RSS Subscribe Entries | Comments search
Technorati Delicious LinkedIn LinkedIn

Emerging Trends in Retail Marketing strategy

Posted by admin | 20/05/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Emerging Trends in Retail Marketing strategy

 

Retail Marketing

            The essence of retail marketing is developing merchandise and services that satisfy specific needs of customers, and supplying them at prices that will yield profits. Thereby the concept is a philosophy, not a system of retailing or retail structure. In today’s CRM landscape the old analogy comparing the rifle and shotgun approaches to message and / or offer delivery is perhaps more appropriate than ever, as more retail organizations struggle to achieve one-to-one marketing-communications with customers and prospects.

            Targeting allows a retail enterprise to channel its marketing budget4ere there is the greatest (and fastest) possibility of Return On Investment (ROI)

 

Retail Marketing mix

            Retail Marketing mix is the term used to describe the various elements and methods required to formulate and execute retail marketing strategy.

            The mix may vary greatly according to the type of market the retailer is  in, and the type of products / services.

 

Marketing strategy

       A marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its
limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage’. A marketing strategy should be centred around the key concept
/ that customer satisfaction is the main goal.

            A strategy consists of a well thought out series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing. Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results.

 

 

Today’s retail Marketing Managers Must :

            Understand the connections between the lifestyle and expenditure characteristics of customers, their propensity to purchase one product or brand over another, and leverage this understanding for competitive advantage.

            Improve direct marketing response by ensuring they are targeting the right households at the right time, using the right media with the right message.

            Leverage current consumer data to make better strategic decisions about products, marketing and locations.

            Increase customer loyalty and retention with a scientific, data driven approach to analytical CRM.

            Retail marketing managers can implement the following projects to understand their customer, market and store locations better; achieving a very strong ROI for their retail marketing efforts in the process.

 

Customer and Market Potential Estimates:

            Estimate the revenue potential of your customers to determine their current, potential and life-time value

            •      Estimate your market potential for more effective acquisition initiatives

            •      Quantity and qualify your market opportunities.

 

Customer and Market Profiles:

            •      Develop more effective communication strategies through a better understanding
                    of who your customers are

            •      Identify your market potential through a better understanding of your targets.

 

Customer and Market Segmentation:

            •      Develop more effective communication strategies through a better  understanding
                    of different customer groups and your market segments

            •      Customize your product offers by different customer and market segments.

 

 

The nature of retail Marketing:

  • The key aspects of retail marketing is an attitude of mind.
  • In making retail marketing decisions, retailers must consider the needs of the customers.
  • Retail marketing decisions are driven by what the shoppers need and want.
  • Retail marketing is therefore a philosophy and is all about satisfying the customers
  • What the customers regard as value and what they buy is decisive.
  • What the customers buy determines the nature of the retailer’s business.
  • The essence of retail marketing is developing merchandise and services that satisfy
             specific needs of customers, and supplying them at prices that will yield profits.
  • Retailers must take the customers’ needs into consideration in retail operation.
  • Retail marketing is stimulating, quick-paced, and influential.
  • The retail marketing concept is the acceptance by the retailer that it is the “customer”
             and not “demand” that lie at the core of the retail organization.

 

The Emerging Sectors:

            Retailing, one of the largest sectors in the world economy, is going through a transition phase, not only in India but the world over. For the long time, the corner general store was the only choice available to the customer, especially in the urban areas. This is slowly giving way to global format of retailing.

            The emergence of new retail sector have accomplished by changes in existing formats as well as the beginning of new formats.

 

The changing Retail Environment:

            Profound changes are taking place, and will continue to occur, in the retail industry. In terms of sales, the retail landscape is moving away from specialty stores and department stores toward discount retailing.

            Although the future is difficult to predict, forthcoming trends in retailing will focus on demographics, geographic convenience, time convenience increased food expenditure away from Home and rapid changes in information technology. In addition, retailers will find a convergence of electronic methods and traditional methods of Retailing.

 

 

Five pillars of Retailing:

            Heoxard Berry describes five important actions for Retailers. These actions, demand pillars, sound simple but are often difficult to implement.

  1. Solve customer’s problems.
  2. Treat customers with respect.
  3. Connect with customer emotions.
  4. Set the fairest (not the lowest) price.
  5. Save customer’s time.

            Retailers should always keep these pillars in mind when conducting business. As the work force becomes more diverse and the retail environment continues to changes, consumer’s needs are rapidly changing.

 

Retailer’s Responses To the changing customer:                                   

            Retailers will need to alter their way of thinking to adjust to the changing customer.

v                 Retailers that convey the appropriate level of respect will experience an increase in customer loyalty and sales.

v                 Retailers must dig deep to learn who their customers are, so they can develop Niable customer segments.

v                 The old marketing concept will need to be modified from “satisfying” customers to “wowing” customers.

 

Global retailing:

            The world has entered the digital information age. Retailers in a variety of industries are now using advanced computer systems to enhance their ability to understand, communicate with and evaluate their market place and to anticipate and respond to their customer’s needs, Retail shops are using bar code scanners at their check out point to gauge the types of product their customers are buying.

 

 

E-tailing:

            Retailing on the net is known as E- tailing. Internet has changed the way we do shopping. It has brought the commerce will play a crucial role in shaping the future of Indian retailing. The real challenge for retailing would be laurching and managing a highly irnovative click business that works along with a more stable bricks business. For shoppers and retainers it is increasingly a hybrid world.

            Merchants that reach consumers through different sales channels, stores, websites catalogues, find that they enjoy key advantages over competitors that operate in just one world. E-tailing is still a nascent Business model all over the world and it is to be seen how it emerges in the future. E-tailing will also work best as an adjunct and supplement to brick and mortar set up.

            On the flip side, retail stores can make consumers more comfortable with internet shopping since most traditional merchants allows customers to return on-line purchase to their offline stores.

 

E-commerce in Retail marketing:  

            “With Electronic – commerce, we have reached the flash point” – says Ferguson. The internet throws many exiting trends under an are light and accelerates the transformation to web years. There is an occupational hazard in the world of electronic commerce. There is an existing and confusing time. In some ways electronic commerce has already had profound impact – just the Wall Street brokers who have been watching their private clients flock to online discount brokers.

 

Retailing in India – Trends and Opportunities:

            Retailing – no marks for guessing this is the most active and attractive sector of the last decade in India. While the Retailing industry itself has been present through history in our country, it is only the recent past that has witnessed hordes of players leaping onto it.

            The Emergence of Retailing in India has more to do with the increasing purchasing power buyers, esplically post- liberalization increases in product variety and the increasing economies of scale with the aid of modern supply and distribution management solutions.

            The current retailing revolution has been provided an impetus from multiple sources. The “Revolutionaries” include many commotional stores upending themselves to modern Retailing, compainces in competitive environment entering the market directly to ensure exclusive risibility for their products and professional chain stores coming up to meet the need of manufacturers. Attractiveness, accessibility and absorbability seen to be the key offering of the Retailing chain.

 

Emerging Trends:

            The single most important evolution that took place along with the Retailing evolution was the rise and fall of the dotcom companies, more importantly, the very nature of the customer segment being addressed was almost the same. The computer – Sawy individual was also a scale- sector of the store.

            Internationally, the concept of net shopping is yet to be proven. Now ever, the size of the direct market industry is too limited to deter the Retailers, for all comenience that it offers, electronic retailing does not suit products where “look” and “see” attributes are of importance.

 

Retail Strategy:

            According to the wheel of retailing theory, retail innovators often appear as low – price operators with a low-most structure and low-profit margin requirements. Over time, these innovators upgrade the products and become high price orators. This meant enlarging the sales force, improving locations, upgrading fixtures, carrying lower thrower merchandise and granting credit etc… These improvements lead to higher cost which tern lead to higher prices.

 

Retail image:

            Image refers to how a retailer is perceived by customers and others succeed, a firm must communicate a distinctive, clear and consistent image. Once its image is established in consumer mind, a retailer is placed in a riche relative to competitors.

 

 

Future of Retail in India :

            Customers are also looking for convenience in shopping. This would continue more strongly in the next couple of years. In future the more dual income families, the consumer’s ability to spend will increase, but at the same time it is predicted that the time available for shopping will go down, in such scenario, the retailers will have to take steps to develop shopping as an experience, though the more successful retailers will be those that will provide faster service.

            Thereby to succeed in retailing, current and future retailers must be able to adopt a constantly changing environment, successfully retailers are able to anticipate and adapt to change.

            Thus retail marketing strategy would not only yield benefits for consumers. Manufacturers and wholesalers but also creates economic utility.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

            Retailing is a technology – intensive industry successful retailers today work closely with their renders to predict consumer demand, shorter lead times, reduce inventory holding and thereby save cost.

            Wale-mart pioneered the concept of building a competitive advantage through distribution and information systems in the Retailing industry.

            The traditional Retailers will always continue to exit but organized retailers are working towards revamping their business to obtain strategic advantages at various levels – market, cost, knowledge and customer.  

            It would be important to note, however that the retailing industry in India is still a “protected industry”. Given the current trend in liberalization, it will not the long before the Retailing sector also thrown open to international market. This will see a further segregation of international retailing brands.  

 

 

Author : C. PAVITHIRA

            M.Phil Commerce,Periyar university, Salem-11

 

Address for Communication :

            57, Appasamy Street,

            Shevapet, SALEM – 2.

            Cell : 98425 – 50487

E-mail:  pavithira01@yahoo.co.in

 

C.Pavithira

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

Emerging Trends in Retail Marketing strategy

Posted by admin | 15/05/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Emerging Trends in Retail Marketing strategy

 

Retail Marketing

            The essence of retail marketing is developing merchandise and services that satisfy specific needs of customers, and supplying them at prices that will yield profits. Thereby the concept is a philosophy, not a system of retailing or retail structure. In today’s CRM landscape the old analogy comparing the rifle and shotgun approaches to message and / or offer delivery is perhaps more appropriate than ever, as more retail organizations struggle to achieve one-to-one marketing-communications with customers and prospects.

            Targeting allows a retail enterprise to channel its marketing budget4ere there is the greatest (and fastest) possibility of Return On Investment (ROI)

 

Retail Marketing mix

            Retail Marketing mix is the term used to describe the various elements and methods required to formulate and execute retail marketing strategy.

            The mix may vary greatly according to the type of market the retailer is  in, and the type of products / services.

 

Marketing strategy

       A marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its
limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage’. A marketing strategy should be centred around the key concept
/ that customer satisfaction is the main goal.

            A strategy consists of a well thought out series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing. Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results.

 

 

Today’s retail Marketing Managers Must :

            Understand the connections between the lifestyle and expenditure characteristics of customers, their propensity to purchase one product or brand over another, and leverage this understanding for competitive advantage.

            Improve direct marketing response by ensuring they are targeting the right households at the right time, using the right media with the right message.

            Leverage current consumer data to make better strategic decisions about products, marketing and locations.

            Increase customer loyalty and retention with a scientific, data driven approach to analytical CRM.

            Retail marketing managers can implement the following projects to understand their customer, market and store locations better; achieving a very strong ROI for their retail marketing efforts in the process.

 

Customer and Market Potential Estimates:

            Estimate the revenue potential of your customers to determine their current, potential and life-time value

            •      Estimate your market potential for more effective acquisition initiatives

            •      Quantity and qualify your market opportunities.

 

Customer and Market Profiles:

            •      Develop more effective communication strategies through a better understanding
                    of who your customers are

            •      Identify your market potential through a better understanding of your targets.

 

Customer and Market Segmentation:

            •      Develop more effective communication strategies through a better  understanding
                    of different customer groups and your market segments

            •      Customize your product offers by different customer and market segments.

 

 

The nature of retail Marketing:

  • The key aspects of retail marketing is an attitude of mind.
  • In making retail marketing decisions, retailers must consider the needs of the customers.
  • Retail marketing decisions are driven by what the shoppers need and want.
  • Retail marketing is therefore a philosophy and is all about satisfying the customers
  • What the customers regard as value and what they buy is decisive.
  • What the customers buy determines the nature of the retailer’s business.
  • The essence of retail marketing is developing merchandise and services that satisfy
             specific needs of customers, and supplying them at prices that will yield profits.
  • Retailers must take the customers’ needs into consideration in retail operation.
  • Retail marketing is stimulating, quick-paced, and influential.
  • The retail marketing concept is the acceptance by the retailer that it is the “customer”
             and not “demand” that lie at the core of the retail organization.

 

The Emerging Sectors:

            Retailing, one of the largest sectors in the world economy, is going through a transition phase, not only in India but the world over. For the long time, the corner general store was the only choice available to the customer, especially in the urban areas. This is slowly giving way to global format of retailing.

            The emergence of new retail sector have accomplished by changes in existing formats as well as the beginning of new formats.

 

The changing Retail Environment:

            Profound changes are taking place, and will continue to occur, in the retail industry. In terms of sales, the retail landscape is moving away from specialty stores and department stores toward discount retailing.

            Although the future is difficult to predict, forthcoming trends in retailing will focus on demographics, geographic convenience, time convenience increased Food expenditure away from Home and rapid changes in information technology. In addition, retailers will find a convergence of electronic methods and traditional methods of Retailing.

 

 

Five pillars of Retailing:

            Heoxard Berry describes five important actions for Retailers. These actions, demand pillars, sound simple but are often difficult to implement.

  1. Solve customer’s problems.
  2. Treat customers with respect.
  3. Connect with customer emotions.
  4. Set the fairest (not the lowest) price.
  5. Save customer’s time.

            Retailers should always keep these pillars in mind when conducting business. As the work force becomes more diverse and the retail environment continues to changes, consumer’s needs are rapidly changing.

 

Retailer’s Responses To the changing customer:                                   

            Retailers will need to alter their way of thinking to adjust to the changing customer.

v                 Retailers that convey the appropriate level of respect will experience an increase in customer loyalty and sales.

v                 Retailers must dig deep to learn who their customers are, so they can develop Niable customer segments.

v                 The old marketing concept will need to be modified from “satisfying” customers to “wowing” customers.

 

Global retailing:

            The world has entered the digital information age. Retailers in a variety of industries are now using advanced computer systems to enhance their ability to understand, communicate with and evaluate their market place and to anticipate and respond to their customer’s needs, Retail shops are using bar code scanners at their check out point to gauge the types of product their customers are buying.

 

 

E-tailing:

            Retailing on the net is known as E- tailing. Internet has changed the way we do shopping. It has brought the commerce will play a crucial role in shaping the future of Indian retailing. The real challenge for retailing would be laurching and managing a highly irnovative click business that works along with a more stable bricks business. For shoppers and retainers it is increasingly a hybrid world.

            Merchants that reach consumers through different sales channels, stores, websites catalogues, find that they enjoy key advantages over competitors that operate in just one world. E-tailing is still a nascent business model all over the world and it is to be seen how it emerges in the future. E-tailing will also work best as an adjunct and supplement to brick and mortar set up.

            On the flip side, retail stores can make consumers more comfortable with internet shopping since most traditional merchants allows customers to return on-line purchase to their offline stores.

 

E-commerce in Retail marketing:  

            “With Electronic – commerce, we have reached the flash point” – says Ferguson. The internet throws many exiting trends under an are light and accelerates the transformation to web years. There is an occupational hazard in the world of electronic commerce. There is an existing and confusing time. In some ways electronic commerce has already had profound impact – just the Wall Street brokers who have been watching their private clients flock to online discount brokers.

 

Retailing in India – Trends and Opportunities:

            Retailing – no marks for guessing this is the most active and attractive sector of the last decade in India. While the Retailing industry itself has been present through history in our country, it is only the recent past that has witnessed hordes of players leaping onto it.

            The Emergence of Retailing in India has more to do with the increasing purchasing power buyers, esplically post- liberalization increases in product variety and the increasing economies of scale with the aid of modern supply and distribution management solutions.

            The current retailing revolution has been provided an impetus from multiple sources. The “Revolutionaries” include many commotional stores upending themselves to modern Retailing, compainces in competitive environment entering the market directly to ensure exclusive risibility for their products and professional chain stores coming up to meet the need of manufacturers. Attractiveness, accessibility and absorbability seen to be the key offering of the Retailing chain.

 

Emerging Trends:

            The single most important evolution that took place along with the Retailing evolution was the rise and fall of the dotcom companies, more importantly, the very nature of the customer segment being addressed was almost the same. The computer – Sawy individual was also a scale- sector of the store.

            Internationally, the concept of net shopping is yet to be proven. Now ever, the size of the direct market industry is too limited to deter the Retailers, for all comenience that it offers, electronic retailing does not suit products where “look” and “see” attributes are of importance.

 

Retail Strategy:

            According to the wheel of retailing theory, retail innovators often appear as low – price operators with a low-most structure and low-profit margin requirements. Over time, these innovators upgrade the products and become high price orators. This meant enlarging the sales force, improving locations, upgrading fixtures, carrying lower thrower merchandise and granting credit etc… These improvements lead to higher cost which tern lead to higher prices.

 

Retail image:

            Image refers to how a retailer is perceived by customers and others succeed, a firm must communicate a distinctive, clear and consistent image. Once its image is established in consumer mind, a retailer is placed in a riche relative to competitors.

 

 

Future of Retail in India :

            Customers are also looking for convenience in shopping. This would continue more strongly in the next couple of years. In future the more dual income families, the consumer’s ability to spend will increase, but at the same time it is predicted that the time available for shopping will go down, in such scenario, the retailers will have to take steps to develop shopping as an experience, though the more successful retailers will be those that will provide faster service.

            Thereby to succeed in retailing, current and future retailers must be able to adopt a constantly changing environment, successfully retailers are able to anticipate and adapt to change.

            Thus retail marketing strategy would not only yield benefits for consumers. Manufacturers and wholesalers but also creates economic utility.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

            Retailing is a technology – intensive industry successful retailers today work closely with their renders to predict consumer demand, shorter lead times, reduce inventory holding and thereby save cost.

            Wale-mart pioneered the concept of building a competitive advantage through distribution and information systems in the Retailing industry.

            The traditional Retailers will always continue to exit but organized retailers are working towards revamping their Business to obtain strategic advantages at various levels – market, cost, knowledge and customer.  

            It would be important to note, however that the retailing industry in India is still a “protected industry”. Given the current trend in liberalization, it will not the long before the Retailing sector also thrown open to international market. This will see a further segregation of international retailing brands.  

 

 

Author : C. PAVITHIRA

            M.Phil Commerce,Periyar university, Salem-11

 

Address for Communication :

            57, Appasamy Street,

            Shevapet, SALEM – 2.

            Cell : 98425 – 50487

E-mail:  pavithira01@yahoo.co.in

 

C.Pavithira

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

Eliminate the “Oops” Moments In Your Retail Store

Posted by admin | 24/04/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Have you ever encountered the “Oops” situation in your retail store? Ever said “Oops” when the customer received a damaged or non-working product, when the price rang up incorrectly, when the bonus wasn’t included in an employee’s check, or when a quarterly insurance payment was missed? We have all experienced an “Oops” situation, and we know how that feels as well as what it costs. Using checklists can help to reduce the number of “Oops” moments.

As a retailer, you’re faced with managing a number of areas that directly contribute to your profitability, including sales, operations, inventory, marketing, administration, and personnel. By managing each of these areas carefully and attentively, you can derive maximum profits out of each. Effectively using checklists can help you better serve customers, process sales, direct and control operations, manage costs, and achieve increased profitability.

Checklists are a key component of a successful retail business operation. Utilizing checklists leads to higher profit, more efficient and productive operations, satisfied customers, and a better quality of life for you and your employees. Let’s take a look at some of the major functional areas of a retail operation and see how checklists can be applied to improve overall profitability.

Sales: Writing and recording sales can often be a source of errors and mistakes such as information omission, incorrect data, inexact calculations, return processing errors, inaccurate product numbers or payment mistakes. Each of these errors and mistakes can be reduced, if not eliminated, through the use of carefully designed checklists. Using a checklist will serve as a reminder to follow all procedural steps and ensure conformity with your Business practices and policies for all your employees.

Operations: Everything required to run the store and not mentioned elsewhere, is typically called operations. This includes accounting, advertising, banking, budgeting, cleaning, opening and closing, handling money, ordering products and supplies, and reporting. Using checklists is important to ensure this work will be done in the correct manner and that nothing will be missed. Checklists can be especially useful in planning your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual To Do lists. When you must trust someone else to complete the work in your absence, a well designed checklist ensures all the work will get done and in the correct manner.

Inventory: Paying close attention to inventory means controlling costs and having enough products on the shelf to sell. Excess inventory has a carrying cost associated with it while no inventory means lost or delayed sales. Checklists can help you manage inventory, record stock items, receive shipments, and re-order; all necessary functions to maximize sales.

Employees: Turnover is an ever-present issue in the retail business as are the numerous government reports and regulations regarding employment. Checklists can be utilized to minimize time spent on reporting, maintaining files, hiring and training new employees, and dismissing employees. Doing it correctly and efficiently avoids problems later, problems that can be time consuming and costly.

Using checklists in your retail store gives you the ability to operate productively and efficiently, keep costs low, and make a profit. Checklists can be used in all facets of a Retail operation, helping to organize tasks, manage time, operate more efficiently, avoid excess costs and wasteful ways, and ensure compliance with laws, policies and procedures. Checklists can be developed internally, can be purchased through a commercial source, or purchased and modified to meet your specific requirements. Purchasing a professionally designed checklist that has been tested by many other retailers can save you a lot of time and money and is an option that should be considered.

Jim ODonnell
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/eliminate-the-oops-moments-in-your-retail-store-451111.html

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

Eliminate the “Oops” Moments In Your Retail Store

Posted by admin | 21/04/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Have you ever encountered the “Oops” situation in your retail store? Ever said “Oops” when the customer received a damaged or non-working product, when the price rang up incorrectly, when the bonus wasn’t included in an employee’s check, or when a quarterly insurance payment was missed? We have all experienced an “Oops” situation, and we know how that feels as well as what it costs. Using checklists can help to reduce the number of “Oops” moments.

As a retailer, you’re faced with managing a number of areas that directly contribute to your profitability, including sales, operations, inventory, marketing, administration, and personnel. By managing each of these areas carefully and attentively, you can derive maximum profits out of each. Effectively using checklists can help you better serve customers, process sales, direct and control operations, manage costs, and achieve increased profitability.

Checklists are a key component of a successful Retail business operation. Utilizing checklists leads to higher profit, more efficient and productive operations, satisfied customers, and a better quality of life for you and your employees. Let’s take a look at some of the major functional areas of a retail operation and see how checklists can be applied to improve overall profitability.

Sales: Writing and recording sales can often be a source of errors and mistakes such as information omission, incorrect data, inexact calculations, return processing errors, inaccurate product numbers or payment mistakes. Each of these errors and mistakes can be reduced, if not eliminated, through the use of carefully designed checklists. Using a checklist will serve as a reminder to follow all procedural steps and ensure conformity with your business practices and policies for all your employees.

Operations: Everything required to run the store and not mentioned elsewhere, is typically called operations. This includes accounting, advertising, banking, budgeting, cleaning, opening and closing, handling money, ordering products and supplies, and reporting. Using checklists is important to ensure this work will be done in the correct manner and that nothing will be missed. Checklists can be especially useful in planning your daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual To Do lists. When you must trust someone else to complete the work in your absence, a well designed checklist ensures all the work will get done and in the correct manner.

Inventory: Paying close attention to inventory means controlling costs and having enough products on the shelf to sell. Excess inventory has a carrying cost associated with it while no inventory means lost or delayed sales. Checklists can help you manage inventory, record stock items, receive shipments, and re-order; all necessary functions to maximize sales.

Employees: Turnover is an ever-present issue in the retail Business as are the numerous government reports and regulations regarding employment. Checklists can be utilized to minimize time spent on reporting, maintaining files, hiring and training new employees, and dismissing employees. Doing it correctly and efficiently avoids problems later, problems that can be time consuming and costly.

Using checklists in your retail store gives you the ability to operate productively and efficiently, keep costs low, and make a profit. Checklists can be used in all facets of a retail operation, helping to organize tasks, manage time, operate more efficiently, avoid excess costs and wasteful ways, and ensure compliance with laws, policies and procedures. Checklists can be developed internally, can be purchased through a commercial source, or purchased and modified to meet your specific requirements. Purchasing a professionally designed checklist that has been tested by many other retailers can save you a lot of time and money and is an option that should be considered.

Jim ODonnell
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/eliminate-the-oops-moments-in-your-retail-store-451111.html

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

E-inbusiness Announced as Associate Sponsor for the Retail Week Ecommerce Summit 2009

Posted by admin | 18/04/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Multi-channel, full service eCommerce and eMarketing agency, e-inbusiness is proud to announce its associate sponsorship of the forthcoming Retail Week eCommerce Summit – 17 & 18 February 2009, Millennium Gloucester, London. 

Running across two days, the summit will feature four conference streams covering the full spectrum of eCommerce, online marketing channels and multi-channel integration with a focus on business growth, customer acquisition and profit maximisation. As part of the conference programme, e-inBusiness will be delivering a thought provoking presentation on utilising rich media to increase the effectiveness of your site to enhance customer spend.

e-inbusiness designs and builds integrated next generation eCommerce websites and deploys strategic eMarketing campaigns for a number of leading UK retail brands including: New Look, Radley, Farrow & Ball and The Conran Shop.

Bringing together innovative creativity, best-of-breed technology and comprehensive full service support, e-inbusiness works with a range of market leading strategic partner solutions including: Omniture, Mercado, PayPal and EPiServer, to provide a robust multi-channel eCommerce platform that is built on Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 and supports Web2.0 technology.

Nigel Welch, e-inbusiness Chief Executive said: “We are thrilled to become an associate sponsor of the Retail Week eCommerce summit. We look forward to meeting a range of businesses to discuss how we can help to deliver a world class online shopping experience that drives up sales, revenue, conversion rates and customer loyalty. Our leading eibCommerce core technology platform was developed to meet all multi-channel retail needs and delivers the ultimate in flexibility, scalability and feature rich functionality.”

With eCommerce the fastest growing sector of the retail landscape and vital to the future of retailers as the economic crisis deepens, the summit will bring together key stakeholders from across the industry to provide solutions and practical strategies to help retailers deliver a profitable and sustainable eCommerce channel.

Sophie Goad, Conference Manager, Retail Week said: “Retail Week is delighted to welcome e-inbusiness as associate sponsors of the Ecommerce Summit.  As online sales continue to outperform the high street it is essential that retailers strengthen their online offering and multi-channel integration. e-inbusiness has helped a wide range of retailers achieve their objectives in growing their online business effectively and profitably and with clients including: New Look, Radley, Farrow & Ball, Dreams and The Conran Shop, we feel their expertise will be a great addition to the programme.”

Further information can be found at: www.e-inbusiness.co.uk

For further information on the Retail Week eCommerce Summit please visit: http://www.emapconferences.co.uk/ecommercesummit/index.jsp

e-inbusiness
http://www.articlesbase.com/ecommerce-articles/einbusiness-announced-as-associate-sponsor-for-the-retail-week-ecommerce-summit-2009-675381.html

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

E-inbusiness Announced as Associate Sponsor for the Retail Week Ecommerce Summit 2009

Posted by admin | 15/04/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Multi-channel, full service eCommerce and eMarketing agency, e-inbusiness is proud to announce its associate sponsorship of the forthcoming Retail Week eCommerce Summit – 17 & 18 February 2009, Millennium Gloucester, London. 

Running across two days, the summit will feature four conference streams covering the full spectrum of eCommerce, online marketing channels and multi-channel integration with a focus on business growth, customer acquisition and profit maximisation. As part of the conference programme, e-inbusiness will be delivering a thought provoking presentation on utilising rich media to increase the effectiveness of your site to enhance customer spend.

e-inbusiness designs and builds integrated next generation eCommerce websites and deploys strategic eMarketing campaigns for a number of leading UK retail brands including: New Look, Radley, Farrow & Ball and The Conran Shop.

Bringing together innovative creativity, best-of-breed technology and comprehensive full service support, e-inbusiness works with a range of market leading strategic partner solutions including: Omniture, Mercado, PayPal and EPiServer, to provide a robust multi-channel eCommerce platform that is built on Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 and supports Web2.0 technology.

Nigel Welch, e-inbusiness Chief Executive said: “We are thrilled to become an associate sponsor of the Retail Week eCommerce summit. We look forward to meeting a range of businesses to discuss how we can help to deliver a world class online shopping experience that drives up sales, revenue, conversion rates and customer loyalty. Our leading eibCommerce core technology platform was developed to meet all multi-channel retail needs and delivers the ultimate in flexibility, scalability and feature rich functionality.”

With eCommerce the fastest growing sector of the retail landscape and vital to the future of retailers as the economic crisis deepens, the summit will bring together key stakeholders from across the industry to provide solutions and practical strategies to help retailers deliver a profitable and sustainable eCommerce channel.

Sophie Goad, Conference Manager, Retail Week said: “Retail Week is delighted to welcome e-inbusiness as associate sponsors of the Ecommerce Summit.  As online sales continue to outperform the high street it is essential that retailers strengthen their online offering and multi-channel integration. e-inbusiness has helped a wide range of Retailers achieve their objectives in growing their online business effectively and profitably and with clients including: New Look, Radley, Farrow & Ball, Dreams and The Conran Shop, we feel their expertise will be a great addition to the programme.”

Further information can be found at: www.e-inbusiness.co.uk

For further information on the Retail Week eCommerce Summit please visit: http://www.emapconferences.co.uk/ecommercesummit/index.jsp

e-inBusiness
http://www.articlesbase.com/ecommerce-articles/einbusiness-announced-as-associate-sponsor-for-the-retail-week-ecommerce-summit-2009-675381.html

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

What local retail store can I buy a lego mindstorms nxt kit?

Posted by admin | 14/04/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

I want to buy this at a local Retail store, not online. I tried to find it at toy r us, walmart, bestbuy, and target but none of them had it.

Dick Smith sell it i think tandy do too

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

Experience the Kooshi Comfort of Singapore Retail Franchise

Posted by admin | 08/04/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

!–[if !vml]–>kooshi

As a Kooshi Business partner, you will never be working alone. Their experienced head office staff will be able to provide strong support for branding and marketing. They are always ready to lend their expertise to make your investment pay off. The retail operations team will take you through the business-building process with direct involvement and active participation. Kooshi has a strong team of merchandisers focusing on product innovation and development. You will enjoy quality assurance of the products from Kooshi’s manufacturing arm.

Moving forward

Kooshi’s brand has built up a strong position in Singapore over the last two years, and the online Retail presence has consolidated a strong demand in Asia. Investors in Vietnam and Indonesia have bought rights to retail and franchise our products through their retail channels.

Invest in Kooshi brand’s expansion into Asia! Join them as a business partner by being a franchisee or distributor representing the brand in your country.

As a Kooshi business partner, you will never be working alone. Their experienced head office staff will be able to provide strong support for branding and marketing. They are always ready to lend their expertise to make your investment pay off. The retail operations team will take you through the business-building process with direct involvement and active participation. Kooshi has a strong team of merchandisers focusing on product innovation and development. You will enjoy quality assurance of the products from Kooshi’s manufacturing arm.

Moving forward

Kooshi’s brand has built up a strong position in Singapore over the last two years, and the online retail presence has consolidated a strong demand in Asia. Investors in Vietnam and Indonesia have bought rights to retail and franchise our products through their retail channels.

Invest in Kooshi brand’s expansion into Asia! Join them as a business partner by being a franchisee or distributor representing the brand in your country.

Emily Yung
http://www.articlesbase.com/clothing-articles/experience-the-kooshi-comfort-of-singapore-retail-franchise-685679.html

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

E-inbusiness Announced as Associate Sponsor for the Retail Week Ecommerce Summit 2009

Posted by admin | 02/04/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Multi-channel, full service eCommerce and eMarketing agency, e-inbusiness is proud to announce its associate sponsorship of the forthcoming Retail Week eCommerce Summit – 17 & 18 February 2009, Millennium Gloucester, London. 

Running across two days, the summit will feature four conference streams covering the full spectrum of eCommerce, online marketing channels and multi-channel integration with a focus on business growth, customer acquisition and profit maximisation. As part of the conference programme, e-inbusiness will be delivering a thought provoking presentation on utilising rich media to increase the effectiveness of your site to enhance customer spend.

e-inbusiness designs and builds integrated next generation eCommerce websites and deploys strategic eMarketing campaigns for a number of leading UK Retail brands including: New Look, Radley, Farrow & Ball and The Conran Shop.

Bringing together innovative creativity, best-of-breed technology and comprehensive full service support, e-inbusiness works with a range of market leading strategic partner solutions including: Omniture, Mercado, PayPal and EPiServer, to provide a robust multi-channel eCommerce platform that is built on Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 and supports Web2.0 technology.

Nigel Welch, e-inbusiness Chief Executive said: “We are thrilled to become an associate sponsor of the Retail Week eCommerce summit. We look forward to meeting a range of businesses to discuss how we can help to deliver a world class online shopping experience that drives up sales, revenue, conversion rates and customer loyalty. Our leading eibCommerce core technology platform was developed to meet all multi-channel retail needs and delivers the ultimate in flexibility, scalability and feature rich functionality.”

With eCommerce the fastest growing sector of the retail landscape and vital to the future of retailers as the economic crisis deepens, the summit will bring together key stakeholders from across the industry to provide solutions and practical strategies to help retailers deliver a profitable and sustainable eCommerce channel.

Sophie Goad, Conference Manager, Retail Week said: “Retail Week is delighted to welcome e-inbusiness as associate sponsors of the Ecommerce Summit.  As online sales continue to outperform the high street it is essential that retailers strengthen their online offering and multi-channel integration. e-inBusiness has helped a wide range of retailers achieve their objectives in growing their online business effectively and profitably and with clients including: New Look, Radley, Farrow & Ball, Dreams and The Conran Shop, we feel their expertise will be a great addition to the programme.”

Further information can be found at: www.e-inbusiness.co.uk

For further information on the Retail Week eCommerce Summit please visit: http://www.emapconferences.co.uk/ecommercesummit/index.jsp

e-inbusiness
http://www.articlesbase.com/ecommerce-articles/einbusiness-announced-as-associate-sponsor-for-the-retail-week-ecommerce-summit-2009-675381.html

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.

Closing the Loop Between Strategy & Execution – Lessons From the Indian Retail Story

Posted by admin | 30/03/10 | Tagged Retail

Interested in Learning More about Internet Marketing Try Commission Blueprint 2.0 here.

Strategy is a strange word. It is treated like a gospel. Once it is put on paper, it needs to be revered, etched in stone.

Strategy may be all that. But that does not make it sustainable?

Most strategists usually jump headlong into full throttle execution, assuming that the gospel will lead to the holy trail. They do not feel the need to test it. Extensive rollout is planned without doing a pilot. And lessons in execution are learnt in ‘hindsight’ rather than during the process of execution.

Strategy is never ’sustainable strategy’ unless it is backed by successful execution. Lessons learnt during the initial stages of execution should be used as inputs to alter/modify/overhaul strategy . Closing this loop is the only way for generating sustainable strategy which delivers long lasting business results.

An interesting example is the bitter lesson learnt by organized Indian retail in the last few years.

Indian Organized Retail story took off with a bang with the launch of Reliance Retail , followed by a slew of other big retail players like Aditya Birla, Bharti, Walmart, Tatas…the works.

Indian retail strategists opined that Retail was getting organized, and the poor corner store was threatened with crippling loss of Business . Organized retail would unleash deals driven by economics of scale and a whole new customer experience . This would cripple the neighbourhood store, which would not be able to compete on these attributes.

Consumers did throng the stores, esp. when there unique promotions were launches like Big Bazaar during days of ‘maha bachat ‘ (massive saving), but they continued to patronize their neigbourhood shops.

Unorganized retailers in the vicinity of organized retailers did experience a decline in their volume of business and profit in the initial years after the entry of large organized retailers. But the adverse impact on sales and profit weakened over time.

Big Indian retailers failed to take notice of this. Customers kept flocking to organized retail but repeat buying was not robust.

Any business which does not generate robust repeat sales is a leaking pot. But oblivious to this big retailers continued scaling up, implementing their strategic plan of adding outlets to reach their staggering targets of reaching an x number of outlets .

Size & scale, the strategy proclaimed will bring volumes. It did not.

The neigbourhood unorganized retailer would suffer badly as customers will plumb for great shopping experiences. This did not happen.

Besides, the proximity, which is a major comparative advantage , the unorganized retailer displayed significant competitive strengths that included consumer goodwill, credit sales, amenability to bargaining, ability to sell loose items, convenient timings, and Home delivery.

By the times big retailers started realizing that numbers were not coming in and the strategy was not sustainable , a lot of money had already gone down the drain. Reliance was around 700 outlets old, Subhiksha was refuting selloff rumours in media.

I think the day you start executing strategy, you should immediately be open to learning lessons and incorporating them back in.

Day 1 of execution, should be the day that the strategists need to start learning whether the strategy is really sustainable. And unless the execution lessons are incorporated, a closed loop between strategy & execution is fully in place, it is the duty of the strategist to remain fully involved.

It is a leader’s job to drive execution and not delegate it. The business leader needs to be held accountable for driving the process till sustainable strategy ( that has incorporated lessons from execution ) is firmly in place.

So initial strategy is more like a direction. It is the inputs provided by rigorous execution that gives it legs and makes it potent and long lasting.

Sarvajeet Chandra
http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/closing-the-loop-between-strategy-execution-lessons-from-the-indian-retail-story-681547.html

There is always further reading about Niche Blueprint 2 here.