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Manajemen persediaan merupakan suatu elemen penting dari suatu bisnis. Efektivitas
pengelolaan manajemen rantai pasok dan logistik merupakan hal yang signifikan yang
dapat mengefisiensikan biaya pengelolaan persediaan. Amazon merupakan suatu contoh
yang menarik dalam pengelolaan persediaan. Strategi pengelolaan persediaan yang
memperhitungkan ketidakpastian permintaan membuat Amazon dapat mengurangi jumlah
persediaan sebagai mana juga safety stock-nya. Amazon hanya mempunyai persediaan
produk-produk yang cepat terjual. Sedangkan produk-produk yang tidak popular diserahkan
pada mitra outsourcing-nya. Amazon juga memanfaatkan mitra outsourcing untuk
pengapalan yang juga dapat menghemat biaya. Disamping itu, Amazon juga mengajak
pesaingnya untuk menawarkan produk mereka pada situs-nya. Strategi ini dapat
meningkatkan jenis produk yang dapat dijual Amazon. Tetapi untuk melakukan manajemen
rantai pasok produk pesaing tersebut tetap dilakukan oleh para pesaing tersebut. Dengan
demikian Amazon tetap dapat melakukan pengelolaan persediaan dengan efektif.
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An Investigation of Amazon's Supply Chain Management Strategy
Jurnal Akuntansi & Manajemen Vol 3 No.2 Desember 2008 ISSN 1858-3687 hal 87-93 89
An Investigation of Amazon's Supply Chain Management Strategy
from several warehouses and stocking them, a firm should not outsource its
several items which were likely bought all business activities when it has resources,
together by customer at one point, competencies or capabilities which:
Amazon managed its inventory by
location postponement. It allowed a. allow to create better customer
Amazon to reduce the number of safety value added or more economically
stock. than competitors
To sum up, by taking into account the risk b. can not be easily imitated or
of demand uncertainty and location substituted by competitors
postponement, Amazon could reduce the
number of inventory as well as safety c. allow to dominate competition in
stock. Ultimately, Amazon could reduce the market
the holding cost. By outsourcing shipping
activities, Amazon also could reduce cost d. can be used in multiple activities or
of shipping. These cost efficiency were business units and can be
main factors of obtaining the first net profit occupied to access many markets.
of $5 million in fourth quarter 2001 for
Amazon (Pillai, 2004). Therefore, in 2000, Most of Amazon resources, competencies
Amazon improved its efficiency dealing and capabilities were e-commerce.
with inventory management and started to Therefore e-commerce should not be
achieve successful in managing it. outsourced. However, inventory
management could be outsourced.
90 Jurnal Akuntansi & Manajemen Vol 3 No.2 Desember 2008 ISSN 1858·3687 hal 87·93
An Investigation of Amazon's Supply Chain Management Strategy
requested (Pillai, 2004). Rabinovich and service, it allowed customers to get their
Evers (2003) highlighted that in a orders in a timely manner. Therefore,
situation when demand level is Amazon could obtain the profit without
increasing, Internet retailers should not sacrifice customers satisfaction by
allow other forms to hold inventory in keeping an appropriate level of supply
supply chain since they can produce chain services to customers.
optimal service to fulfill orders by locating
the stock in their own facilities efficiently. To sum up, when stocked popular items
Bailey and Rabinovich (2005) also found on hand and simultaneously outsourced
that increasing in product popularity the others, Amazon could reduce the
generates an increasing in relying on level of inventory in its warehouses.
inventory which was held internally. Moreover, popular item orders generated
These findings match with the study of high level of turn over. In addition, by
Maltz and Ellarm (1999) who proposed developing a partnership with best firm in
that a firm should not outsource its supply chain service, Amazon could keep
business activities if it has capabilities, the level of customers satisfaction since
competencies and resources to create its partner could deliver the orders in
better customer value added or more appropriate lead time. Therefore, it was a
economically than competitors. In good decision for Amazon to outsource its
addition, Zhu and Kraemer (2002) argued inventory.
that there was positive linkage between e-
commerce capability and increasing of
inventory turnover. Popular product with
high demand led to high level of turn over. 4. Amazon sells competing retailers
Therefore, though it had to manage products on its site
popular products inventory, Amazon did
not have to spend much money relatively Decision to sell competitors products in its
since the high level of product turn over. site could provide several advantages for
Amazon. Firstly, it would widen the range
Amazon also handled the orders by drop- of product offering. Increasing in the
shipped inventory, for example: Amazon range of product which Amazon offered to
cooperated with Ingram Micro; a largest its customers could increase variability as
wholesale dealer of electronic products well as availability. Heim and Sinha (2001)
and supply cahai management service, to highlighted that product availability was
provide logistics and fulfil the orders of one of the significant factors which could
desktops, laptops and other computers influence customers satisfaction. Hence,
accessories at Amazon.com computer consumers did not need to browse other
store (Pillai 2004). Bailey and Rabinovich sites to find the products. Secondly, it
(2005) suggested that online orders allowed customers to access much
should be handled simultaneously by information including price of both
internal stock and drop-shipped inventory. Amazon and its competitor product.
To maximize profit, online retailer could Amazon did not need to promote its low
postpone inventory location as well as prices as customer could compare
ownership to upstream supply chain between Amazon and its competitors
echelon and drop ship the items when price on the site directly (Pillai, 2004).
consumer place the order to avoid the risk Thus, it could be used as a sign for
of out of stock (Bailey and Rabinovich customers that Amazon set the price
2005) . By consolidating relationship with reasonably.
upstream partner for example Ingram
Micro, Amazon could avoid risk out of Brynjolfsson and Smith (2000) argued
stock and reduce level of inventory as that online shopping events were
well as holding cost. In addition, since the influenced by consumers assessment of
partners which Amazon chosen, had best information on the item that they want to
performance in supply chain management order, as opposed to accessing the item
Jurnal Akuntansi & Manajemen Vol 3 No.2 Desember 2008 ISSN 1858-3687 hal 87-93 91
An Investigation of Amazon's Supply Chain Management Strategy
itself. Therefore when consumers who Bailey, W., Masson, R & Raeside, R,
considered to buy a book might be they 2002, 'Outsourcing in Edinburgh
considered to buy another item relate to and the Lothians', European
the book, for example when a consumer Journal of Purchasing & Supply
wanted to buy a computer program book, Management, vol. 8, pp.83-95.
he or she might be want to buy a software
or even hard ware as well. Therefore it Brynjolfsson, E., & Smith, M.D., 2000,
was a good decision to widen the product 'Frictionless Commerce? A
that Amazon offered even by selling its Comparison of Internet and
competitors product. Furthermore, since Conventional Retailers',
Amazon did not hold unpopular product Management Science, vo1.46,
in-stock, the competitors should be no.4, pp.563-585.
stocked such product by themselves. As
a result, Amazon did not have to spend Chopra, S & Meindl, P. 2007, Supply
the holding cost of such inventory. Chain Management Strategy,
Planning, & Operation, 3rd edn,
Generally, Amazon function just as a Pearson Prentice Hall, New
transshipment centre whereby Amazon Jersey, USA.
only handled the orders while the
inventory was handled by its competitors Heim, G.R & Sinha, K.K., 2001,
whose product offered by Amazon (Pillai, 'Operational Drivers of Customer
2004). In this situation, Amazon employed Loyalty in Electronic Retailing: An
inventory postponement strategy. This Empirical Analysis of Electronic
strategy allow retailer to postpone the Food Retailers', Manufacturing
purchase after the order is placed which and Service Operations Manage-
can reduce holding cost and opportunity ment, vol. 3, no.3, pp. 264-271.
cost from tying capital up in inventory
(Bailey and Rabinovich, 2005). Hence, Innis, D.E. & La Londe, B.J., 1994,
Amazon could keep cost efficiency while 'Customer Service: The Key to
get. fee from selling its competitors Customer Satisfaction, Customer
products. Loyalty, and Market Share', Jour-
nal of Business Logistics, vo1.15,
In summary, by offering its retailer no.1, pp.1-27.
competitors products allowed Amazon to
increase variability and availability. Since Kotha, S. 1998, 'Competing on the
it only handled order and let competitors Internet;: The Case ci Amazon.am,
to manage inventory, Amazon could avoid European Management journal,
holding and opportunity cost. Therefore, vol. 16, no. 2, pp.212-222.
this was a good strategy as Amazon
could keep customer satisfaction as well Maltz, A. & Ellram, L., 1999, 'Outsourcing
as cost efficiency. Supply Management', The
Journal of Supply Chain
Management, vo1.35, no.2, pp.4-
17.
References
Newton, C.J., 2001, 'Home Delivery Can
Bailey, J. P. & Rabinovich, E., 2005, Make or Break a B2C', Supply
'Internet Book Retailing and Chain Management Review,
Supply Chain Management: An vol.5, no.1, pp.21-24.
Analytical Study of Inventory
Location Speculation and Pillai, P., 2004, Amazon.com's Inventory
Postponement', Transportation Management, ICFAI Center for
Research, Part E, vol.41, no.3, Management Research (ICMR),
pp.159-177 Hyderabad, India.
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An Investigation of Amazon's Supply Chain Management Strategy
Jurnal Akuntansi & Manajemen Vol 3 No.2 Desember 2008 ISSN 1858-3687 hal 87-93 93