Introduction
I have a direct experience as a customer with the company ASOS that is chosen for the analysis. It is a British-based online cosmetics and apparel retailer. The company mainly targets young adults and was established in London in 2000 (Sweney, 2022). Nowadays, it is regarded as one of the most credible and high-quality online shopping platforms for apparel and accessories.
The website delivers to most countries globally from fulfillment centers in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe (Sweney, 2022). It cooperates with multiple brands in addition to its line of apparel and accessories (Sweney, 2022). It has both advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of CRM effectiveness. ASOS is likely to be successful from the CRM’s point of view due to its stable high revenue, popularity, and international development.
Advantages and Disadvantages of CRM Effectiveness: Influence of Size and Organizational Structure
Advantages
The company’s advantages from the CRM perspective include easy access to financial resources and creating the economics of scale concerning technology and human resources. The format of an online retailer that works with fast fashion brands of accessories and clothes supposes the orientation of ASOS on technologies. There is a convenient mobile application of ASOS, and the customers can use the website to shop using their computers.
The company’s support team consists mainly of freelance employees who respond quickly to the client’s questions and solve their problems (Barker, 2022). My experience buying clothes on ASOS proves this claim because I always received the feedback I needed in several hours maximum. It allows ASOS to make the company responsive due to its modern views on technologies and human resources.
Another advantage is the deeper level of CRM expertise and easy access to these services when the company needs them. Even though ASOS does not articulate the CRM professionals it cooperates with, the experience shows that it is responsive, and the company adapts to changes quickly. Therefore, it allows stating that ASOS has readily available technology and SRM consultative suppliers who are also vital in the effective functioning of the organization.
The last advantage is the company’s large amount of customer and prospect information. The experience shows that when the client chooses products on ASOS, the recommendations become similar to their taste. The choices are ranged on the artificial intelligence technologies the company uses (Barker, 2022). It facilitates the website’s search for the required clothes and accessories, which positively impacts the client’s experience.
Disadvantages
The disadvantage of the company that can be applied to the case of ASOS is the difficulty in creating a single, accurate view of the customer. Even though the company positions itself as a retailer for young adults, the demographics of the clients are wider than this group of people. Adolescents and adults with children also constitute a significant group of individuals who shop online using ASOS. My experience shows that even though there are categories on the company’s website with clothes for children, their number is limited, and they need to be represented.
There is also the increased likelihood that one part of the organization might use one customer approach while another uses a different one. As mentioned, ASOS is a global company that operates in different countries. As a result, many people work in its local departments, providing clients with technical and service support. In addition, it cooperates with local delivery companies, which is essential for high-quality customer service (Hardcastle, 2022). My experience with buying from ASOS shows that all problems I experienced are connected to the local delivery services that change the time or smash the box with the ordered items. It allows stating the difficulty in coordinating multiple value chain partners, which is ASOS’s fundamental problem.
The complexity of implementing culture change requirements on a large scale is the essential problem ASOS faces. The organization functions in different regions, and people from different countries often expect good services differently. As a result, the company has to understand the views of the customers from the particular region concerning their perception of the ideal online shopping platform and apply changes (Mathers, 2021). For instance, I saw different ways of promoting brands on social media. The models for the photos used in different ASOS accounts also represented the dominant ethnicity in the particular region.
Conclusion
Google search shows that consumers rate ASOS highly, and it is regarded as a credible online shopping platform. In addition, the client’s comments on social media show the apparel and accessories they bought from this website and share their opinion about the services they received. Even though the consumers typically rate the company positively, there are also negative comments because a company of this size cannot function without problems.
Most complaints are connected with the delivery time and the quality of the products the consumers receive. At the same time, ASOS is not responsible for the quality and size of the accessories and clothes they deliver because it is simply the online platform for various brands that produce these items. Therefore, ASOS cannot cope with its clients’ concerns, but it still offers free return service for unsatisfactory goods.
References
Barker, S. (2022). ASOS to axe 100 jobs as part of huge cost-cutting plan – after making £32million loss. Mirror. Web.
Hardcastle, K. (2022). Returning to the same issue: ASOS downgrade profit forecasts. Forbes. Web.
Mathers, M. (2021). ASOS boss quits after profit warning amid supply chain woes. Independent. Web.
Sweney, M. (2022). ASOS sales weaker than expected as cost of living crisis bites. The Guardian. Web.