Retail Paradox Weekly - 12/11/07

Retail Paradox Weekly

Retail News Analysis by RSR Research

December 11, 2007

A New Twist on the Retail Media Network: FritoTV Coming Soon?

By Nikki Baird, Managing Partner
12/11/2007

This week heralds an announcement by Nobel Biocare of a new network aimed at dental office lobbies, and powered by c3ms and Real Digital Media. I've covered retail media networks for awhile now, but even for me, this gets a bit outside my coverage area. So why write about a healthcare media network? This one is different - and it has some important lessons for retailers.

There are two unique things about Nobel Biocare's network, called "NobelVision." More...

Dr. Giftcard: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the CardBomb

By Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner
12/11/2007

For the last several weeks, RSR analysts have been pondering (okay, obsessing) on gift cards and wondering why retailers love them. We know we're just supposed to talk about the intersection of retailing and technology, but it's part of our core belief system that to really "get" the value of technology for retailers, one really has to actually understand retailing... deeply. As a result, sometimes we digress. We go shopping, we look at labels, and we ponder the implications of non-technology related subjects - like gift cards.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, we published a piece asking for YOUR input. More...

'Compliance' does not Mean 'Security'

By Brian Kilcourse, Managing Partner
12/11/2007

Customer data matters. Customer-specific data enables retailers and their partners to target their product and service offerings with more granularity to get closer to the neighborhoods that their stores operate in and offer solutions that are more relevant to specific consumers. From the customer's perspective, this in many ways is the way retailing "used to be," but on a potentially much larger scale.

Many retailers now store detailed customer purchase histories, (including payment information) so that they can better understand consumer demand. However, failure to secure consumer-specific data will result in brand erosion and crippling scrutiny from regulatory agencies and financial networks. More...

Did You Buy Online Yesterday?

By Steve Rowen, Partner

12/11/2007

Online shoppers have so far spent more than $18 billion this holiday season. According to metrics produced by comScore Inc., a Virginia-based firm that measures e-tail activity, retailers have already enjoyed an 18 percent gain over last year's online sales from November 1 - December 6. And despite your take on the need for a "Cyber Monday," (which presumes that people can only conduct their online shopping once they return to a computer-enabled workplace after Thanksgiving), the good news remains that sales on this years November 23 were up: over $700 million on a single day. In fact, comScore's chairman predicts multiple days between December 1 and Christmas when online sales in a single day pass the $800 million dollar mark.

One of those days was likely to have been yesterday: "Green Monday." More...

Tweens Are Going Mobile

By Nikki Baird in cooperation with RetailWire

12/11/2007

The mobile phone is easily going to be - if it isnt already - the next big channel disruptor coming to retail. While most of the buzz has been around advertising models for mobile, retailers have a lot more implications to consider, including product search, pre- and post-sale services, and of course commerce. But that's all in the context of the consumers with today's disposable income - what about the next generation - the ones practically born with a phone in their hand? RetailWire asked, and we answered. More...