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Retail Paradox Weekly
Retail News Analysis by RSR Research
October 2, 2007
The Retail Payments Revolution
By Nikki Baird, Managing Partner
10/2/2007
A revolution is coming to retail payments, which for my purposes I'm defining as everything from payment types to the backend architecture that supports payment transaction processing. The changes coming from every direction in this space have the potential to transform the way people pay, the cost structure of the payments that retailers accept, and the way retailers manage their payments infrastructure.
This is a topic I've wanted to cover for a long time - ever since the rise of Pay Pal and consumers' increasing use of gift cards. But a couple of recent events have really accelerated the activity in this space. More...
The Holy Grail: Process Managment for Merchandise Business Planning
By Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner
10/2/2007
Reflexis is well-known as a vendor of closed-loop execution systems for the retail store. Through a variety of modules, the company's software helps retailers confirm that stores are doing what they're supposed to do, when they're supposed to do it. The application footprint has grown from simple task management to labor scheduling, workforce management, and exception reporting.
By all accounts, Reflexis's customers are happy ones. More...
The 'Chicken and the Egg' of Retail Tech
By Brian Kilcourse, Managing Partner
10/2/2007
The real issue associated with customers using the Internet to make shopping decisions has never been about the technology - it was a revolutionary process change, i.e. consumers became empowered by information about retailers' products and services before they walked into a store (and therefore before retailers could influence their purchasing decisions). By the same token, the adoption of wireless PDAs, RFID, VOIP pagers, etc. in the store has never been about technology, but about empowering retailers to operate at the same speed as consumers - in real time.
For example, RFID is not a technical evolution of symbologies, but a revolutionary change to how inventory is managed throughout the value chain. More...
Happy Holidays: Sort of
By Steve Rowen, Partner
10/2/2007
The NRF recently released predictions of retail sales numbers for a near-term holiday that are highly optimistic. And while it is indeed very good news that polling shows spending this Halloween is expected to be up from last year (the average person plans to spend nearly $65 compared to last year's $59), predictions for the "real" holiday season are not so encouraging.
To date, retail-specific polls and estimates across the board are calling for a flat holiday season: 2007's gross retail sales will remain on par with those from 2006. More...
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Copyright 2007 RSR Research LLC. RSR is a tradename of Retail Systems Research LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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