個案總覽

1-800-Flowers.com was a market leader in the floral gift industry, offering solutions for everyday gift needs as well as for special occasions. The U.S. company's mission was to "deliver smiles" to its customers by designing and delivering innovative and valuable gifts. 1-800-Flowers.com had a very good brand in terms of floral distribution. However, the online market for flower and gift sales was changing rapidly, presenting new opportunities for efficiencies and market expansion. In March 2012, the company's chief executive officer was faced with a pressing decision. How could 1-800-Flowers.com gain competitive advantage through collaborations with the extended supply chain?

This articles presents four standardization techniques--product, part, procurement, and process--that help mitigate the negative impact of product variety on a firm's operations. The ability of a firm to use these standardization approaches depends on the following: degree to which it can modularize its products and processes, what it is trying to achieve for its customers, and the costs associated with standardization. Presents a framework for thinking about these options and choosing among them.