????西爾斯曾投資于網(wǎng)絡(luò)購物和手機(jī)應(yīng)用，并曾模仿亞馬遜網(wǎng)站推出了西爾斯網(wǎng)上商城（Sears Marketplace），通過第三方賣家提供約2,000萬種商品。可惜的是，到目前為止，這些措施既沒有改善公司的形象，也沒有推動(dòng)公司的銷量。

????史派特也認(rèn)為：“西爾斯百貨本可以利用其品牌效應(yīng)掩飾其最近的不良聲譽(yù)，但它在吸引消費(fèi)者方面存在更嚴(yán)重的問題。”

????店鋪陳舊，服務(wù)缺失，價(jià)格毫無優(yōu)勢，西爾斯品牌根本無法吸引年輕消費(fèi)者。年輕人對定位更清楚的高端品牌親睞有加，例如蘋果（Apple）、NorthFace或者體育運(yùn)動(dòng)品牌UnderArmour。而在采購低價(jià)服裝時(shí)，他們則會(huì)選擇西爾斯百貨的頭號(hào)勁敵杰西潘尼（J.C. Penney ）。

????西爾斯百貨的核心客戶來自工薪階層，或者年收入在50,000到125,000美元的消費(fèi)者。這個(gè)消費(fèi)群體偶爾會(huì)為趕時(shí)髦大方一次，但面對就業(yè)的不確定性、失業(yè)的威脅和住房市場的嚴(yán)峻形勢，越來越多的人開始轉(zhuǎn)向沃爾瑪、美元樹（Dollar Tree）和塔吉特百貨（Target）等商店購買日常用品。

????而且，許多消費(fèi)者推遲了采購冰箱、爐具和其他家用電器等昂貴商品的計(jì)劃，希望等到經(jīng)濟(jì)穩(wěn)定、就業(yè)前景更有保障的時(shí)候再作打算。這些因素足以讓身處零售業(yè)中間水平的商家?guī)缀跏チ⒆阒亍?/p>

????此外，消費(fèi)者也改變了他們的購物方式和預(yù)期。史派特表示：“消費(fèi)者希望與公司建立一種關(guān)系，并且希望能夠獲得公道的價(jià)格——這些實(shí)際上是客戶體驗(yàn)的重要組成部分，而亞馬遜從成立之初便非常注重這一點(diǎn)?！?/p>

????最初，亞馬遜主打圖書配送市場，之后逐漸擴(kuò)展到其他市場。史派特說：“亞馬遜從不對自己無法配送的商品做出承諾?！?/p>

????利斯基稱，消費(fèi)者也不再像以前那么依賴購物商場。“購物不再是一種社交體驗(yàn)。而網(wǎng)羅眾多購物商場運(yùn)作的百貨商店也并非服務(wù)導(dǎo)向型，因?yàn)樗枰度氪罅康娜肆?，無助于改善經(jīng)營狀況?！?/p>

????六年前，對沖基金經(jīng)理愛德華?蘭伯特收購了西爾斯百貨，并將其與折扣商店凱馬特（Kmart）合并。蘭伯特曾幫助凱馬特?cái)[脫破產(chǎn)的危機(jī)，但很明顯，他并不關(guān)心西爾斯2,200家老舊店鋪的翻修改造，而是花了數(shù)十億美元來回購股票，并進(jìn)行了裁員。盡管如此，裁員之后的西爾斯百貨母公司西爾斯控股公司（Sears Holdings Corp.）仍擁有250,000名員工。

????利斯基認(rèn)為，即便如此，消費(fèi)者仍愿意“為獲得優(yōu)惠價(jià)格而放棄服務(wù)，不過他們也期望更高的價(jià)值和便利性?！贝送猓硎?，人們早在上世紀(jì)80年代就已開始選擇折扣商店了，當(dāng)時(shí)的凱馬特便是全場折扣店的最佳范例。

????他說：“這使得百貨商店放棄了提供全方位服務(wù)的理念。比如，他們關(guān)閉了餐廳，關(guān)閉了玩具與體育用品部門。所以，他們再也算不上是應(yīng)有盡有的購物場所了。”

????Sears has invested in online shopping, mobile applications, and Sears Marketplace, an website that mimics Amazon's reach, offering nearly 20 million products available through third-party sellers. So far, though, that has not bolstered its image or its sales.

????Sears "could have used its brands to transcend its recent reputation," agrees Spector, but "it has deeper issues of relating to customers."

????Shabby stores, scarce help, and average prices have rendered younger customers indifferent to the Sears brand. They gravitate towards more clearly defined and upscale labels like Apple (AAPL), NorthFace (VFC), or UnderArmour (UA). Or, for lower-priced apparel, they might chose arch rival J.C. Penney (JCP).

????Core Sears customers are working class, or those earning between $50,000 and $125,000. For something special, they might splurge on a chic brand, but as they struggle with job uncertainty, unemployment, and a grim housing market, many are increasingly buying their everyday items at stores like Walmart (WMT), Dollar Tree (DLTR), and Target (TGT).

????And many consumers have postponed big-ticket purchases like refrigerators, stoves, and other home appliances until the economy and the outlook for jobs seems more secure. All of this has combined to squeeze out the middle layer of retail.

????Consumers also changed their buying patterns, and their expectations. They "want to have a relationship with the company, as well as the right price," says Spector. "Amazon, from the beginning, has been all about the customer experience."

????In its earliest days, Amazon tested out the book delivery market before it gradually branched out to other items, and, Spector says, "Amazon never promised something it couldn't deliver."

????Consumers also are not wedded to malls any more, says Lisicky, "Shopping is no longer a social experience. And department stores, which anchor many malls, now are not service-oriented because it requires a huge labor force and that does not help the bottom line."

????When Edward Lampert, a hedge fund manager, acquired Sears six years ago, he merged its operations with discounter Kmart, which he had helped nurture out of bankruptcy. Notably, though, he did not invest in remodeling or refreshing the many worn 2,200 Sears stores and, instead, spent billions on repurchasing shares and left the employee ranks too thin -- even though the parent company, Sears Holdings Corp., still employs some 250,000 people.

????Even so, the buying public is willing "to forgo service for price, but they expect value and convenience," Lisicky says, adding that trading down to discount stores began as far back as the 1980s when Kmart "perfected the full discounting store.

????"That led to department stores abandoning their full set of offerings," he says. "They closed their restaurants, shut their toys and sporting goods sections, for example. So they were no longer the place to find everything."