RPW 8-19-08

Retail Paradox Weekly

Retail News Analysis by RSR Research

8/19/2008

Grab Bag: Some Takeaways from NRFTech

By Brian Kilcourse, Managing Partner
8/19/2008

This year’s NRF CIO meeting, NRFTECH (8/11-12, Broomfield, CO), was at a new venue and had a new vibe. Last year’s meeting was nearly overpowered by general angst concerning PCI compliance; the TJX breach was the talk du jour, and retailers were really angry about what many perceived as some serious “risk shifting” by VISA and its PCI partners. This year’s group of IT executives were focused on what’s ahead for their companies, and how to manage through a time of great challenges and opportunity. As one rep from an event sponsor said to me after adjournment, “this was a good meeting – people were talking about moving forward, not about fixing what’s broken."

Or, perhaps the meeting was more in line with... More

Social Networking is Hot, but the Question for Retailers: Is it Anything?

By Paula Rosenblum, Managing Partner
8/19/2008

I am a Facebook Junkie and my life has become unmanageable. I have up to 5 Scrabble games (I formerly played Scrabulous, but that’s a story for copyright lawyers, not retailers) going at any one time, and feel a creeping anxiety over the fact that today, Scrabble is down for maintenance. A good friend joined FB the other day and I was surprised to read a note she posted on someone’s wall saying, “I don’t fully understand this application yet.” My immediate reaction was, “Application? This isn’t an application…it’s a place.” Uh-oh. I’m in trouble.

So that’s the backdrop... More

A Baseline to Shoot from: Results from our Inaugural eCommerce Benchmark

By Steve Rowen, Partner
8/19/2008

Each of the past few years, online sales have been predicted to grow in double digit percentages, while general retail – particularly in the current down economic climate – seems barely breathing. And as consumers, we’re familiar enough with buying goods and services online that we may often forget how new the technology really is. For retailers, however, much of the challenge still lies ahead.

Apart from a few early leaders, the majority of online retail sites offer a routine, if not altogether boring similarity... More