Relating to the Transitioning Multichannel Shopper

Posted on July 28, 2013 by bermanevansretail
Yes, we know that many consumers now shop at multiple formats. The challenge is to make their experiences as seamless as possible.
A new study by IBM offers some valuable insights: 
“Many retailers today consider themselves omni-channel, with the intent to provide seamless online and in-store consumer shopping experiences. Yet, many are struggling with uneven channel growth and consistency, allowing those competitors with truly differentiated offerings to race ahead. How can these retailers get – or recapture – their edge and capitalize on the growing consumer trend to use multiple channels to shop and purchase? To find out, the IBM Institute for Business Value surveyed 26,000 shoppers in 14 countries, across a range of non-grocery retail categories, to learn a how consumers perceive and interact with retail channels.”
“Three important trends were revealed by this research: (1) Among retail channels, the store still reigns supreme. But cracks are beginning to appear in the dominance of brick and mortar. (2) Another indicator of store softness revealed by our research was the emergence of a small but influential group of consumers who shopped in the store but purchased online (showroomers) – sometimes from a different retailer. (3) There is a high wall to scale to excite shoppers and keep them in a retailer’s own combination of store and online offerings. Most consumers want to help retailers do so. The heavy lifting, however, is the job of the retailer, and many are coming up short.” 
Click the image to read more.

 

 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, 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 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Retail Planning Is More Complex Than Ever

Posted on July 27, 2013 by bermanevansretail
In this tough economic environment, retailers need all the help that they can get. So, an excellent article from Wilson Perumal & Company on “Complexity in Retail: Why Companies Must Adapt in Order to Survive” is particularly timely.
According to Wilson Perumal: “We’re living in a time of incredible business complexity. Retail was perhaps the industry most affected by growing complexity in recent years – retailers that learned to master good complexity and limit the impact of bad complexity, gained a competitive advantage and beat their competitors. In the past, retailing was a relatively simple business:   You selected the right product range, bought the selected products at the lowest possible price and at the right quantities, merchandized the products in your stores, managed stock availability with supply chain efficiency and marketing efforts, and at the end of the retail cycle you exited old lines with minimal cannibalization. Simple. This simplicity allowed companies to benefit from scale. The larger the retailer, the better the scale advantage it had in every step of the Retail Cycle. Those days are over.”
Click the image to read more from Wilson Perumal.

 

 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 4: Store Location Planning, 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 , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

eBay Now: Is It Happening?

Posted on July 26, 2013 by bermanevansretail
eBay Now is a new delivery service from eBay. It will be interesting to see how (whether?) this catches on with retailers and consumers.

Here is a description of eBay Now from its Web site:
Q: What is eBay Now?

A: eBay Now is a local shopping service from eBay. eBay Now can deliver thousands of local products from hundreds of local retailers in San Francisco, San Jose and parts of New York City, usually in about an hour!

Q: How does it work?

A: It’s easy. First download the app to your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch (iOS 5+) or Android (4.0+) device or visit now.ebay.com on your desktop or mobile browser. Then, fill your shopping cart with items from any one of hundreds of local retailers and checkout. Finally, relax while eBay’s shopping valets bring your order to just about wherever you are within our delivery zones.

Q: Where do you deliver?

Q: How long does it take?

A: Orders generally arrive in about an hour. Order times may vary based on proximity to the store, size of order, how busy stores are, traffic, seasonal peak shopping days, and other factors.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: eBay Now is only $5 per order!

Q: When and how do I pay for my order?

A: If you have the eBay Now app for iOS or Android, or are shopping on your desktop, you will enter your payment method information in the app when you check out. If you are shopping through your mobile web browser, the shopping valet delivering your item will help you through the checkout process when your order arrives. We accept PayPal (except via the eBay Now app for Android), Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. We do not accept cash.
 Q: What stores are included?
A: Shoppers can use eBay Now to order items from hundreds of stores, including Babies R Us, Best Buy, Free People, GNC, Guitar Center, Home Depot, Macy’s, Office Depot, Radio Shack, Target, Toys R Us, Urban Outfitters, and Walgreens. (Some stores may not be available in certain delivery zones.)
 

 

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 4: Store Location Planning, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment