I Sell Furniture on the Internet.com

So, choice is great and all, but sometimes I feel that there's just too much stuff on the Internet. Today I learned of another 'definitely the best' site which aggregates and filters 'the best' news. That puts me up to half a dozen that I know of, and I don't look for these sites. Sometimes I wish there was some kind of official set of sites or information so I didn't have to hunt so much.

This leads me to wonder if many others feel this way and if the feeling could cause an embrace of Big Brother and really kill the freedom of the Internet. Trusted sites dominate and innovation stagnates. But I'm still going to go to Wikipedia for my information because it's just so good.

DISCLAIMER: I thought there was too much stuff on the Internet in '95.

I happen to be a big fan of capitalism, and it wounds me every time I see it misrepresented. Usually it's used interchangeably with greed. Also it gets fingered as the cause of class divisions and keeping down the working class.

Really, capitalism is all about choice and doing what you want (within the laws). You can sell your labor to a company (have a job) or to yourself (retire, vacation, live in a hut in the woods). You can keep your stuff because you love it or you can give it away because it shackles you. You can do whatever you want based on the values you have. I love that.

The freedom of choice isn't going to fulfill you. Figure out what you want and go for it. That's capitalism to me.

It seems like a (risky but) great idea to put customers in charge of a company's direction. Don't use them as focus groups to decide what to do, but ask them what they want you to do for them. It could work well. The biggest risk online is that everything is already so transparent that the extra layer of information would hand your competitors your plans on a silver platter.

Focusing on the competition isn't a recipe to win, but telling them what you're doing, when you're doing it and how also is a recipe to ensure you're easily copied and fail to differentiate yourself. It seems like that'll be a barrier to companies sharing power with customers. Of course, Apple has shown you can hide everything from your fans, sue them for being too involved and still be a best-loved company:
http://technologyexpert.blogspot.com/2008/08/apple-leads-in-pc-customer-satisfaction.html

(Disclaimer: I have never been sued by Apple, but love them anyway)

Providing a stellar customer experience is obviously a crucial piece of any retailer's success. But what do customers want? Sure, low prices, quick solutions when anything goes wrong, great quality, a no hassles experience. But let's suppose for a moment that a company has finite money. When push comes to shove, what does the customer want?

Zappos built a awe inspiring reputation for service with its return policy, great call center and immediate delivery. Early this year, they trimmed back some of that offering:
http://forum.purseblog.com/the-glass-slipper/zappos-does-not-match-prices-anymore-249906.html
http://www.shoeblog.com/forums/shoe-store/7867-zappos-price-protection-policy-change.html

I'm not a Zappos customer, so my understanding from those threads is that they do not offer the lowest prices, but previously matched competitors if a customer asked. Now they're limiting that, so they're emerging as a premium shopping offering where you pay more for better service. Will people continue to rally behind that, or will they jump ship to a cheaper competitor? It'll be interesting to see what happens.

My money is on the sour economy and people going for the lowest price they can find, which is why Wal-Mart's been doing better and better lately.

I like heading outdoors. I've particularly got a thing for backpacking. It's been roughly a decade since I went on a major backpacking trip, but my wife and I still head out to the mountains for a weekend a handful of times per year.

This actually makes me a great customer for EMS and REI. I buy tons of stuff because I want to use it and I have a job - more money than time, unlike the stereotypical outdoors bum.

But where to shop? EMS has near-constant sales of 20% off everything. REI usually just has 20% one item. So pricing is a win for EMS. But REI has a ridiculously generous return policy - return anything, anytime for a refund, no receipt needed (if you're a member). I fell down a mountain (OK, I fell down on my butt while on a mountain) and bent a hiking pole. I didn't know if that was legit to return since I broke it. It sure is! I felt badly because of how well they took care of me. But I still shop at EMS for the sales and just hope nothing goes wrong.

So, at least in my case, price beats insurance against potential future problems.