Amazon: The Best in Efficient Shipping

Posted on December 6, 2016 by bermanevansretail
We have noted several times before that Amazon is quite an innovative company. And it is especially adept at developing and using new technology to facilitate its distribution network. 
As Matt McFarland recently reported for CNN Money: 
“By the time you take an Amazon delivery off your stoop, walk into your home, find a pair of scissors, and open the brown box, you’ve already spent nearly as much time handling the package as Amazon’s employees. With 22 years of experience in E-commerce and an obsession with efficiency, Amazon has brought remarkable optimization to the warehouses where it stores, packages, and ships goods.”
“On a typical Amazon order, employees will spend about a minute total — taking an item off the shelf, then boxing and shipping it. The rest of the work is done by robots and automated systems.”
Take a look at this video to see how Amazon does it. Does this get a reaction of “WOW” from you?

 

Posted in Part 5: Managing a Retail Business | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Many Retailers Need Better Window Displays

Posted on December 5, 2016 by bermanevansretail
Several months ago, we presented a powerful infographic on window displays.
Today, our valuable infographic post on window displays — which is quite different from the prior one — is from Storetraffic  (a people traffic solution provider).  According to Storetraffic:
“Creating an eye-catching window display has many benefits for your store: it will obviously serve to show off or display the products that you offer; it can give the store a theme and image; it can segment seasons and update the exterior look of the storefront; and it can help to entice shoppers into your store, which is the ultimate aim.”
“While some of these points might be obvious, there are still far too many store owners who are not exploiting the benefits of creating effective and engaging window displays. Store windows the world over are littered with poorly arranged displays with weak lighting and cluttered, unorganized merchandising which continues to work toward missed opportunities and promoting a poor impression of the store. With a little effort and input, these issues can be worked upon. It actually might not require a huge amount of budget but it will require thought and planning to execute it well.”
creating-a-powerful-window-display-in-your-store-1Thanks to Patrick Thuot, a Vice-President of Storetraffic, for providing the infographic.

 

Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Discounting NOT Always Good for Department Stores

Posted on December 1, 2016 by bermanevansretail
As we have noted before, department stores such as Macy’s regularly offer discounted prices on many items. This may draw some added traffic and revenues, but does this increase profitability and draw profitable customers — and really help the department stores?
According to a recent RetailWire article by George Anderson, the answer is a resounding NO:
“Have sales promotions become a [“danger”] for department stores? Allen Questrom, the former CEO of J.C. Penney, thinks they have and said so in an interview on the CNBC show ‘Squawk Box.’ Mr. Questrom, who was credited with turning Penney around in the early 2000s, said department stores have fallen back on sales promotions whenever business begins to slow. ‘Sale[s] cannot be the only driver, it has to be a part of it. But product, presentation, excitement in the stores, the salespeople in terms of servicing the customer’ all need to be part of the value proposition for department stores to succeed.”
“He pointed to Zara and Uniqlo as two clothing chains that have learned how to drive business without relying primarily on sales to attract shoppers, primarily Millennials, to stores. Department stores need to understand that Millennials, unlike their Baby Boomer parents, search for ‘inspiration, not aspiration’ when they shop, he said.”
“Research by NPD Group, released in July, found that two-thirds of consumers who shop for clothes do so at off-price stores. While consumers 45+ make up more than half of shoppers in off-price locations, Millennials are increasingly attracted to these shops. People between the ages of 25 and 34 represent 16 percent of shoppers in off-price outlets and their numbers are growing. Many department stores have opened their own off-price stores in response, but those moves have not directly benefited their full-price businesses.”
Click the image to read more.

Photo: RetailWire

Photo: RetailWire


 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Part 8: Putting It All Together | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment