ECT 589: E-Business Management

1
ECT 589 E-Business Management

• E-Commerce at Williams-Sonoma
• Case Analysis

2
Set the Stage

• Who is Williams-Sonoma?
• What sets WS apart from its competitors?
• What is its core competency?
• Who are key players in this WS case?

3
Barriers

• What barriers did WS encounter on its crusade for
  change?
• How effective were Pat Connolly and the
  e-commerce leaders at overcoming them?

4
Pilot Projects

• Connolly dealt with the first set of barriers
  effectively through pilot projects that offered
  proof of concept.
• Why were the pilot projects, specifically
  Weddings, valuable to WS?
• What are key characteristics of a pilot project
  to make the e-commerce projects easier to
  eventually sell?

5
Lessons from the Pilot Phase

• What were the main benefits and risks involved in
  instigating the change process via pilot projects
  at WS?

6
Building the E-Commerce Channel

• Once the pilot phase was over, how did the new
  e-commerce head, Shelley Nankeolyar, get
  e-commerce up and running as a new channel for
  WS?
• What issues did Nandkeolyar face?
• What did he put in place operationally to make
  things work?

7
New Challenges

• What should Nandkeolyar do next?
• What should be on his agenda now that new roles
  are in place and its possible to turn to systems,
  structures and procedures?
• Should there be a new company-wide compensation
  system? Should WS rethink its structure divisions?

8
Williams-Sonoma and CRM

• What objectives does WS expect to achieve through
  the Web channel?
• What roles does CRM play in WS growth?
• What are its CRM strategies?
• How successfully is its CRM implementation?

9
Summary

• What are the critical success factors and lessons
  learned from this case?