case study

Above and Beyond

Not Just Shoes and Handbags

Ryzlon is a USD 800 million a year online retailer of shoes and handbags. The company prides itself on its superior customer service and views this as a way of becoming an online store selling just about anything. While it is common for online and traditional retailers to state that they focus on their customers, Ryzlon has been able to demonstrate this time and time again. New Shoes for Mom Cecelia bought several pairs of shoes from Ryzlon for her ailing mother. She was unsure about the size as her mother had lost a lot of weight and her shoe size had changed. Ryzlon offers free return shipping with UPS, so Cecelia was not worried about the cost to return any shoes that did not fit. Only two pairs of the shoes fit. Cecelia had intended to return the others, but her mother died and returning the shoes slipped her mind. She got an email from Ryzlon asking her about the shoes. Cecelia replied that her mother had just died and that she would send the shoes back soon. That Little Something Extra Ryzlon emailed Cecelia back saying UPS would pick up the shoes for return so she would not have to make the trip to UPS, despite this not being the company's general policy. The next day, Ryzlon sent Cecelia a big, beautiful flower arrangement. This again was not standard policy; it was something one compassionate personwho happened to work at Ryzlondid for another person. The amazing part was that Ryzlon was flexible enough to allow this extraordinary gesture to happen. Spreading the News Cecelia was so moved by Ryzlon's show of compassion that she posted on the Great Customer Service blog, telling the world about what the company had done for her. Her post was viewed by millions of people, many of whom responded with social media postings of their own, saying how they would be making their next shoe purchase at Ryzlon. The company delivered on its superior customer service promise, and as a result generated a wealth of free positive exposure.

Case Study Questions (15 Marks)

1.) When Cecelia posted her experiences with Ryzlon on the blog, what e-marketing method was she utilizing and how does the method work? (5 Marks) __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________

2.) Cecilia's positive experience with Ryzlon and her subsequent posting on the Great Customer Service blog was obviously good press for the company. Despite the good press of positive blog postings, what potential negative exposure could arise? (5 Marks)

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3.) The Ryzlon employee who responded to Cecilia's email and sent her flowers was employing one aspect of customer relationship management (CRM). How can CRM help create sustainable competitive advantage for online retailers like Ryzlon? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________