ETD: 727 Spyware; KIDiddles; Giftware Market Stalled; Harmonic
Environments, Inc.; FTC Commissioner on the Future of E-Commerce
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post@gapent.com
Mon, 06 Oct 2003 20:36:56 -0400
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0727 October 7, 2003
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem@gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Spyware
[3] KIDiddles
[4] Giftware Market Stalled
[5] Harmonic Environments, Inc.
[6] FTC Commissioner on the Future of E-Commerce
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
I'm in Atlanta today for a major presentation. Wish us luck.
Today we have some more information on spyware from one of our list
members. Interesting stuff.
If you are wondering what's happening in the giftware market, read the
excellent report from giftware market research guru Pam
Danziger. It reveals seven key trends for the future of the gifts
market. If you're in the giftware market, it's a must read.
Interesting piece on the future of e-commerce from the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC). What do you think?
And we have profiles on two list members. In addition to letting us all
know what they do, these members will be listed for posterity at
our "Members: Who Are You?"
http://etailersdigest.com/resources/members/index.htm And we have a form
there for you to tell us about you. As I said when I first proposed this
idea, we have "known" each other for a long time, yet we often don't know
anything about each other. So, tell us who you are and what you do.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem@gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Spyware
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Spyware is real and most computer users are not aware of these activity
tracking devises that can be lurking on their hard drives. There is a free
program on the market that can deal with spyware.
SpyBot-Search & Destroy is one program highly rated to combat spyware.
Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds
from your computer. Spyware is a fairly new kind of threat that the most
common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you happen to come
across new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't install, if
your browser crashes, or even if your browser start page has changed
without your knowledge, you most probably have spyware. But even if you
don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is
emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behavior to create a
marketing profile of you that can be sold to advertisement companies.
Spybot-S&D is free, so you have nothing to lose trying to see if something
found its way into your computer.
Spybot-S&D can also clean usage tracks, an interesting function if you
share your computer with other users and don't want them to see what you
worked on. And for professional users, it allows to fix some registry
inconsistencies and extended reports. A list of features is available if
you click on Features.
Version 1.2 will also offer an immunization option allowing you to block
many spyware downloads before they even get on your computer.
http://www.tucows.com/preview/310138.html
http://download.com.com/3000-2144-10122137.html?part=104443&subj=dlpage&tag=button
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?lang=en&page=start
Derrick Robinson
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[3] KIDiddles
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I'm Terry Kluytmans, Owner of KIDiddles.com. For the past six years, we
have been selling children's music (CDs, cassettes, videos, songbooks) plus
free online resource with lyrics to about 2000 children's songs. KIDiddles
offers a wide array of children's music to both entertain and educate.
Our main differentiation is that we offer personalized service, knowledge
of products, and a willingness to help! If we don't have what you're
looking for, we'll try to help you find it.
KIDiddles started as a labor of love, and has since taken on a life of its
own. With the schools cutting their music programs, KIDiddles offers
teachers a free resource so they can continue to bring music to the lives
of children. Our store offers quality children's music products, many of
which are not available in local retail outlets.
Our business comes mostly from word of mouth and loyal long-time
visitors. The resources on the site are free. Product prices vary.
Visit us at http://www.kididdles.com Order Inquiries: 888-717-8247
toll-free; Other inquiries: 250-282-3335
Looking forward to 'seeing' you at KIDiddles. Keep on singin'! :-)
Terry Kluytmans, Owner
KIDiddles
Box 69
Sayward BC V0P 1R0
Canada
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[4] Giftware Market Stalled
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Companies that specialize in gifts report sales down by 1%, as competition
from discount department stores heats up
Facing a second consecutive year of declining sales, the gifts and
decorative accents industry dropped to $54.3 billion, down 1% from $54.7
billion in 2001, according to Unity Marketing's new research report, The
Gifts and Decorative Accents Report, 2003: The Market, The Competitors, The
Future Trends.
"The giftware market peaked in 2000, but has been on a downward trajectory
since," explains luxury marketing expert Pam Danziger, president of Unity
Marketing and author of Why People Buy Things They Don't Need. "Giftware is
a highly diverse industry, including home decorative accents, collectibles,
novelty gifts, seasonal decorations and greeting cards and stationery.
"The industry's biggest challenge is that many of the products it sells and
the way it sells them, primarily through small specialty gift stores, do
not connect with the consumers.
"Gift shoppers today want convenience and value pricing, so they choose
discount department stores, such as Target, Wal-Mart and Kohls, rather than
the local Hallmark store. In key giftware categories, such as candles,
aromatherapy, baskets, boxes, and vases, Christmas decorations, greeting
cards and stationery, and picture frames, a new survey of 1,000 U.S.
households found that shoppers turned first to a discount department
store," Danziger says.
Seven Key Trends Predicting Future of Gifts Market
Based upon new research surveys among 134 major giftware companies and
consumers who buy their goods, the report reveals seven key trends for the
future of the gifts market:
1. Polarization and divergence in consumer market at the luxury end and the
low-price range
Demographic shifts in the consumer market will result in a decline in the
middle-market, with growth at the luxury end (i.e. baby boomers) and at the
lower-income range (i.e. millennial generation, the babies of the baby
boomers now reaching young adulthood). Due to this divergence in the
marketplace, gifts and decorative accents companies will see new
opportunities at both ends of the marketplace.
2. Connecting becomes a dominant cultural trend; age of cocooning ends
Consumers are emerging from their cocoons and rejecting overt materialism.
With a 'been there, done that' attitude consumers are turning their
attention from 'feathering the nest' toward reconnecting with the outside
world. The key trend word today is 'connecting' and the gifts industry can
benefit as it focuses on products and services that meet the consumers'
need to connect.
3. End to household clutter takes hold; shoppers become more discriminating
about purchases
The connecting consumer seeks to simplify their lives by removing clutter
to create a more harmonious, life-affirming home environment. Real Simple
magazine perfectly expresses the new down-sizing mentality. This trend is
also reflected in reality shows devoted to household organization, such as
HGTV's Misson: Organization and The Learning Channel's Clean Sweep. The
growing drive to end household clutter means consumers are finding it
harder to justify bringing purely decorative, non-utilitarian items into
the home.
4. Holiday decorating on the rise; consumers connecting with the past,
present and into the future
One bright spot in the gifting industry is new interest in holiday
decorating. This is one category of 'clutter' consumers are unwilling to
forgo. Shoppers are spending more on decorations as new decorating
holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Easter, take hold.
5. Dustibles: the new stigma of collectibles
The age of cocooning was a boom period for collecting. Collectibles were a
favorite way consumers expressed their drive to feather the nest. While
about one-third of consumers still collect, they are turning their
collecting interests to other things besides 'dustibles.' Collecting today
is about collecting real things, not inauthentic items, like figurines,
manufactured in China. Ebay has been a prime change agent in the
collectibles market.
6. Consumers ' shopping patterns are changing; giftware distribution must
change too
While shoppers are turning to new venues for popular giftware choices, the
giftware companies remain dependent upon the specialty gift stores for
about half of their total sales, although this is a shrinking channel of
distribution. According to a report from the International Council of
Shopping Centers (ICSC), the number of gift and home furnishings stores
that closed in the first half of 2003 was significantly higher than the
number of stores that closed in 2002.
7. Consumers crave reality, shifting from things to experiences
As contemporary American society becomes more 'virtual,' there is a swing
back to the 'real' world. Consumers crave grounding in the real world of
emotion and experience. When shoppers look for gifts, their focus is on the
gifting experience (i.e. the verb), not the gift (i.e. noun). Gift
companies and retailers need to stock the right item, at the right price,
for the right person, on the right occasion.
The Gifts and Decorative Accents Report, 2003: The Market, The Competitors,
The Future Trends uses consumer research to point marketers away from
declining categories, such as figurines, to those with growth potential.
This in-depth research report is available directly from Unity Marketing
http://www.unitymarketingonline.com/reports2/gifts/gifts1.html
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[5] Harmonic Environments, Inc.
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Harmonic Environments, Inc. offers Custom Indoor Waterfalls which yield
beautiful sound and visual effect. Our quality, design, product testing,
and experience makes us better than the competition.
I loved this medium and wanted to help others to bring this soothing
quality to their environments. We have been in business since 1987 and we
market our business through referrals, website, and advertising.
Products are custom made and priced on an individual basis, based upon
design, size, and materials.
Please visit website for information at:
www.harmonicenvironments.com
Steven Wander, President
waterfall@harmonicenvironments.com
772.223.9011
+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
I visited your site and am very impressed. Folks, these are not desktop
waterfalls. Have your wall covered with a waterfall.
Can you give us a ballpark price? Let's say I want that corner waterfall
displayed with the piano. How much?
George
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[6] FTC Commissioner on the Future of E-Commerce
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In an article in E-Commerce Times, it was reported that in addition to
taking action against companies suspected of engaging in unfair business
practices, the FTC has worked to shape Internet policy in a range of areas,
including online disputes and resolutions, Internet-based fraud and privacy
concerns.
In mid-September, International Business Law Services (IBLS), a privately
held company that provides global Internet legal services and acts as a
clearinghouse for e-commerce-related legal information and resources, held
its Strategic Global Summit for E-Commerce.
The two-day conference featured legal experts from the United States,
Japan, Latin America and Europe tackling a host of e-commerce issues,
including legal implications of e-mail in the workplace, matters to
consider when taking an e-business offshore, and common pitfalls that Web
site providers must avoid when conducting business in the European Union (EU).
U.S. Federal Trade Commissioner Mozelle Thompson, an attorney himself,
kicked off the event with a keynote address that touched on several
pertinent e-commerce topics, the role the FTC has assumed as the Internet
has developed into a means of conducting business, and what legal counsel
needs to consider when advising the companies they work with.
In an interview after his speech, Thompson told the E-Commerce Times that
he thinks the Internet is proving to be evolutionary rather than
revolutionary in nature.
"It will be interesting to see how we take that technology and plant seeds
in all the things that we do and see how they blossom," Thompson said. "The
Internet in and of itself has sped up a lot of things in [terms of] our
economy and, for that matter, how people communicate with each other."
Consensus
Despite all the hurdles, Thompson wrapped up his speech by saying he
remains optimistic about the e-commerce space for those who think
rationally and carefully. He went on to say that it was incumbent on those
attending the conference to think bigger and more strategically, not only
in a legal sense, but also in a business sense.
Whatever differences exist between various approaches to the Internet,
overall the e-world has drawn businesses and countries closer
together. "We may argue about our differences, but what we don't see is
the degree [to which] we've reached consensus on a lot of things we never
used to, and that happens around the world," Thompson said.
"The fact that I can say that we're looking at these ideas in dealing with
spam, and [the same ideas] suddenly pop up in Australia or Brazil, that's a
very big change."
Details at...
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/31732.html
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Links to follow
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