Men Ahead of Women in Mobile Buying

Posted on September 30, 2012 by bermanevansretail
Recent research by uSamp, indicates that men are more likely to buy through their mobile devices than are women. What do YOU think are the implications of this to retailers?
Click the chart for the full story at eMarketer.

 

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

Can Showrooming Be Turned into a Positive?

Posted on September 29, 2012 by bermanevansretail
As we have discussed several times, showrooming is a major problem for store-based retailers that are losing customers who visit the store and then buy online.
And many retailers continue to fight back. Sometimes, they do so reactively — such as Wal-Mart’s and Target’s decision to stop selling Amazon Kindles. But other times, they are acting proactively.
According to a recent Knowledge@Wharton article: “Target sent a letter to vendors asking for their help in combating the problem, suggesting that they create exclusive products for the Minnesota-based retail chain or find ways to match the low prices offered by online retailers. And Best Buy has replaced the standard barcodes on some products with different, chain-specific barcodes that make it impossible for consumers to scan those codes and find a quick online price comparison.” In addition, “Best Buy is now overhauling some of its locations, for example, to make them more service-oriented, including a Solution Central help desk along the lines of Apple’s Genius Bar.” 
Click the photo to read more from this Knowledge@Wharton story.

Posted in Online Retailing, 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, Social Media and Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Restaurant Logistics: Striving to Serve the Perfect Meal

Posted on September 28, 2012 by bermanevansretail
Restaurant logistics are a key to these retailers’ success. Poor logistics means ingredient shortages, stale food, higher costs, and more. So, restaurants really need to get their logistics and supply chain management right. 
As Joseph O’Reilly reports for Inbound Logistics: “In many ways, the restaurant industry is defined by paradoxes. Consumers want quality food at affordable prices. Product freshness is a must, regardless of seasonal variability. Cost and customer service come bundled — not à la carte. On the supply side, menu selection competes with supplier selectivity. Restaurants demand sourcing reliability and consistency, when Mother Nature is nothing if not fickle. Beyond that, restaurants want replenishment fast. Consumers want orders faster. ‘What you want is what you get’ and ‘Have it your way’ aren’t simply slogans. They are expectations. So when consumer and market pressures pull restaurants in different directions, the supply chain logically becomes a platform for leveraging these opposing challenges to find shared gains.”
Click the photo to access O’Reilly’s full story.

 

 

Posted in Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 8: Putting It All Together, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment