ETD: 736 I need help with...; Patents and Learning
Entrepreneurial skills; Christmas Gifting Season to Be Strongest in
Years; Off-Price Home Show to Debut in Vegas; Dictionary of
International Trade Terms
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post@gapent.com
Thu, 06 Nov 2003 06:39:21 -0500
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0736 November 6, 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] I need help with...
[3] Patents and Learning Entrepreneurial skills
[4] Christmas Gifting Season to Be Strongest in Years
[5] Off-Price Home Show to Debut in Vegas
[6] Dictionary of International Trade Terms
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
23 days to Black Friday - are you ready?
Today we have some requests for help from new list members. That's what
we're all about - learning and helping others. Life's too short for
anything else. So, let's put our thinking caps on and see what we can do.
We have some first-hand follow up comments on patents from list
members. Great stuff.
According to research guru Pam Danziger, this Holiday season will be the
strongest in years. Yea! What do you think?
Off-price seems to be a continuous hot topic. Consumers are shopping
price. Now there is an off-price trade show in Las Vegas. Might be worth
a visit.
Do you trade internationally, or are you looking to do so? Then you must
look at the dictionary of international terms. Like everything else, this
"industry" has it's own terminology and buzz words - almost like the
technology industry. You will need to know them if you are a global business.
Let's hear about your business, which will remain for posterity at
our "Members: Who Are You?" site.
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] I need help with...
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New member requests...
---
How to find and get in touch with suppliers, setting up the proper process
chain of finding items, making the decision to stock the item, selling,
then delivering the item.
Andrew P. Li
+++ Next +++
Information about retailing in gift shops especially souvenir shops
Colleen Thilges
Gift Shop Manager
Grotto of the Redemption
West Bend, Iowa
+++ Next +++
More information regarding the "fancy food" industry and e-tailing.
George Bird
Owner
B+B Design, Inc.
Cambridge, MA
+++ Next +++
Writing AD copy for net based retailers. I am placing a new net retail
site for a well established brick and mortar small business.
Michael Beatty
Senior Webdesigner
The Dragon's Edge
Wilkes Barre, PA
+++ Next +++
I'm looking for education on marketing on the Internet. What is out there,
how can I be sure it's reaching my target market; cost effectivity; etc. I
know this is always changing and I need a source to help me keep up and cut
through the hype.
I also would like to know more about etailers behind the scenes. How do
they conduct their physical operations; are they importing; how do they
work better with their clients; what do they feel like are their
differentiators; etc
Christie
President
Two Sassy Sisters
Plano, TX
+++ Next +++
Revenue trends. Market or Niche opportunities. Who's buying and how much.
Tara Jones
Manager of Business Development
Phase 2 Solutions
Scottdale,AZ
+++ Next +++
Objective discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of Yahoo type
shopping cart services,real off the shelf shopping carts that can be
customized, and built from scratch shopping carts.
Dave Bowman
Account Manager
PSI Fulfillment
Austin, TX
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[3] Patents and Learning Entrepreneurial skills
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It is really strange how sometimes a comment in the ETD digest brings a
subject that I was doing some initial research.
First, let me talk how I even got thinking about Patents. I am just
finishing up a class in Phoenix, Arizona and they have classes all over the
United States, called Fasttrac. You can review it
at: http://www.fasttrac.org/. Here is how they describe it:
FastTrac is a practical, hands-on business development program designed to
help entrepreneurs hone the skills needed to create, manage and grow a
successful business.
I have been in business close to 43 years, and I was able to learn a great
deal from this program. I would recommend the entrepreneurs on this list
take a look at it.
Also if you are a Veteran of any US Military service, you can get a great
deal by going to: Veterans Entrepreneurial Training (VET) Education
Programs which support the Fasttrac program. You can get a $400.00
discount on the cost of the Fasttrac program plus you get a certificate
from Gateway Computer for $675.00 after you complete the course. So for
Veterans, this is a no brainier for you will actually make some money on
the program.
I highly recommend any reader of the E-Trailers Digest to go out to the
Fasttrac web site (http://www.fasttrac.org/) and the Veterans Corporation
at (http://www.veteranscorp.org/) you will have a great resource and I
would highly recommend this class. It is 11 sessions, and you really get a
lot of knowledge plus it is a great net working situation.
Now, lets get back to Patents, and because of taking the class at Fasttrac,
there was a short discussion of Patents and what it does for the value of
your business if you have some product or software that can may be granted
a patent. What the patent does if gives you something that put you and
your company a step ahead of your competition.
Here is the situation, I developed a very complex, Account Receivable
Transaction Payment Processing Application for the web. My thoughts oh,
this can not get a patent, you can not get software patented. Go to
www.ezpaymentservices.com and you can get an idea of what we are doing.
The first thing I did, was get a complete flow chart of my project, and to
my surprise, it is so complex and has many different facets to it, I think
I can get a patent on it. It turns out you can not get a patent on
mathematical solutions, but if you have a process you can apply for a
patent. In 1995 there was a change in the U S Patent Laws, and for $80.00
if you a small business entity, you can file what is called "Provisional
Application for Patent". Go
to: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/provapp.htm . The application is
two pages, simple to complete and the requirements are also simple, and
that is a description of your process and drawings of your process, in my
case a flow chart.
Now what does the Provisional Application for Patent does for me, one it
gives me a 12 month time frame to complete a Non Provisional Application
and in the mean time I can put up on my web site "Patent Pending". Also
what it does is give my company an increase in value, especially if you are
looking for financial help from say your Bank, SBA, Venture Capital and any
other sources.
The moral of this story, is don't think negative and take a look at your
process and for an $80.00 investment, I know have a time frame to develop
the proper application with a Patent Attorney. It give me a breathing room
plus some protection on my process.
We also have a second application, which will be finished in two weeks, and
I know I will file a "Provisional Application for Patent" on this process
so I am protected. I never thought of my self as an inventor or I have an
idea that I could patent. I think it is worth while to review and think
about, and the class at Fasttrac really brought that into focus.
Yours truly
Jules Kaplan, of Ez Payment Solutions LLC
E-commerce Payment Solution Provider
Find Out How to Reduce Billing and Collection Cost by 90%+
Available now at: www.ezpaymentservices.com
E-Commerce Solution that you have to SEE to BELIEVE www.onlinechek.com
+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
As I understand, a Provisional Patent merely establishes a date for the
patent. To be protected, you still need a full patent.
Look at the next post.
George
+++ [Next Post] +++
I'm the daughter of a man who holds more than 40 patents.
The royalty income stream helps to support Dad and Mom during their
"retirement" years. I put that r-word in quotes because my father still
works fulltime (and then some) and my mother is a super-active community
volunteer.
Things I've learned from my father:
1. Have an excellent patent attorney. In my father's case, "excellent"
means that the attorney is able to keep up with him on an intellectual
basis. (Dad is one of those Super-Smart Guys.) This attorney is also quite
competent in the legal realm.
2. Don't just rest on your patent laurels. Continue to formulate new ideas
that can be patented and capitalized on.
Martha Retallick, "The Passionate Postcarder"
http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com/
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[4] Christmas Gifting Season to Be Strongest in Years
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Christmas 2003 will be one of the strongest gift-giving seasons in recent
memory, according to new research on ‘gifting’ from Unity Marketing. "Gift
shopping is the ultimate in ‘emotional consumerism,’ since gift giving is
about emotionally connecting gift givers and gift recipients," says Pam
Danziger, Unity’s president and author of Why People Buy Things They Don’t
Need.
"There’s a flood of survey reports about what consumers plan to spend this
holiday season, but the Unity Marketing study takes a totally different
tactic," explains Danziger. "Ask shoppers how much they plan to spend gift
shopping for Christmas 2003 and the majority will tell you about the same
or less than last year, because that is the ‘rational, left-brain’ answer."
"An examination of gift-giving behavior, which is not rational, but
emotional, shows that 87 percent of consumers have spent more (32 percent)
or the same (55 percent) on gifts over the past year. Combine this finding
with the fact that 85 percent bought more or the same number of gifts in
the past year, and 89 percent are giving gifts to more or the same number
of people, and the coming Christmas gift shopping season promises to be the
best in years," Danziger predicts. "We could see sales increases from 5 to
10 percent in November and December, with only the potential for rampant
discounting moderating results."
"Gifting prospects for 2004 also appear strong. The trend driving the
growing gifting market is consumers’ need to connect in meaningful,
emotional ways with those they care about. After spending the past 20 years
at home in their ‘cocoons,’ today’s consumers are like butterflies emerging
to seek to reconnect with the outside world. They find new meaning in
relationships that is often expressed through gifting," Danziger explains.
Methodology — Gift buying throughout the year
Based upon a survey of 950 ‘serious’ gift-givers, (people who spent $250 or
more buying gifts in the past year), the Unity survey is the first to
examine gift-giving and shopping behavior throughout the year.
Here are major findings of the gifting research survey:
Gifting is a $253 billion market and represents about 10 percent of the
consumer economy. Buying gifts for their family and friends accounts for
roughly 10 percent of the nation’s $2.7 trillion consumer retail economy.
The trend will continue as more spending is directed toward things to give
away, rather than things that fill their own
home.
Gifting is major reason to shop not just at Christmas but throughout the
year. With an average annual gift budget of $2,062, gift-giving represents
an important reason for consumers to shop, not just for the holiday season
but also throughout the year. Christmas gift-giving accounts for about 40
percent of the serious gifters’ annual budget, or $843. Birthdays with an
average annual budget of $349 represent 16 percent of the total. Overall,
holiday spending, i.e. Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, Father’s Day,
etc., totals $1,089 (53 percent of annual budget) and gifting occasions,
including anniversaries, weddings, friendship, new baby, housewarming,
etc., accounts for 47 percent of spending or $973.
Majority of gifters shop for gifts regularly in discount department stores,
while traditional department stores are relied on next for gifts. Discount
department stores, including mass merchants, warehouse clubs and dollar
stores, are used regularly by 50 percent of gifters, who turn next to
traditional department stores. About one-third of gifters regularly shop
traditional department stores for gifts, while 47 percent occasionally shop
there.
Finding good gifts at good prices is top criteria when selecting stores for
gift shopping. Good prices are the number one criteria for 65 percent of
the gift shoppers in selecting a store to shop for gifts. The next most
important criteria rated as "very important" are ability to find things
easily (54 percent); offers a wide selection of gifts (49 percent);
convenience (49 percent); and ease of return (47 percent).
Gifters go shopping to find gift inspiration. When shopping, gifters look
for something the recipient will like, as well as one priced right. But
they also want to find something that the recipients are not likely to buy
for themselves. They value emotion in the gifting equation and want a gift
that carries a surprise factor, as well as emotional meaning. The serious
gifter is always on the lookout for a good gift. They are not last minute
shoppers, but buy things when they see it and store them to give at a later
date. The way the gift is presented is also very important, so they buy
cards and wrap the gift to make a good impression. They often go to the
store without a specific idea in mind, but look for inspiration from the
displays, often shopping in several stores to find the right gift.
For more information about consumers’ gift giving and shopping, visit
http://www.unitymarketingonline.com/reports2/gifting/. An executive summary
of the topline findings of Unity’s new gifting consumer research is
available to the media by request to pam@unitymarketingonline.com.
The results of this study will be published in an upcoming Unity report
with the final results announced in presentations this January at the GLM
gift shows: Atlanta, 1/11/04; Los Angeles, 1/18/04; and New York
International Gift Fair, 2/2/04.
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[5] Off-Price Home Show to Debut in Vegas
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Milwaukee - The Off-Price Specialist Center will launch the Off-Price Home
Goods Show, a trade show for home goods, next spring in Las Vegas. It will
be an offshoot of the center's Off-Price Specialist Show, an off-price
apparel trade show. "Many off-price apparel retailers have made home goods
a significant part of their product offerings," said Bill Jage, chief
executive of the Off-Price Specialist Center. "We are launching a new show
dedicated to the product needs of home goods retailers." The show will
debut May 11-13, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas,
and will run concurrently with the Off-Price Specialist Show. Exhibitors
will be promotional-minded manufacturers, importers, jobbers, wholesalers,
and liquidators of products ranging from kitchen textiles to baskets,
candles, giftware, and holiday merchandise. The Off-Price Specialist Center
is a division of U.K.-based Tarsus Group PLC, an Internet and media company.
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief
Matthew Kalash, Editor
Gifs and Dec Online
www.giftanddec.com.
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[6] Dictionary of International Trade Terms
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Every industry has its unique terms, and international trade is no
different. Words like "bailment", "mala fides", and "tender" have their own
special meanings in the business of trade, and if you want to learn them,
go to the Dictionary of International Trade Terms (
http://www.itds.treas.gov/glossaryfrm.html ). This dictionary, part of the
International Trade Data System of the U.S. Customs Service, has hundreds
of definitions of trade terms, written in layman's language. You'll get an
education in international trade just by browsing the entries at this site.
You'll also find downloadable harmonized tariff schedules here, as well as
dozens of other useful links for trade (under Importing/Exporting Resources).
http://www.itds.treas.gov/glossaryfrm.html
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Links to follow
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GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.gapent.com/
Sarbanes-Oxley 2002 http://www.sarbanes-oxley2002.com
E-Tailer's Digest http://www.etailersdigest.com
ETD Archives: http://topica.com/lists/etailer/read
Prior to 29 Dec
1999 http://etailersdigest.com/archives/index.htm
Marketing Your Web http://www.gapent.com/myweb/
Automated Press Releases http://www.automatedpr.com