| 11/27/2007 |
Steve Rowen |
| Customer Data Moves from Red to White Hot Debate - Just in Time for the Holidays |
This past Sunday, CBS ran a fascinating - if not precisely factual piece - on the growing threat of customer data theft from physical retail locations on its stalwart show, 60 Minutes.
As you may well know, RSR has been at the forefront of the CDS discussion for quite some time now, conducting myriad CDS research. In fact, David Hogan, CIO of the National Retail Federation, is interviewed within the 60 Minutes segment - run just a few short days after the NRF and RSR partnered to host a very successful CDS Executive Meeting in Las Vegas. Speakers' presentations from that show, which included a great presentation from David as well as one from VISA USA, are available on our CDS site.
While it is quite clear that the show's producers capitalized on the opportunity to drum up some dramatic sensationalism just in time for the holiday shopping season, we are very interested to hear your thoughts. Please let us know your reaction to the piece – which is available here under the title of "High Tech Heist."
The need for our voices to be heard is quickly growing. |
| keywords: Retailer, Retail Tech, Customer Data Security, Data Theft, 60 Minutes, High Tech Heist |
| 11/19/2007 |
Paula Rosenblum |
| Gift Cards Part Two – Blessing, Mixed Blessing or Curse? |
I am looking for input. Don’t be alarmed, I’m not asking you to take a survey. I’d just really like your opinion either here or via personal e-mail.
Specifically, I’m looking for input about why retailers have embraced gift cards as they have. I understand why consumers love them. By some accounts, they’ve become the gift selection of choice for 50% of gift givers and recipients. Most of them never expire, and fees are relatively inconsequential, especially when weighed against the time that could be spent shopping selecting a specific gift or returning said gift when it turns out to be “not exactly” what the recipient had in mind. I get that part. They’re a boon, no question.
But I have a harder time understanding why retailers love them. What are your thoughts? |
| keywords: Retailer, Retail Technology, Gift Cards, Holiday Shopping, Black Friday |
| 11/12/2007 |
Brian Kilcourse |
| Gift Cards: ‘From the Tiny Acorn Springs the Mighty Oak’ |
How big is the gift card business, and how will affect the selling season?
Retailers are starting to get wise to what my college-age daughter and her friends do with gift cards. Those college-age savvy shoppers wait until January, then maximize the value of the gift card by buying marked down merchandise. In response to this, many retailers are doing their resets much earlier in January, to win full markup sales from gift card buyers. But what does that do to the markdown cycle? Does it have to start earlier? Is that why we’re seeing deep holiday discounts in early November?
Finally, retailers have long “balanced” the upswing in their 4th QTR labor-to-sales ratios by letting go of seasonal help immediately after New Year ’s Day. If the gift card carrying hordes descend upon the stores in January, what does that do to the in-store labor?
What do you think? |
| keywords: Retailer, Retail Technology, Gift Cards, Holiday Shopping, Credit, Markdowns |
| 11/6/2007 |
Steve Rowen |
| Are You Not Entertained? |
Netflix revolutionized the entertainment delivery model. The company single-handedly forced Blockbuster into its “Total Access” program just to keep up, as it became fairly apparent that time-starved people like the option (at least) of avoiding stores. And earlier this year, Netflix was still on the lips of well-savvy investors the world over. Unfortunately, the boon appears to be over.
Netflix and Blockbuster’s Q3 numbers reflect that the home-delivery DVD audience has finally peaked – and shrunk. While Netflix actually took on 286,000 new net subscribers in the third quarter, Blockbuster’s mail delivery program dropped from 3.6 million subscribers down to 3.1, bringing the total number of mailed DVDs down from 10.3 million a quarter to 10.1 million a quarter.
Netflix still predicts that the online subscription business will weigh in at 20 million customers in 5 years’ time. What do you think? |
| keywords: Retail, DVD, Online Subscription Programs, Netflix, Blockbuster |
|
|
