Click here to go to www.eretailnews.com

eRetail Association Newsletter
June 7th 2001
from Nigel Fenwick
Welcome to the June e-newsletter from the International eRetail Association & eRetailNews.

Change is in the air

The Electronic Product Code

Is pure-play eRetailing viable?

Price Matters: Live Price Testing Helps eRetailers Capture Profits

New subscription options

Conference Update

Note: All external links will open a new browser window by default

Advertisement
ARE YOU RUNNING A RETAIL OPERATION WITHOUT BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE?

If the answer is yes, you are competing from a position of disadvantage against retailers who are able to make factual and accurate decisions.

For accurate decision-making, managers need to analyze and act on information coming in from POS, inventory, merchandizing, marketing, and ERP systems. Reporting tools do not offer analytical capabilities that are critical to unearth under performing areas or report on business metrics.

Intelli-Mine's business intelligence solutions provide a unique framework to enable retailers gain visibility and insight over operations and optimize on day-to-day decisions. Intelli-Mine solutions help avoid information chaos, overspending, missed opportunities, and improve coordination across the demand and supply-chain.

Please visit Intelli-Mine at http://www.intelli-mine.com 

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR - What's New
As always, a great deal has happened since our last newsletter.

Some of the biggest changes have occurred at eRetailNews: We now publish the "eRetail Report" each month with a specific focus on retail technology AND Internet retailing strategy. (This replaces our previous eRetailNews reports which were purely focused on Internet retailing).

The reason for this change is twofold:

  1. Firstly, we have always recognized the multi-channel nature of retailing. From the outset, we have suggested that Internet retailing must be considered within the broad retail context and not as some new industry segment. Our coverage of broad retail technologies recognizes the importance of technology to both online and offline retailing channels.
  2. Secondly, and entirely coincidentally, we are able to fill a void for a quality retail industry technology report left as a result of a well-established monthly report being withdrawn from publication earlier this year.

Our new focus on broad retail technology as well as Internet retail technology coincides with the development of RetailTekWeb.com, a showcase environment for retail technology companies. Our goal is to turn RetailTekWeb.com into an online trade show environment where technology shoppers can find the leading players in the industry and review information about their products.

Since my last eNewsletter, we have produced two new eRetail Reports:

IN THE 2001-4 REPORT:

The Electronic Product Code - A Technology Revolution In The Making

  • The Electronic Product Code
    • What is the ePC
    • How will the ePC work?
    • Applications of the ePC in retail
    • Analysis
    • The ePC and society
  • Price Optimization via the Internet
    • Optivo technology review

IN THE 2001-5 REPORT:

  • Price Management Tools For Retail
    • Price Optimization
    • Components of effective price management
    • Price management and merchandising applications
  • Price Management Tools - The Players
    • KhiMetrics
    • ProfitLogic
    • DemandTec
    • Others
  • Price Management Proof Of Concept

We have a short sampling of these reports in this newsletter and on the Web.

TOP

RETAILTEKWEB.COM
offer for technology vendors
Advertise your technology products on the retail industry's online technology showcase: Get 10% off using the following discount code: "NL10"

http://www.retailtekweb.com

THE ELECTRONIC PRODUCT CODE (EPC)
Just as the UPC code has transformed retail operations around the globe over the past twenty years by increasing productivity and efficiency within the supply chain, the ePC (electronic product code) could take supply chain dynamics to the next level. That is the vision of a team of scientists at the MIT Auto-ID Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A consortium of companies (including WalMart, Proctor and Gamble, and Sun) is currently supporting research into this new technology at the MIT Auto-ID Center in Cambridge Massachusetts and Cambridge, England.

Read more, click here ...... http://www.eretailnews.com/features/0105epc1.htm 

TOP

IS PURE-PLAY ERETAILING VIABLE?
In April 2000, I considered this same topic in the article entitled "Is Internet Retailing Doomed?" In the past twelve months we have witnessed the demise of many leading eRetailers, including eToys, MotherNature.com, Garden.com, and Pets.com. Can this be taken as proof that the eRetail business model does not work?

The answer to this question probably depends upon your perspective. If you are an investor in a failed dotcom eRetailer, then your answer is most likely a resounding YES. However, a more impartial observer may come to a different conclusion.

A key component of the pure-play eRetail business model is the supposition that it is more profitable to deliver products directly to the consumer than it is to build retail stores, staff them and fill them with inventory. The "dotcom" theory suggested that eRetail can save money by having lower inventory overheads and no investments in expensive stores, and it could be much more profitable than traditional retailing. It was not too many months ago that we heard analysts pronounce the imminent demise of traditional retailing at the hands of the new, more efficient dotcoms. In hindsight, we can see how unrealistic this supposition turned out to be. Could we have predicted the demise of so many dotcoms?

Firstly, if the economies of direct distribution were so much better than traditional retailing, catalog retailers would have dominated the retail sector many years ago. They did not for good reasons. For example ......

To read more, click here ........ http://www.eretailnews.com/features/0105viable.htm 

TOP

Advertisement
Independent Retail Technology Advice From The People That Have Real Experience

BizBrick Retail Consulting

Getting truly independent advice on retail technology selection projects is critical to achieving the maximum return on investment. Unfortunately, finding unbiased experienced consultants that have nothing to gain by recommending one solution over another is increasingly difficult in the retail industry.

Fortunately, there is one consulting company that is dedicated to providing the best, unbiased advice available. BizBrick provides top quality retail technology consulting backed by a 100% client satisfaction guarantee.

BizBrick, Building Better Businesses

Price Matters: Live Price Testing Helps eRetailers Capture Profits
Online merchants are discovering that by leveraging the Internet, real-time data can be collected and used to make accurate decisions regarding inventory control and supply chains. However, one component of the retail model has remained largely untapped by most e-retailers - price. What most e-retailers have yet to uncover is that by adjusting price levels based on real-time market data, dramatic increases in gross margins can occur. In fact, according to Arthur Andersen, a 1% increase in price can lead to operating profit improvements of 11% or greater.

Online Retail - A Bright Outlook Despite Current Challenges

Online retail has struggled to survive in the last year, but future predictions validate this vertical as holding formidable opportunity for growth. A recent study by Boston Consulting Group predicts online retail sales will reach $65 billion this year. Additionally, the study reflects the market's steady increase in revenue: online retail revenue hit $44.5 billion in 2000, up 66 percent from the $26.7 billion retailers generated in 1999.

However, many online retailers continue to find financial success elusive.

To read more ....... http://www.eretailnews.com/features/0105pricing.htm 

TOP

REPORT SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS
If you do not yet subscribe to the eRetail Report, we have introduced a range of new subscription options, including a new six-month electronic edition subscription starting at $99. The print edition first year subscription now starts at $350.

For a complete list of subscription options use the link below: http://www.eretailnews.com/secure/subscribe.asp#options 

eRETAIL CONFERENCE DISCOUNTS

eRetail Association members receive discounts to the following events:

Date

Location

 Subject

Association
member discount
July 31-Aug 3rd New York eTail2001 USA 25%
Aug 22-25th  Singapore DOTCOM ASIA
(Exhibitor discounts available)		 30% 
Become a Content Partner
If you would like to write an article to be published by eRetailNews on our website and/or in this newsletter, ask about becoming a content partner. As a content partner you can achieve great visibility for your business. Drop me an email to find out more.

If you enjoyed reading this newsletter, please forward it to a friend.

Be happy,

Nigel Fenwick :)

eRetailNews & the International eRetail Association
 http://www.eretailassociation.org
 http://www.eretailnews.com 

go to TOP

FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER?

Although this is a copyright publication, you are welcome to send it on to your friends and colleagues provided that you please make sure you send the full newsletter, in its entirety, including the copyright statement at the end. You can alternatively email your friend the following link to this page: http://www.eretailnews.com/newsletters/010607newsletter.htm

(If you received this from a friend, you may request your own free copies at any time simply by filling out the form at the eRetailNews website or use this email link.

LEGAL NOTICE
Please forward this email freely:

This newsletter may be freely forwarded via email provided it is sent in its entirety. NOTE: use of this newsletter as part of a broadcast mail service or SPAM is expressly forbidden.

To publish excerpts on a website, please use the HTML version from our website and include a link back to the full text at www.eretailnews.com. "The WOW Factor!", "eRetailNews", "RetailTekWeb", "eRetail+", "eRetail Scorecard", "eRetail Research", "eRetail Association" and "International eRetail Association" are servicemarks or trademarks of eRetailNews, Inc. Copyright: 2001 eRetailNews, Inc. Please credit any references. Legal notice.

While eRetailNews, Inc. and its agents use their best efforts in collecting and preparing the information published herein, eRetailNews does not assume, and hereby disclaims, any liability for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from negligence, accident or other causes.

To advertise in this newsletter: http://www.eretailnews.com/advertising.htm 

TO REMOVE

To remove your name from the recipient list for this newsletter
 use this link from the appropriate email address.

Previous Newsletter

eRetailAssociation

Home  Archive  Bookstore  Features  Conferences  Research   TekWeb
About   Consulting   Association   eRetailNews Reports   Search 
 
eRetailNews homepage

Copyright ©2001eRetailNews,Inc.. Privacy Statement. For questions or comments about this web site, e mail webmaster@eretailnews.com. eRetailNews publishes a monthly industry journal (ISSN 1529-2959) on behalf of the International eRetail Association. For subscription information go to www.eretailassociation.org. 

Important Legal Information & Notice.

International eRetail Association

Website design by eRetail+

  This site is optimized for Microsoft Internet Explorer: Download for free