無法橫越的中間人:論貿易商的價值

Abstract

隨著全球網際網路的發達及透明化的趨勢下，資訊相對容易取得，零售商與進口商的採購方式更加多元化，在各行各業朝「去中間化」的營運方向前進時，國際貿易業將面臨被工廠取代的危機嗎？本研究將以訪談J 家用品貿易商為研究對象，分享及探討貿易商的經營策略及存在的價值，並輔以另外三間家用品貿易商的訪談，透過歸納分析推論出貿易商應具備的核心價值。根據訪談及彙整研究結果，指出貿易商需具備核心競爭力的兩大面向，包括貿易商對客戶帶來的價值及公司內部運作與整體效率。

With the development of the global Internet and the trend of transparency, information is relatively easy to obtain, and the purchase of retailers and importers have become more diversified. As “disintermediation” become the trend among retailers, the issue of the value of international trade prevail.In other words, traders face the pressure of being replaced. This research will explore the research issue by interviewing a trader：J houseware. In addition to the discussion of business strategies and existing value of the case company, this research also provides supplementary interviews of peer companies. The results pointed out that traders need to provide value to both retailers and manufacturers to deliver added value. The value provided to customers include the information gathering and sharing, the composition of complex parts, customized products and the financial arrangement. This study also provides insights regarding to the importance of company's internal operations and overall efficiency.