Williams-Sonoma

How is Williams-Sonoma using the internet as a distributing channel now and how would you recommend that they use the internet in the future? Williams-Sonoma uses the internet with the direct-to-customer operations strategy. It has eight catalogs in place along with ecommerce websites. “The company sends the catalogs out to customers that have signed up, as well as customer names that have been received in exchange or purchase from other mail-order merchandisers, magazines, and other companies” (Rouse, p. 3). How Williams-Sonoma is using the internet is a successful method. I would suggest more advertising on the internet be imbedded so that even more potential customers will see the advertisement and will become new potential buyers.

The more advertisement that is put out, the more people are interested in viewing what products the company offers and the more likely the percentage of sale will grow. The moral to it all is if a company puts in effort to continue to grow, the company will do just that, grow in several areas even outside of the internet sales. Although Williams-Sonoma is using the internet as a distributing channel, the growth in such a strategy for this company has been what seems to be nothing short of a positive turn out. There are social networks available to advertise on now-a-days as well. That would boost sales growth tremendously, in my opinion. That would definitely be something I would highly recommend for Williams-Sonoma, for each and every type of catalog so the variety is available at the click of a button. Everything is slowly but surely converting to the internet. Someday, that will be the way of life.

REFERENCES
Rouse, Maryanne M. (2010). Williams-Sonoma Case #6 (10th & 11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Prentice Hall.