ETD: 904 New technology; Air Travel Trivia and Tips; What’s Next: The Future of Shopping
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Thu Jul 14 13:31:34 GMT 2005
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0904 July 14, 2005
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] New technology
[3] Air Travel Trivia and Tips
[4] What’s Next: The Future of Shopping
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
We are in process of analyze vendors in response to a Request For Proposal
(RFP) we issued, and it is amazing to see the difference in the
offerings. IT Solution companies need to look around and see what their
competition is offering.
I subscribe to Day-Timer eTalk newsletter which I find to be one of the
best resources for time saving ideas. Today we have some tips for traveling.
Pam Danziger will be undertaking a new study: "What’s Next: The Future of
Shopping" which sound like a fascinating study. If you are interested in
participating as a sponsor, you should contact Pam.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] New technology
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We are in process of selecting a new IT solution for a client. We issued a
Request For Proposal (RFP), received responses, and narrowed the finalists
down to six vendors. Now we scheduled brief demonstrations with each of
these vendors, so we can learn more about them, and further narrow the
selection to 1-3 vendors.
It's interesting what we have found:
1. The new technology (SQL or Oracle database) runs circles around any old
technology.
2. The vendors with old technology haven't got a clue how stale their
solutions are, and that they need to look at new solutions. Some of this
technology is 20+ years old, which has been "updated" over the years, i.e.,
they incorporated new features within the limitations of their solution.
3. Some vendors need to understand the prospect's needs. Our RFP was very
comprehensive, and defined what we need, including a script of what we want
to see in the demo. Yet, some of the vendors presented their solution as
they believed we would be interested, i.e., they emphasized their
strengths, and glossed over their weaknesses. This may be OK for a
"normal" demo, but not in answer to a RFP.
The new technology blows the old stuff out of the water. You can "paint
the screen" with your own information and terminology. With old
technology, the vendor needs to make the changes. The old technology is
character-based, and very inflexible. The newer technology uses functions
that we are all familiar with, if we are a Microsoft user, e.g., the use of
CTL, the function keys, the images for functions like search, print, e.al.,
and much more.
We have three more demos to review, and It will be interesting to see the
final results.
I'll keep you posted.
George
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[3] Air Travel Trivia and Tips
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A business-class meal including wine costs an airline about $50 in raw
materials. But hold onto your plastic forks! Because for every $1 spent on
food and beverages, another $3 is spent on cabin crew service, food prep,
loading, and getting it to the passenger. Total cost? Closer to $200. (Now
you know why most coach class passengers today get only a pack of pretzels
or nuts!)
Employing up to 200,000 people, in-flight catering is an $18 billion
worldwide industry.
TIP: Afraid of missing your flight due to delays in getting to the airport?
Have your driver drop you off (long-term parking is prohibited) at
“Arrivals” instead of “Departures” to reach your terminal. You may have to
take your luggage through the elevator, but it can save you lots of time
because there’s usually much less traffic and commotion.
Ever wonder what the abbreviation ORD for Chicago's O'Hare airport stands
for? Answer: the airport’s old name “Orchard Field.” O'Hare International
Airport is named after World War II flying ace Lieutenant Edward O’Hare,
the first U.S. World War II fighter pilot to single-handedly shoot down 5
enemy aircraft.
TIP: When your flight has landed — and if you don’t have to hurry to catch
a connecting flight — relax! While you continue to enjoy your book,
everyone else will be standing like sardines, inching ahead in the
slow-moving line.
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These tips were listed in Day-Timer eTalk newsletter, which I find as one
of the best for time-saving tips. You can subscribe here...
http://www.daytimer.com/E-Talk/Home/DBED4C8CA97F4472A569B6B1AA0DE4F8/False
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[4] What’s Next: The Future of Shopping
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Call for sponsors.
The recent history of shopping has been defined by three decades of dynamic
change. The 80’s were the decade of the mall with shoppers flocking to
new mall-based centers of retail. The 90’s were the decade of the
discounters as Wal-Mart rolled out their discount shopping concept from its
base in the heartland to both coasts while many other discounters, Target
and Kohl’s among them, followed suit.
The first decade of the new millennium is the decade of luxury with
retailers offering an expanded range of traditional heritage brand luxury
to the ‘classes,’ while retailers serving the middle income market offer up
new, more affordable versions of luxury for the ‘masses.’ We are now into
the second half of the shopping decade of luxury and the logical question
is “What’s next?”
Much of the success of the entire U.S. economy depends on how well
retailers anticipate and prepare for the shifts, turns and changing demands
of the shopper in the future. In 2004 consumers’ personal consumption
expenditures accounted for 70 percent of the entire $11.735 trillion U.S.
economy. The amount shoppers spent at retail was $3.9 trillion, making
retail the single largest industry sector in the entire U.S. economy.
Unity Marketing is launching a new consumer insights study in order to
understand consumer’s shopping preferences, patterns and habits today and
how they will shift and change in marketplace tomorrow. The results of the
research will present a roadmap to the future of shopping by explaining
what shoppers will want, how they will shop, and what they will buy.
The coming decade, 2010-2020, will present many new and unique challenges
for retailers whose primary mission in the past was to sell more and more
things. In the future, shoppers will be drawn to the store for the
experience, with the purchase of things being secondary to the
experience. Therefore, retailers must create a totally new business model
to compete in the coming retail decade of experience. The results of this
research will be a guidebook for savvy retailers who must prepare for
what’s next.
Unity Marketing, a research firm that has been on the forefront of research
on consumer psychology and shopping behavior, proposes to conduct a new
consumer insights research study to help marketers and retailers understand
the new consumer shopping dynamics that are changing the retail landscape.
Focus groups will be conducted with high-income ‘recreational’ shoppers,
the bellwether consumer segment that is first to adopt new trends in the
marketplace, as well as middle-income, mass market shoppers, to explore
their likes, dislikes, passions and preferences in shopping. The focus
groups will provide insight into how the needs of these two shoppers differ
and are the same and how they both will profoundly impact the future of
shopping.
The focus groups will be followed by a quantitative survey among a
nationwide sample of consumers at all income levels to understand the ‘why’
behind their shopping preferences. Details of their shopping behavior will
be collected in the research including the types and brands of stores they
prefer, how they feel about mall shopping, what attracts them or repeals
them in ‘big box’ stores, how they relate to strip shopping malls, what
role do price, convenience, brand, service play in the shopping
equation. In addition, a psychographic profile of shoppers will be
developed that puts names and personalities to the new types of shoppers
that are going to change the future of retail.
In order to make sure that this new consumer research focuses on the issues
of most importance to retailers and marketers who need to anticipate the
future of shopping, Unity Marketing offers sponsorships to companies who
want to be more involved in the research. As a research sponsor, your
company will be involved in both the qualitative and quantitative research
development.
If you are interested in participating in the new tabletop research
project, please call me at 717-336-1600, complete the request form on this
page
http://www.unitymarketingonline.com/reports2/shopping_retail/insights_study.html
or respond by email to pam at unitymarketingonline.com right away. Please
respond by August 31, 2005 if you are interested in participating.
Pam Danziger,
President
Unity Marketing
http://www.unitymarketingonline.com
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