocial media communication and interactionCustomer SegmentsThough the website stocks for men, women and children, their primary market segment is female. Within these three segments, there are further divisions according to the nature of the brand. Some of Zalando’s broad market segments can includ e:WomenMenChildrenHigh End BrandsHigh Street BrandsSportswearChannelsThe company’s primary sales channel is the online store. The web based store needs to be remain clean, focused, easy to navigate and browse through. It also needs to be updated in real time and continue to work smoothly at the back end to ensure that customers face no hassle in navigating through while making purchases.Cost StructureCosts associated with the running of the business include the following:Human ResourcePlatform (IT)/Website Development MaintenanceMarketingLogisticsInventory ManagementAcquiring InventoryRevenue StreamsThe primary source of revenue for the firm is sales and hence margins from product sales from the online store. © ZalandoThe Zalando USPMuch like its inspiration, Zalando has built excellent customer service into the core of its business model. The company offers free shipping on all kinds of orders, as well as free returns. The reason behind this move is to encourage those shoppers who may be apprehensive about making purchases online because of potential extra charges or the inability to try a shoe or clothing item before buying.Zalando is also focused on making a complete shopping experience its priority. The website offers a range of items to customers including shoes, clothes and accessories according to the latest trends and fashion for women, men and children from a variety of brands and labels. The website also offers sports items, home and living products and beauty products making the shopping experience a holistic one.The European markets require a truly multinational brand to offer customized stores, products and service according to local sensibilities and preferences. Zalando ha s been successfully doing this with individual websites in all its markets. Items are curated perfectly to fit the requirements of that market’s customers.LEARNING FROM ZALANDO’S SUCCESSLessons for EntrepreneursFinding the NicheEntrepreneurs are increasingly advised to disrupt an industry and make this disruption the basis of their success. The disruption can be a new idea, a new product or a new way of doing things. This disruption questions the conventions of a particular field and hence allow a start up to achieve success.The Zalando story, however, is a different one. Rather than disruption, the company went down the more traditional business path of identifying a gap in the market, finding out the best way to fill this gap and then designing business practices to do this well. In addition, the company took its time with the investors’ money and slowly built up the business on the basis of a sound core principle of continued excellent customer service. From the very beginn ing, both the founders gave due importance to customer feedback and used this to design the business to where it stands today. This paid off when the company was awarded a “Best Grade A” in customer satisfaction and service by a German rating standard service just once year after it officially launched.The lesson Zalando teaches any startup is that disruption or not, the focus needs to be kept on the end goal or the consumer whose satisfaction will eventually form the basis of any company’s long term success.Tips from Oliver SamwerOliver Samwer is one of the somewhat controversial brothers behind the ecommerce venture capital giant and startup incubator, Rocket International. Zalando is among the many iconic businesses that the incubator has supported and funded. Samwer’s views are often polarizing and he often faces criticism but there is no doubt about his success and brilliant business acumen. There are a few things entrepreneurs can learn from Samwer however. These inclu de:Know Your Numbers: It is vital for any new business owner to know all their facts, figures and numbers down to the very last digit. Samwer is known for demanding micro level figures relating to any businesses that he is involved with and shows a good understanding of these no matter what the industry.Focus on Details: Beyond the numbers, there is no detail that the business owner should miss. Whether it relates to marketing or recruitment, PR or procurement, it is vital to have all the information to make sure any potential changes and their effects are understood in time.Don’t be Afraid of Trial and Error: No one is born knowing the right or wrong way of doing things. There should always be a willingness to try out an experiment or a new strategy. The important thing is to adjust quickly if an experiment does not work and make sure that a viable plan B exists to ensure that the situation is controlled. Samwer believes that the key to innovation lies in its implementation.Don†™t be Afraid of Making Tough Decisions: Whether positive or negative, all decisions must be approached with a proactive mindset and there should never be any avoidance of a difficult situation. Quick decisions can save a business and make the difference between success and failure. This often means being ruthless and disliked as an unpopular decision may not be taken well. The key here is to make sure that all decisions are strategic and based on rational thought and logic.Be Creative and Innovative: Oliver Samwer is known for his ingenuity and innovation. From marketing campaigns to other aspects of his businesses, he uses the methods that work and create successful outcomes.Be Persuasive: An entrepreneur wears many hats in a single day. These different roles mean different interactions and the need to convince different people of the right things. These people could be partners, suppliers, customers or new employees. A persuasive person will get things done and be able to assess i mmediately what the person in front of them wants.Be Flexible: A startup owner needs to know when to push, when to pull back and when to hold steady. Sometimes there may be a need to be aggressive and demanding while other times a more polite and personal approach is the way to get things done.Multitask: Given the roles that an entrepreneur needs to take on, it is vital to be particularly apt at multitasking. This means being on top of all aspects of the business.Work Hard: It is important to work hard yourself and then expect those around you to follow suit. A successful entrepreneur and leader is one who practices what he preaches and this often means being the first one in to work and the last one out.Be Stubborn when Needed: Though flexibility is a vital trait in an entrepreneur, it often needs a counterpoint in stubbornness. If you have a logical reason for a particular decision or action, then go ahead with it and convince others of its viability rather than giving in easily.S tay Away from Pointless Discussions: It is often a good idea to keep your head down and focus on the task at hand while ignoring the multitudes of opinions and conversations happening all around. It usually has more impact when you let success do the talking rather than just doing the talking with no results.Be Strategic: Sometimes, parts of whatever you are working on need to be let go rather than held on to. This sort of strategic thinking is vital for an entrepreneur when often scope may need to be narrowed to be successful.Using these tips smartly and taking the very best insights from how the company began and how it grew can help an entrepreneur glean best practices. These can then be applied to any type of business venture.Image credit: Zalando.

A History of Racial Profiling in the United States

On The Early Morning Of October 27, 2014, High School...

On the early morning of October 27, 2014, high school sophomore Ethan Wong was in a hurry to get to school. He was prepped for the programming presentation he had to present that day. On his bike commute to school, he stopped at a red light, next to a gravel truck. When the light turned green, the last view Ethan saw was his bike getting entangled with the truck’s wheels. He died on the way to the hospital. He had turned sixteen-years-old just eleven days earlier. He never got the chance to say goodbye to his family. When authorities questioned the driver, he revealed that he was having a conversation on his hands-free device while driving on an unknown route. Although car and technology companies might argue that hands-free devices are a†¦show more content†¦One such device is Apple’s CarPlay, which is an advanced display dashboard console that presents a large, focused view of information, such as GPS or speech to text. (Huynh 1). As with other hands-free dev ices, the driver’s mind and eyes are still taken off the road, which increases the risk of distraction. Technology companies have not just limited themselves to devices; also creating applications that can be installed on users cellphones. One application, called SafeRide, locks down the user’s cellphone while the vehicle is in motion (â€Å"SafeRide†). However, the app has remained unnoticed and relies on a somewhat delayed Bluetooth connection between the cellphone and vehicle, and the contents of the cellphone can still be accessed with a hands-free device. Perhaps the most advanced technological development is software that allows for autonomous vehicles. Car company Telsa has created two add-ons for its vehicle lineup, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability, both of which use sensors and cameras to survey the landscape surrounding the vehicle in order to make decisions on the road (â€Å"Telsa†). Not all the flaws have been ironed out, a s evidenced by a fatal car crash in May 2016, where a Telsa vehicle collided with a semi-truck (Simonite). Although the safest solution to using hands-free devices is to not use any device and just focus on theShow MoreRelatedSadie Hawkins Day and Valentine Grams18321 Words   |  74 PagesNguyen sell candy grams. Make-A-Wish Foundation and the other half to projects aimed at improving the school. â€Å"The Make-A-Wish Foundation helps children who are sick by helping them accomplish their wishes,† explains President Angela Wang. â€Å"The other half of the money will go towards fulfilling students’ wishes to improve our school. 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Critical Review of Greasy Lake Free Essays

When I began reading â€Å"Greasy Lake† by T. Coraghessan Boyle, I thought these boys were exhibiting typical behavior of young-adult men and their behavior led them to trouble. Boyle kept my interest by anticipation and disgust at the boys of the boy’s behavior in this story. We will write a custom essay sample on Critical Review of Greasy Lake or any similar topic only for you Order Now The narrator, who is the main character of the story, often describes himself and his friends as â€Å"bad characters† and this becomes more convincing in the story. Boyle also used Greasy Lake at not only the setting for this story but also as a character. He described the lake as â€Å"fetid and murky, the mud banks glittering with broken glass and strewn with beer cans and the charred remains of bonfires. † Greasy Lake is used as a symbol for the youth culture itself in the story and is littered by alcohol, sex and violence. When the boys first came across the greasy man at the lake, their attitudes change for a moment, all three of them are scared. When they began to fight with the man, the narrator grabbed the tire iron out of fear. Once the three of them beat him up and knock him unconscious, I think this only increased their already arrogant attitudes. When they attempt to rape the greasy man’s lady companion, I think that shows how truly pathetic each of them are, acting like â€Å"deranged brothers†. In a very disturbing way, the boys were asserting a primal physical dominance over the woman. I think Boyle’s was sending a message that there are consequences for our actions. Even though kids tend to think they’re big and bad and have it all figured out, these once cocky boys quickly became horrified once they had to face the consequences of their actions. I personally enjoyed reading â€Å"Greasy Lake† very much. The language in the story Boyle used is crude and literal, but it goes with the theme of â€Å"badness† portrayed by his characters. Boyle emphasizes the corruption of the lake by using it as a not only the setting, but also as tool to compare the narrator and the youth of the time. In the beginning, the narrator is as corrupted as the lake; though born pure and â€Å"clear† he becomes tainted by the â€Å"beer† and wildness of his culture. By ending with the beaten narrator and his friend refusing drugs and driving home, Boyle left me with a sense of for the boys that they are not really â€Å"bad characters† after all. The narrator has realized the consequences of his actions, and that he can no longer act invincible. How to cite Critical Review of Greasy Lake, Papers

Sylvia Plath And The Bell Jar Essays - Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Sylvia Plath And The Bell Jar In The Bell Jar, originally published under the pseudonym of Victoria Lucas, Sylvia Plath was recording much of her personal experience. Plath was born on October 27, 1932. Her brother, Warren Joseph Plath, was born in 1935. When Plath was five years old, her family moved to Winthrop, Massachusetts, where she was a model student. However, in 1940, her father Otto Plath died of pneumonia and complications from diabetes. Plath won many awards, both local and national, for her writing in the years after her father's death. During her teens, she met a classmate named Richard Willard. Later, she dated his older brother, Buddy. In 1950, Sylvia Plath entered Smith College in Nothampton, Massachusetts. While she was there, Buddy Willard asked her to the Yale prom. When Sylvia was twenty years old, she won the Mademoiselle fiction contest, and during the summer of 1953, she was a guest editor at Mademoiselle. Later that summer, Plath attempted suicide with sleeping pills. She was found and taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital. For the remaining part of that year, she resided at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and was treated with insulin and electro-shock therapy. In The Bell Jar, Plath does not write about her life after this point. Plath returned to Smith and graduated in 1955. She moved to London, where she met Ted Hughes. She married him, and they returned to the U.S. in 1957. In the next two years, Ms. Plath held a hospital clerical position after she quit her instructor job at Smith. She did this in order to devote more time to writing. The last few years of Sylvia Plath's life were very busy. She moved back to England with her husband and had a girl in the spring of 1960. The following year was difficult because she had both a miscarriage and an appendectomy. In early 1962, she gave birth to a baby boy, but a few months later, her husband left her. She then moved to London and wrote The Bell Jar. On February 11, 1963, Sylvia Plath committed suicide in her London home by turning on the gas jets. Sylvia suffered from a lack of helpful support. There were no good support systems in her life. Her mother did not understand her, and her father was dead. She had no attractive role models to follow, in her opinion. In the book, Esther does not want to be like her mother and teach shorthand. Ms. Plath did not get much help from the professional world. In her journal, she wrote that she was unable to sleep during the last winter that she lived in London. Her British doctor prescribed sleeping pills, the cure-all for everything. Sylvia Plath could have well been a victim of multiple failures created by the historical era in which she lived. Until the 1970's, American literature did not have a great many female heroines in its fiction works, and even fewer had been created by female authors. In short, there were no woman writers creating women characters who spoke their minds. The main year of Esther's life in the story is 1953, before the popularity of the birth control pill, women's liberation, and other social movements in the 1960's. Esther reached maturity in the early 1950's when Women's roles were rigidly assigned. American women fell into two groups: the good girls and the bad girls. The good girls married well and had two or three children. They cooked proper and nutritious meals while keeping the house spotless, and in their spare time, they would attend PTA meetings. The good girls made dutiful wives. The bad girls, on the other hand, were sexy, bosomy, and blonde. They did not marry the proper men (doctors, lawyers, etc.). There was also a group of women who were not really considered women. They often held low-paying jobs, such as librarians and social workers. These women were bright, yet doomed in society because they did not try to get the attention of men. The Bell Jar also gives the audience a quite moving and probably very accurate account of mental health treatment in the 1950's. Electro-shock therapy was very common during that decade, but nowadays, it is only rarely used. In conclusion, during the time of the novel, there is clearly not much encouragement for women to be individual, to be different, and to be brave and daring. For this reason, Esther Greenwood was pushed to insanity, for society

Muhamad Ali essays

Muhamad Ali essays Boxing is often referred to as the "Manly Art of Self Defense." It is a respectable sport that is rough. Boxing takes place in a sixteen to twenty four foot square area that is known as a boxing ring. To be a great Boxer a person would consist of fast, having great strength, stamina and haveing a mind that is in full control. One boxer that I know of that has all of the traits I just listed is Muhammad Ali. Ali was raised in a small home in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali began taking boxing lessons when he was twelve years old.He spent his teen years at the gym, molding both his body and mind into true campion.As a high school student, he won the national Golden Gloves middleweight championship in 1959 and 1960 and the AAU national light heavyweight title in 1960, then went on to a gold medal in the Olympic light heavyweight division. He had his first professional fight on October 29, 1960. Ali was a underdog when he met Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship on February 25, 1964.. But he won the fight when Liston failed to come out for the 8th round. This win made Muhammad Ali the heavy weight champion of the world. Shortly after becoming champion, Ali announced that he had become a Black Muslim and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He defended the title eight times in the next twenty months. In the meantime, he had refused to join into the Army. As a result, his license was revoked by the New York State Boxing Commission, his title was stripped, and he was sentenced to five years in prison for draft evasion. I believe this was a big mistake. Muhammad Ali was not scared to join the army but it was against his beliefs. His refusal to be join into the military, created the largest controversy of his life. The U. S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction on June 29, 1971. Ali won the North American Boxing Federation's championship by knocking out Jimmy Ellis in the 12th round less than a month later. Bu ...

Definition and Examples of a Lingua Franca

Definition and Examples of a Lingua Franca A lingua franca (pronounced LING-wa FRAN-ka) is a language or mixture of languages used as a medium of communication by people whose native languages are different. It is from the Italian, language Frankish and also known as a trade language, contact language, international language, and global language. The term English as a lingua franca (ELF) refers to the teaching, learning, and use of the English language as a common means of communication for speakers of different native languages. Examples and Observations Where a language is widely used over a relatively large geographical area as a language of wider communication, it is known as a lingua francaa common language but one which is native only to some of its speakers. The term lingua franca itself is an extension of the use of the name of the original Lingua Franca, a Medieval trading pidgin used in the Mediterranean region. (M. Sebba, Contact Languages: Pidgins and Creoles. Palgrave, 1997) English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) The status of English is such that it has been adopted as the worlds lingua franca for communication in Olympic sport, international trade, and air-traffic control. Unlike any other language, past or present, English has spread to all five continents and has become a truly global language. (G. Nelson and B. Aarts, Investigating English Around the World, The Workings of Language, ed. by R. S. Wheeler. Greenwood, 1999)Even though everybody around the world speaks Englishsort ofin their dealings with American media and business, politics, and culture, the English that is spoken is a lingua franca, a Bodysnatched English to be carefully scrutinized as to its meanings when it is used by a foreign culture. (Karin Dovring, English as Lingua Franca: Double Talk in Global Persuasion. Praeger, 1997)But what do we mean by the term English as a lingua franca? The term lingua franca is usually taken to mean any lingual medium of communication between people of different mother tongues, for whom i t is a second language (Samarin, 1987, p. 371). In this definition, then, a lingua franca has no native speakers, and this notion is carried over into definitions of English as a lingua franca, such as in the following example: [ELF] is a contact language between persons who share neither a common native tongue nor a common (national) culture, and for whom English is the chosen foreign language of communication (Firth, 1996, p. 240).Clearly, the role of English as the chosen foreign language of communication in Europe is an extremely important one, and one that is on the increase. . . . It is important to note that this means that both in Europe as well as in the world as a whole, English is now a language that is mainly used by bi- and multilinguals, and that its (often monolingual) native speakers are a minority. (Barbara Seidlhofer, Common Property: English as a Lingua Franca in Europe. International Handbook of English Language Teaching, ed. by Jim Cummins and Chris Davison. Spr inger, 2007) Globish as a Lingua Franca I want to draw a distinction between a language which is spread through nurture, a mother tongue, and a language that is spread through recruitment, which is a lingua franca. A lingua franca is a language that you consciously learn because you need to, because you want to. A mother tongue is a language that you learn because you cant help it. The reason English is spreading around the world at the moment is because of its utility as a lingua franca. Globisha simplified version of English thats used around the worldwill be there as long as it is needed, but since its not being picked up as a mother tongue, its not typically being spoken by people to their children. It is not getting effectively to first base, the most crucial first base for long-term survival of a language. (Nicholas Ostler quoted by Robert McCrum in My Bright Idea: English Is On the Up but One Day Will Die Out. The Observer, October 31, 2010) Cyberspace English Because the cyberspace community, at least at the moment, is overwhelmingly English speaking, it is appropriate to say that English is its unofficial language. . . .The colonial past, imperialistic stealth, and the emergence of other language blocs in cyberspace as it grows will minimize in due time the preeminence of English as the de facto language of cyberspace. . . .[Jukka] Korpela sees another alternative to cyberspace English and a constructed language. He predicts the development of better language machine translation algorithms. Such algorithms will result in efficient and sufficient quality language translators, and there will be no need for a lingua franca. (J. M. Kizza, Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age. Springer, 2007)