亞馬遜與阿里巴巴的物流之戰

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，亞馬遜(Amazon)將很快通過內部稱爲的“龍舟”項目(Dragon Boat)，將自己打造爲全球運輸和物流專家。

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 ed 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.

儘管這一大膽策略有可能顯著提高利潤率，讓亞馬遜成爲中國企業通往西方的門戶，但要從行業領頭羊阿里巴巴(Alibaba)那裏分走一部分跨境電商市場份額，亞馬遜有必要分階段審慎實施這一策略。泄露出來的文件表明，項目已經啓動——亞馬遜已經開始租賃飛機，並註冊了一家海運預訂公司。通過鞏固供應鏈以提供整體交付解決方案，該公司實際上將打造一個網絡，控制着商品從中國的工廠到歐美消費者家中的流動。

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邦快遞(FedEx)和聯合包裹(UPS)等企業的正面競爭，另一方面還意圖搶在中國電子商務領域領軍者阿里巴巴前頭，爲中小型製造企業提供通往國際市場的便利通道。

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。大多數在線交易主要都是由價格驅動——產品銷售產生的利潤很少，大量附加利潤都是從商品的運輸和交付中獲得。

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的地方開始，打造自己的物流服務，通過實現訂購、運輸和交付過程的自動化來顛覆市場。要實現這個設想，該公司必須確保自己清楚地瞭解該如何有效地通過海關、打包貨物以平衡重量-體積比、並確保所有規定的文件都完整並有據可查。

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和貨運交付業務，它能否在這一領域脫穎而出，關鍵就在於它能否利用和應用自己現有的自動化倉庫、分揀和配送模式。通過控制從中國工廠到分揀中心或港口的最初一英里運輸，並控制從西方物流中心直接到消費者手中的最後一英里運輸，亞馬遜可以整合整個供應鏈，從而實現成本節約。

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.

亞馬遜強行擠入總值數十億美元的國際物流市場（這個市場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，把節省下來的部分成本分給中國供應商將刺激大批新進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，這一激進的增長策略也存在顯著風險，亞馬遜必須從阿里巴巴的缺陷中吸取教訓。有人形容阿里巴巴爲“全球最大的假貨市場”，反假冒團體普遍認爲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，阿里巴巴被位於華盛頓特區的國際反假冒聯盟(IACC)暫停成員身份，原因是發現了一項之前未披露的利益衝突。作爲回擊，該公司首席執行官馬雲取消了原定在該聯盟年會上演講的計劃。

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.

這些事件對阿里巴巴的聲譽構成了相當嚴重的損害，亞馬遜將非常希望確保避免同樣命運。爲避免出現這樣的問題，亞馬遜必須制定明確、敏捷、可行的反假冒規定，以促使涉嫌侵犯知識產權的產品及時下架。此外，引入大量中國製造的新產品，很容易導致產品質量下滑，反過來可能會引起消費者不滿。

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.

然而在實際操作中，最全面的解決方案可能是，聘請一組專業質保人士，隨時檢驗產品參數、審覈供應商工廠，但事實上，考慮到業務規模的龐大，這個方案可能不可行，在成本上也不現實。

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.

事實上，亞馬遜可能會利用它的在線社區做質量控制，收集客戶反饋，對客戶證明危險、無效或劣質的產品，聯繫相應供應商進行處理。

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.

亞馬遜轉變成爲國際物流供應商的過程將是分階段推進的，從確立其船運和貨運專家的地位開始，然後鞏固最初和最後一英里的運輸服務、以鼓勵新的市場進入者出口商品。

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，這個影響深遠的網絡的建成，最終可能會方便相反方向的商品流動，爲西方企業提供接觸中國消費者的途經。在這方面，產品需求範圍比較有限，奢侈品、設計師產品以及高度定製化的商品最有可能吸引中國買家。

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權並建立統一的自動化供應鏈，亞馬遜獲得了一個有利位置，可以挑戰阿里巴巴，爭取國際電子商務市場的更大份額。如果亞馬遜想保持其品牌的信譽，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量、法律和運營方面的風險。