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Retail Paradox Weekly
Retail News Analysis by RSR Research
February 19, 2008
Retail Metrics that Matter: What Impact Does Online Have?
By Nikki Baird, Managing Partner
2/19/2008
Since October, I've watched the headlines go by as pundits watched the holiday sales season develop. The most-watched metric? Same store sales, otherwise known as comp store sales or "comps": the monthly year-over-year comparison of sales in stores that have been open at least a year and not had any extensive remodeling within that year. If comps were up, then it was going to be a good holiday season. If they were down, then run for the hills.
But while all of this was going on, something else was happening...
Want to Maximize E-Commerce Sales? Refer a Friend
By Steve Rowen, Partner
2/19/2008
It's kind of funny to hear references to the dot-com period of the 1990's as the "early days" of e-commerce. The truer picture is that we are still very much in the throws of e-commerce's early days, and while a basic platform for the exploding retail channel exists, the possibilities are still quite unrealized. We at RSR are particularly interested to see how this changes.
One interesting new phenomenon is the emergence of "referral services" in retail.... More
Inconsistent Product Quality Can Really Hurt: Lessons from Other Industries
By Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner
2/19/2008
In general, RSR's survey respondents are responsible for consumer goods management. Whether at the end of the retail ecosystem, or just a tick or two up the value chain, our audience's products wind up in the hands of a consumer. But what about other industries? Do other industries have the same kinds of problems? A window into that question was opened on February 13, when the Wall Street Journal reported this news item. Yikes... More
RFID in Retail: Slow, Steady and... (shhh!) Quiet
By Brian Kilcourse, Managing Partner
2/19/2008
In 2005, analyst reports predicted that the retail-specific market for RFID would grow to over $4 billion in 2011. This was during the height of the "mandate" period, when such companies as Wal-Mart, P&G, and Target were very vocal in their support of new technologies. Now, half-way between 2005 and 2011, there's been a noticeable "quieting" of the buzz surrounding RFID, and retailers, never a vertical to be known for getting on and staying on the "bleeding edge" of technology, have been focusing on other things.
Copyright © 2008 RSR Research LLC. RSR is a tradename of Retail Systems Research LLC. All Rights Reserved
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2/19/2008
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