Archive for June, 2007
e-Commerce Platforms and Solutions
By Tocky Lawrence
Any company choosing an e-commerce platform is faced with a bewildering number of choices. Determining which of these solutions best fits your needs is no longer as simple as having your local Internet provider develop a Web page with navigation and some type of shopping-cart functionality.
E-commerce solutions have evolved to include core functionality [...]
Current Trends of the Multichannel Industry
Trends don’t always hang around for long—by definition they’re always changing. But right now, summer 2007, we can see some major industry trends that bear watching in the next few months.
1. Direct-to-customer online sales are approaching an average of 50% of total sales for multichannel merchants, but Internet customer retention rates are still significantly less [...]
10 Distribution Strategies for eCommerce Businesses
The percentage of online sales compared to in-store sales continues to rise, and multichannel retailers’ order management strategies need to keep pace. Those engaged in e-commerce have more options all the time. Here are ten possibilities to consider:
1. Internet customers expect faster delivery, and having multiple distribution points can provide improve delivery times.
2. Being closer [...]
The Fulfillment Doctor Talks About Teamwork for World-Class Results
By Gary Conrad
Q: We would like to achieve world-class results in our operation, but our efforts seem consistently to fall short of our expectations. Can you suggest ways that, as a manager, I could improve the level of teamwork in our operation?
A: The solution could be as simple as improving the level of managerial effectiveness. [...]
Good Communication, Good Business
For U.S.-based multichannel businesses interested in attracting customers from overseas and maintaining the highest possible standards of customer service could do worse than host their Web site in languages other than English. Web site translation company MotionPoint helps clients do just that, offering human translation of Web pages so a business can run alternative-language pages [...]
SALES PERFORMANCE FOR APRIL 2007
Produced by Mokrynskidirect
62% of all mailers surveyed reported April sales equal to or better than last year, and 54% reported sales equal to or better than plan for the month. 33% of all mailers had increased circulation in April 2007 vs. April 2006 and 46% kept circulation levels even with last year.
Apparel mailers reported 67% [...]
Learning From History – Leon Gorman on L.L. Bean
Leon Gorman led L.L. Bean from $2.25 million to $1.2 billion from 1967 to 2001. In his keynote speech at ACCM in Boston, he recalled the life of his grandfather, Leon Leonwood Bean, who founded the renowned outdoor gear and apparel company. Gorman believes that the company has prospered in large part because it has [...]
“Band-Aid†Relief for Unkind Postal Cut
Got a minute? Try taking this week’s USPS quiz. What “leaves Standard letter rates untouched, protects the Postal Service’s financial standing, allows USPS projected revenues to meet expected costs and does not reduce the contingency fund� (The quote is from Dan Blair, chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission.)
The correct answer is the PRC’s new proposal [...]
Push/Pull on Internet-related Taxes
The Internet is new enoughâ hard to believe, isn’t it that it’s still treated as a special case in terms of commerce. Case in point: State governments are currently prohibited from taxing Internet access, but that ban is set to expire Nov. 1 this year. Politicians and lobbyists are now debating whether to extend the [...]
