Could Amazon’s global delivery vision break Alibaba? 亞馬遜與阿里巴巴的物流之戰(zhàn)

Speculation is rife that Amazon is soon to establish itself as a global shipping and logistics expert, in a move coined internally as project ‘Dragon Boat’.

外界普遍猜測(cè)，亞馬遜(Amazon)將很快通過內(nèi)部稱為的“龍舟”項(xiàng)目(Dragon Boat)，將自己打造為全球運(yùn)輸和物流專家。

While this bold strategy has the potential to significantly increase margins and position Amazon as Chinese businesses’ gateway to the West, a considered and phased implementation is essential if the firm is to gain share of the cross-border e-commerce market from industry leader Alibaba.Leaked documents suggest that the wheels are already in motion, with Amazon having begun leasing planes as well as registering itself as an ocean freight booking business. In consolidating the supply chain to provide a holistic delivery solution, the firm will in effect create a network which controls the flow of goods from factories in China to consumer’s homes in the US and Europe.

盡管這一大膽策略有可能顯著提高利潤(rùn)率，讓亞馬遜成為中國(guó)企業(yè)通往西方的門戶，但要從行業(yè)領(lǐng)頭羊阿里巴巴(Alibaba)那里分走一部分跨境電商市場(chǎng)份額，亞馬遜有必要分階段審慎實(shí)施這一策略。泄露出來的文件表明，項(xiàng)目已經(jīng)啟動(dòng)——亞馬遜已經(jīng)開始租賃飛機(jī)，并注冊(cè)了一家海運(yùn)預(yù)訂公司。通過鞏固供應(yīng)鏈以提供整體交付解決方案，該公司實(shí)際上將打造一個(gè)網(wǎng)絡(luò)，控制著商品從中國(guó)的工廠到歐美消費(fèi)者家中的流動(dòng)。

While pitting itself in direct competition with the likes of FedEx and UPS, Amazon will also aim to facilitate a route to the international marketplace for smaller manufacturers ahead of Alibaba, the leading force in Chinese e-commerce. 亞馬遜一方面將面臨與聯(lián)邦快遞(FedEx)和聯(lián)合包裹(UPS)等企業(yè)的正面競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，另一方面還意圖搶在中國(guó)電子商務(wù)領(lǐng)域領(lǐng)軍者阿里巴巴前頭，為中小型制造企業(yè)提供通往國(guó)際市場(chǎng)的便利通道。

Amazon’s strategy is a shrewd one. The majority of online transactions are largely price-driven – product sales yield small margins and much of the additional margin is extracted from the shipping and delivery of goods.

亞馬遜的策略是精明的。大多數(shù)在線交易主要都是由價(jià)格驅(qū)動(dòng)——產(chǎn)品銷售產(chǎn)生的利潤(rùn)很少，大量附加利潤(rùn)都是從商品的運(yùn)輸和交付中獲得。

It is likely that Amazon will build its logistics offering from the ground up, acting as a market disruptor by automating the ordering, shipping and delivery process. To do so, the firm must ensure that it develops a keen understanding of how to efficiently navigate customs, pack consignments to balance weight-volume ratios and ensure all required paperwork is complete and accounted for.

亞馬遜可能將從最基礎(chǔ)的地方開始，打造自己的物流服務(wù)，通過實(shí)現(xiàn)訂購(gòu)、運(yùn)輸和交付過程的自動(dòng)化來顛覆市場(chǎng)。要實(shí)現(xiàn)這個(gè)設(shè)想，該公司必須確保自己清楚地了解該如何有效地通過海關(guān)、打包貨物以平衡重量-體積比、并確保所有規(guī)定的文件都完整并有據(jù)可查。

Once Amazon has found its feet in providing a global shipping and freight delivery provision, its key differentiator is the ability to tap into, and apply, its existing automated warehouse, sorting and distribution model. In taking control of first and last mile delivery, from a Chinese factory to a sorting centre or port, and from a western logistics hub direct to the consumer, it can consolidate the entire supply chain, driving cost savings as a result.

一旦亞馬遜熟悉了全球船運(yùn)和貨運(yùn)交付業(yè)務(wù)，它能否在這一領(lǐng)域脫穎而出，關(guān)鍵就在于它能否利用和應(yīng)用自己現(xiàn)有的自動(dòng)化倉(cāng)庫(kù)、分揀和配送模式。通過控制從中國(guó)工廠到分揀中心或港口的最初一英里運(yùn)輸，并控制從西方物流中心直接到消費(fèi)者手中的最后一英里運(yùn)輸，亞馬遜可以整合整個(gè)供應(yīng)鏈，從而實(shí)現(xiàn)成本節(jié)約。

While there are immediate monetary benefits from muscling in on the multi-billion dollar international logistics market already trading on Amazon deliveries, passing on a proportion of these savings to Chinese suppliers will incentivise a multitude of new entrants to export to overseas buyers.

亞馬遜強(qiáng)行擠入總值數(shù)十億美元的國(guó)際物流市場(chǎng)(這個(gè)市場(chǎng)本來就有部分生意來自亞馬遜的貨物)可以帶來直接的金錢收益，與此同時(shí)，把節(jié)省下來的部分成本分給中國(guó)供應(yīng)商將刺激大批新進(jìn)入者向海外買家出口商品。

However, there are significant risks associated with this aggressive growth strategy and Amazon must learn from Alibaba’s shortcomings. Described by some as the “world’s biggest marketplace for fakes”, Alibaba’s effort to stem the flow of counterfeit products is widely regarded by anti-counterfeit groups as insufficient and the firm has been the subject of numerous legal challenges as a result.

然而，這一激進(jìn)的增長(zhǎng)策略也存在顯著風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，亞馬遜必須從阿里巴巴的缺陷中吸取教訓(xùn)。有人形容阿里巴巴為“全球最大的假貨市場(chǎng)”，反假冒團(tuán)體普遍認(rèn)為該公司打擊假貨的力度不夠大，因此該公司一直官司不斷。

Just this month, Alibaba’s member status was suspended by the Washington DC-based International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC) due to the discovery of an undisclosed conflict of interest. In retaliation, the firm’s CEO Jack Ma pulled out from his scheduled slot as a speaker at the Coalition’s annual conference.

就在5月，阿里巴巴被位于華盛頓特區(qū)的國(guó)際反假冒聯(lián)盟(IACC)暫停成員身份，原因是發(fā)現(xiàn)了一項(xiàng)之前未披露的利益沖突。作為回?fù)?，該公司首席?zhí)行官馬云取消了原定在該聯(lián)盟年會(huì)上演講的計(jì)劃。

These events have caused Alibaba considerable reputational damage and Amazon will be eager to ensure it does not suffer the same fate. To avoid this, clear, swift and enforceable anti-counterfeiting regulations must be enforced by Amazon, facilitating the timely removal of products suspected to breach intellectual property legislation. Furthermore, opening the floodgates to a high volume of new products supplied by Chinese manufacturers could easily lead to a dip in product quality, which in turn could cause consumer dissatisfaction.

這些事件對(duì)阿里巴巴的聲譽(yù)構(gòu)成了相當(dāng)嚴(yán)重的損害，亞馬遜將非常希望確保避免同樣命運(yùn)。為避免出現(xiàn)這樣的問題，亞馬遜必須制定明確、敏捷、可行的反假冒規(guī)定，以促使涉嫌侵犯知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)的產(chǎn)品及時(shí)下架。此外，引入大量中國(guó)制造的新產(chǎn)品，很容易導(dǎo)致產(chǎn)品質(zhì)量下滑，反過來可能會(huì)引起消費(fèi)者不滿。

While in practice, employing a team of on-the-ground quality assurance professionals who are on hand to examine product specifications and audit supplier factories would be the most comprehensive solution, this is unlikely to prove achievable or cost-effective for an operation of this vast scale.

然而在實(shí)際操作中，最全面的解決方案可能是，聘請(qǐng)一組專業(yè)質(zhì)保人士，隨時(shí)檢驗(yàn)產(chǎn)品參數(shù)、審核供應(yīng)商工廠，但事實(shí)上，考慮到業(yè)務(wù)規(guī)模的龐大，這個(gè)方案可能不可行，在成本上也不現(xiàn)實(shí)。

In reality, it is likely that Amazon will turn to its online community as quality controller, gathering customer feedback and approaching suppliers whose products are evidenced to be dangerous, ineffective or of a poor standard.

事實(shí)上，亞馬遜可能會(huì)利用它的在線社區(qū)做質(zhì)量控制，收集客戶反饋，對(duì)客戶證明危險(xiǎn)、無效或劣質(zhì)的產(chǎn)品，聯(lián)系相應(yīng)供應(yīng)商進(jìn)行處理。

Amazon’s transition to becoming an international logistics provider will be a staged process, beginning with its establishment as a shipping and freight specialist, with bolt on first and last mile services then added to encourage new market entrants.

亞馬遜轉(zhuǎn)變成為國(guó)際物流供應(yīng)商的過程將是分階段推進(jìn)的，從確立其船運(yùn)和貨運(yùn)專家的地位開始，然后鞏固最初和最后一英里的運(yùn)輸服務(wù)、以鼓勵(lì)新的市場(chǎng)進(jìn)入者出口商品。

However, the installation of this far-reaching network could eventually facilitate the opposite flow of goods, providing the means for Western firms to engage with Chinese consumers. Here, the scope for product demand is somewhat more limited, with luxury goods, designer products and highly personalised items most likely to attract buyers.

然而，這個(gè)影響深遠(yuǎn)的網(wǎng)絡(luò)的建成，最終可能會(huì)方便相反方向的商品流動(dòng)，為西方企業(yè)提供接觸中國(guó)消費(fèi)者的途經(jīng)。在這方面，產(chǎn)品需求范圍比較有限，奢侈品、設(shè)計(jì)師產(chǎn)品以及高度定制化的商品最有可能吸引中國(guó)買家。

In launching its quest for global logistics dominance and establishing a consolidated and automated supply chain, Amazon is well-placed to challenge Alibaba for an increased share of the international e-commerce market. Ensuring that quality, legal and operational risks are identified at the offset is essential if the firm is to maintain the integrity and increase the profitability of its brand.

通過尋求全球物流主導(dǎo)權(quán)并建立統(tǒng)一的自動(dòng)化供應(yīng)鏈，亞馬遜獲得了一個(gè)有利位置，可以挑戰(zhàn)阿里巴巴，爭(zhēng)取國(guó)際電子商務(wù)市場(chǎng)的更大份額。如果亞馬遜想保持其品牌的信譽(yù)，提高其品牌的盈利能力，它就有必要確保從一開始就找出質(zhì)量、法律和運(yùn)營(yíng)方面的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。