Albert

Today'sBest

zBang

Sophie

the consumer

the complacent merchant who thinks his offerings are sufficient

the merchant who constantly strives to exceed customer expectations

Albert's friend 

This is Albert. He likes to shop on the internet. Albert can often be found late at night, dressed in his pajamas, surfing for items he would like to buy. Albert is no longer impressed with the marketing hype of personalization, chat rooms, or user communities. Like many consumers, Albert's expectations are on the rise. After a series of disappointing delays in order fulfillment, he has become especially skeptical of vague availability and ship-date promises.

Meet Today'sBest. Today'sBest does the best he can. He can't offer precise availability and ship-date promises. He assumes it's probably not that important to the customer anyway. But Albert's increasing willingness to shop elsewhere is proving Today'sBest wrong.

Furthermore, Today'sBest lack of attention to minimizing costs as effectively as possible is reducing his profitability. His business may end up "out of business."

This is zBang. zBang understands that customer expectations are constantly on the rise. In order to effectively compete, he knows that it is just not enough to provide content, community and personalization. He realizes that in the next generation e-commerce, providing precise availability and promise dates early in the shopping experience is the key to exceeding customer expectations, differentiation, and attracting and retaining good customers.

zBang also knows that focusing on increasing revenue is not sufficient. To be profitable, zBang keeps a sharp eye on his operations and makes sure he is minimizing his costs at every opportunity.

This is Sophie - Albert's good friend and companion. Sophie and Albert share many interests in common. Albert's shopping is frequently dome with Sophie in mind.