ETD: 745 Wireless and customer service; Scam alert - VERY
serious; Canadian Retailers Named Award Winners
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post@gapent.com
Thu, 11 Dec 2003 09:11:14 -0500
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0745 December 11, 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] Wireless and customer service
[3] Scam alert - VERY serious
[4] Canadian Retailers Named Award Winners
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
Lately I've been using wireless networking at the airports, and it is
wonderful! My trip back from Lexington, KY had a stopover in Detroit where
I spent an hour. I cranked up my laptop and viola! I was online. So, I
was able to download the 367 e-messages I had and answer those that were
important. What was very neat was I had a meeting that evening and I was
going to be an hour or so late. So I sent an e-mail to one of the
contacts, who was very impressed. I may look at the BlackBerry for
wireless e-mail. Then again, maybe not - who wants to get 325 spam
messages (out of 367) on a BlackBerry.
How's the holiday season going so far? BTW, if you want to greet your
customers in their native tongue, or wish them a Merry Christmas or Happy
New Year, don't forget the resources available at
http://etailersdigest.com/resources/greetings.htm or
http://www.gapent.com/greetings/index.htm
Be very careful when being directed to various sites. There is an MS I.E.
flaw that will kill you. See 3 below.
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] Wireless and customer service
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Is anybody using wireless networks in your store? It seems to me that they
are a godsend for the retail industry. When you have sidewalk sales, you
no longer need to run cables to the sidewalk. Or when you have the super
sales (like at Giant Stadium), you no longer need to setup a hard-wired
network. Instead, you set up a wireless network.
I can also see a lot of other uses. Like when husbands need to go shopping
with their wives, and have to look at the kzillion articles of clothing to
pick the one or two they want. He can work on his laptop and get all his
mail and handle e-correspondence. Cool stuff.
And, if you want to offer some great customer service, how about allowing
special customers to access your inventory or perhaps your ordering process
to see if you have their item in stock, or can order it. Yes, stores like
Amazon do that. How about your local men's store or gift store? Why not
offer that service to local customers?
Like many people, I order online. It's far more convenient. I would love
to shop at my local store (price is usually not an issue - availability is
important) rather than some distant store. What really burns me is when I
order and have no idea when merchandise will be shipped. This happened
recently when I ordered at two technical stores. I needed a wireless card
for one of our laptops, and even paid for express delivery. Only after
calling did I learn it was back ordered!
For the past 10 years, we have been dealing with a client who sales fabric
to designers. We did a lot of consulting and re-organizing of operations
and manufacturing. Two and 1/2 years ago we put up a huge web site for
them with over 10,000 images. Had no idea what it would do, since folks
supposedly needed to "touch and feel" the products. Well, they get one new
order a day, which is ten times what they got before the site. Their
payback was nine months (the fees were in the six figures). Why? Customer
service and ease of use, with the ability to order whenever and from
wherever they desire.
So, local stores may be missing out on opportunities - service and
convenience - and at relatively low cost, with a high potential payback.
What do you think?
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[3] Scam alert - VERY serious
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With the holidays, we have new scams. This is a major default in
Microsoft's I.E.
Remember the scam URL I pointed out a couple of issues back, i.e.,
http://www.etailersdigest.com@gapent.com gets you to gapent.com, when you
thought you were going to http://www.etailersdigest.com (the address after
the @ sign is the redirect)? Well, a new one has popped up, which will
only work from html coding, i.e., you can't click on the link below, rather
it needs to be in an html page. The new code would be:
http://www.etailersdigest.com0x01@gapent.com
Steven J. Owens reports in Web Consultants List
(http://www.wclist.com/join.php) that the addition of the 0x01 character
before the @ causes Microsoft Internet Explorer to NOT DISPLAY THE REST OF
THE URL.
You need to go to the test page here to see how it really works...
http://www.zapthedingbat.com/security/ex01/vun1.htm
Click on the "exploit" button under Microsoft Internet Explorer and it
appears to take you to www.microsoft.com.
If the coding were the old scam using the @ after the .com, you would see
the address from where you were redirected, not the address to which you
are directed.
Folks, this is a very serious issue! DO NOT click on any html coding
unless you really know where you are. It's your money - hold on to it!
My thanks to Steven J. Owens who "someday might even be a website
here http://darksleep.com
George
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[4] Canadian Retailers Named Award Winners
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The Canadian Gift and Tableware Association (CGTA) announced its Retailer
of the Year Award winners for 2003. Of the four awards, three will be
bestowed on retailers from the province of Ontario, and one from Alberta.
Best General Giftware Retailer goes to Crafted Decor, Streetsville, ON, a
2,000-square-foot emporium founded nine years ago by Sandra and Tony Astra.
The Best Decorative Accessories/Home Decor Retailer Award goes to Acheson's
Gifts & Decorative Accents, Harriston, ON, an 18-year-old,
1,000-square-foot shop owned by Diane Acheson, who opened a second store in
a nearby town last September. The Best Specialty/Niche Retailer Award goes
to Vermeer's Garden Centre and Flower Shop in Welland, ON. Established in
1961 by Karin Vermeer, the shop features a 55,000-square-foot greenhouse.
And Best Overall Canadian Retailer of the Year 2003 goes to the Greenland
Garden Centre of Sherwood Park, AB, founded 12 years ago by family members
Deb and Rod Sirman and Tim and Wayne Chichak. All award winners will be
recognized at the CGTA Gift Show, which takes place January 25-29, in Toronto.
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief
Matthew Kalash, Editor
http://www.giftsanddec.com
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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
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Prior to 29 Dec
1999 http://etailersdigest.com/archives/index.htm
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