备忘录互联网经济
Stripe 说，"互联网经济无处不在"。数据证明了这一点。但随着民主化而来的是影响新客户生活的成熟技术，无论好坏。环顾四周：经过多年的建设，以及一次推动零售技术发展步伐的大流行，电子商务已经超越了行业媒体通常期望的主要中心，展翅高飞。客户正在城市、郊区和农村地区进行交易，而这些地区通常并不在大都市地区排行榜上。
在有关这一现象的报告中，Stripe 调查了年交易额超过 1 亿美元的公司所在地。从 2017 年到 2021 年，这些公司的分布已经超出了传统的科技和大都市地区。来自Stripe 的分析
在过去五年中，华盛顿州、西弗吉尼亚州和俄亥俄州的互联网商务增长速度超过了美国其他任何州。较小的城市在这一进程中处于领先地位。在此期间，哥伦布（俄亥俄州）的 Stripe 支付量增长了 40 倍，里士满（弗吉尼亚州）增长了 20 倍，亚特兰大、夏洛特、丹佛、底特律和得梅因（爱荷华州）增长了 5 倍多。
分析指出，虽然整体增长在最初的大流行增长季节后有所放缓，但互联网经济的民主化将是经济持续复苏的关键，因为增长为新市场的新收入带来了新机遇（并促成了新的本地化经济飞轮）。Stripe 指出，就像 Shopify 的领导层经常做的那样，"创业障碍 "已经稳步下降，因此释放出来的、沉睡的人才和资本也在增加。
尽管电子商务的渗透率已降至大流行前的趋势，但 Stripe 的数据表明，在美国更多地区有更多人在网上购物。地区电子商务渗透率应被视为与人口普查驱动的全国电子商务渗透率同等重要。
这一地区性增长的促成因素之一是 "先买后付 "公司的普及。随着 Klarna、Affirm、Afterpay 等公司及其竞争对手在更多的零售结账页面上出现，借贷技术的使用已经平民化。根据《华盛顿邮报》最近的一篇专栏文章，北美约有 4% 的网购使用 BNPL 支付，而且随着假日购物季与高通胀的冲突，使用率还在上升。随着电子商务和 BNPL 技术在大城市以外和农村地区的不断发展，互联网新分期付款系统的丑陋一面也将开始显现。
华盛顿邮报》在其评论文章中认为，BNPLs 需要受到监管，尤其是在使用率和违约率不断上升的情况下。BNPLs 在几秒钟内就能批准消费者的申请，并设定 4-24 期的无息分期付款。逾期付款需要支付手续费，如果一直不付款，客户今后可能无法使用 BNPL 结账。但《华盛顿邮报》指出，评估时间相对较短。数据显示，拥有 10 笔以上贷款的人数比例正在上升，2021 年第四季度已超过 15%。使用 BNPL 的人更有可能处于脆弱的财务状况中，而对 BNPL 贷款的依赖只会加剧这种状况。
对 1000 多万美国人进行的新的学术研究揭示了一个相关的、令人担忧的趋势：使用这些产品的人更有可能经历银行透支费用和信用卡利息的 "快速增长"。这是因为 "先买后付 "公司通常会让购物者在注册时使用自动付款，即把借记卡或信用卡链接到账户上。
有人对 BNPL 的行为表示担忧，如果考虑到弱势债务人，这些行为也可能被视为掠夺性的。这些公司--其中许多公司都直言不讳地表示，它们的野心不仅仅是提供 BNPL 服务--正在收集结账时的用户数据，并利用这些数据向他们推广和推销更多的购物服务，因此有可能加剧债务循环。随着互联网经济的普及，BNPL 是了解更多领域更多客户的有用钥匙。
2021 年，互联网经济的普及使美国创造的就业岗位总体增加了 12%，其中农村地区增加了 27%。这其中包括俄亥俄州、阿拉斯加州和北达科他州等非传统科技中心，这些地区在互联网经济的推动下，就业岗位的增幅最大。
监管可能会出台。消费者金融保护局（CFPB）和 Capterra 都认为，低收入消费者是 "BNPL 服务的核心人群"。
与其他人口统计数据相比，黑人或非裔美国人（46%）和西班牙裔/拉丁裔社区（56%）更有可能在过去一年中至少使用过一次这种贷款方式。近一半（45%）的千禧一代、33% 的 Z 世代和 33% 的 X 世代至少使用 BNPL 资助过一次购物。
因此，到 2022 年，电子商务的渗透率也许不会像 Shopify、Meta 和其他公司认为的那样达到 20%。但是，新地域和新消费者的普及率还是值得一提的。我们还需要量化普及对未来的影响。Stripe 坚持以数据为导向的经营方式，即便如此，亚特兰大、夏洛特、里士满和俄亥俄州哥伦布等城市的在线零售爆炸式增长还是让他们大吃一惊。谁知道下一个惊喜会是什么呢？
作者：Web Smith | 编辑：Hilary Milnes，美术：Alex Remy 和 Christina Williams
备忘录增长第二快的品牌
Meta is number one, but would you have guessed that the Crocs brand wasn’t too far behind?
Crocs officially have the seal of approval from the King of England, in case you were wondering how the once-humble footwear brand’s surprising winning streak has been going since we mapped their most recent explosion a year and a half ago.
Stand at the center of an imaginary circle and select 12 friends or family members to stand equi-distant to you. As you rotate, you will be impacted by what you see. If enough of those friends agree on a matter, any matter, there is a good chance that your feelings will evolve to meet their assessment. This is the power of a consumer epidemic. There isn’t a better example of this than the growth of the 21-year old Crocs business.
In June of 2021, we studied Crocs in the context of consumer epidemics or (how word of mouth and brand viability spreads like wildfire):
While the origins of consumer epidemics can be more anecdotal than scientific, I took measure of my own perception of the brand. Crocs transitioned from a shoe worn by “others,” often out of necessity or poor choice. The shoe is cheap, comfortable, and shameless. Over four years, my personal feelings shifted from disdain to tolerance to something bordering enthusiasm for its story. Nothing about the shoe changed; what changed was my perception of it and the volume of the positive signals that I received over that time.
Fast forward to November 2022, and Crocs have made their way to Buckingham Palace. Artist David Hockney once quipped: “I prefer to live in color.” He wore a bright yellow pair to meet King Charles, and the King complimented them in kind. The Daily Mail covered the exchange:
The King praised the artist’s ‘yellow galoshes’ as ‘beautifully chosen’ as Hockney paired them with a Savile Row-tailored checked suit to attend the luncheon.
It is perhaps no surprise the King appeared impressed by the comfortable rubber shoes which are favoured by gardeners – as His Majesty is known for being a keen gardener himself.
The Crocs brand has accomplished what many brands set out for. After over a decade of being regarded as decidedly unfashionable, the shoe has found itself in popular taste across a spectrum of customer-profiles.
But the two years since the last report has proven that Crocs are not going to bend to the latest trend cycles. It’s once again the “ugly shoe’s time, a unique gift of youth that propels unworthy items into global, popular demand. Remember, young millennials carried Uggs back into popular taste (in the early 2000s) after two decades of relative silence from the retailer. Crocs are utilitarian, comfortable, and most importantly of all: common. You’re no longer going to draw ire when wearing them out (at least not to most places).
If you still doubt Crocs’ rise and staying power, look at Morning Consult’s recent report on 2022’s fastest growing brands. Across all age groups, Crocs clocked in second in the brand ranking, only behind Meta, which has put a massive deal of time and capital into rebranding from Facebook over the last year. Across each demographic, Crocs ranked a top fast growing brand, all except for Gen Z, which Morning Consult’s Claire Tassin points out already has the shoe on their radar. From the report:
Crocs’ leaders attribute the company’s success to a turnaround plan that began six years ago and focused on key consumer audiences, capturing both trend driven shoppers who attach to the brand’s collaborations and those that appreciate the core product. The splashy collaborations range from Hidden Valley Ranch to Justin Bieber. Furthermore, a strong social media presence helps potential customers overcome styling challenges of these nontraditional shoes. These combined efforts help to keep brand buzz consistently high, particularly among Gen Z adults.
This makes complete sense given 2021’s data around Crocs’ Gen Z penetration: “As of Q1 2021, online retail for the brand grew 75.3% and constituted over one-third of all sales earned during the period. To the credit of Crocs management, the team has identified that much of its value is derived by the brand’s relationship to Generation Z – a demographic that prefers online retail over roaming malls and shopping centers.” The Crocs brand does not gate-keep, which makes its rise among celebrities and the rich all the more impressive. It’s a shoe for the people, and its retail strategy reflects that. It’s omnipresent, Tassin writes, available on Amazon and in malls and throughout retail partnerships and its own channels. Crocs rivals even Jordan in its popularity with Gen Z.
The practical lesson if there is one, is to know your audience (even if that audience is everyone). But the reasonable takeaway is that Crocs is a once-in-a-lifetime retailer with a rare trajectory, an even rarer growth strategy. The company maintains a wide adoration and support that crosses barriers like age, race, economic status, cultures, and personal style. The shoe will always be kind of ugly but they will always be comfortable. Regardless of who wears Crocs, they likely won’t be met with the same derision that they once were – not even amongst Kings.
作者：Web Smith | 编辑：Hilary Milnes，美术：Alex Remy 和 Christina Williams