The Pulse of the Online Shopper: 2013

Posted on September 12, 2013 by bermanevansretail
Retailers can never have enough information about the trends in the marketplace — whether online or offline. As we know, the shopping trip is constantly evolving and needs constant attention.
UPS, in conjunction with comScore, has just published its 2013 look at online shopping: “This year’s study explores what customers expect during their online shopping experience, how mobile and social are changing buying trends, and how retailers can benefit by offering an integrated sales experience. For a second year, UPS has worked with comScore to identify what options consumers want before they buy, during check-out and delivery and, if needed, returns.”
Click the image to access this report.

 

 

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tough Sledding for Retailers in China

Posted on September 10, 2013 by bermanevansretail
China may have the world’s largest consumer base, but it is also a difficult place for foreign retailers to thrive. Here’s more evidence of this situation.
According to Anil Gupta and Haiyan Wang, writing for Businessweek:
“Tesco’s recent decision to transfer its retail operations in China to a joint venture controlled by China Resources, a local state-owned enterprise, is just the latest example of a prominent Western retailer that has stumbled in China. Tesco entered China in 2005. With 131 stores in the country, however, it ranks only No. 8 by size in China’s hypermarket retail segment and commands a tiny 2 percent share of the market. Letting China Resources take over these operations appears to be the right move for Tesco’s shareholders.”
“Other high-profile failures of Western companies in China’s retail sector include Home Depot and Best Buy. Home Depot entered China in 2006. In 2012, it decided to close all seven of its stores and exit. Best Buy also entered China in 2006, but its market share in China’s consumer electronics retailing has been shrinking and was estimated at less than 2 percent in 2012. It would not be surprising if Best Buy also decides to exit from China. Even the French retailer Carrefour is rumored to be exploring a sale of its China business.”

Click the image to read a lot more.

Photo by Imaginechina/AP Images

Posted in Global Retailing, Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The “Third Space” of Retailing

Posted on September 9, 2013 by bermanevansretail
Some store-based retailers have embarked on rather novel concepts to drive business to their stores. One such concept is the “third space.”
According to Marian Berelowitz, writing for JWT Intelligence:
“Brick-and-mortar retail will increasingly serve as a ‘third space’ that’s only partly about transactions. The hard sell is becoming less important than providing something more fun, helpful, satisfying, or distinctive than E-commerce can offer.”
“In the U.K., for instance, Tesco has revamped a Tesco Extra store in Watford, adding a community room that locals can reserve without charge for yoga classes, birthday parties, etc. Some inventory has been moved online to create space for a restaurant, coffee shop, and bakery; the new health and beauty department will include a nail bar. Similarly, a Duane Reade drugstore on Wall Street in Manhattan offers blowouts and manicures. Duane Reade parent Walgreens has been opening flagship stores around the U.S. that feature expansive cosmetics sections staffed with ‘beauty advisers’ as well as coffee bars. “In the electronics sector, Radio Shack is starting to remodel U.S. stores with the aim of becoming ‘the neighborhood technology playground.’ A new campaign uses the tagline ‘Let’s play.’ Stores will include a speaker wall where customers can test sound on their Bluetooth-enabled devices.”
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Posted in Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Part 8: Putting It All Together | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment