ETD: 696 Teamwork and customer service; Is Price the Criteria
for Buying?; Fact of the week; Microsoft Back in Court - To Sue
Spammers; New price scan software
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post@gapent.com
Thu, 19 Jun 2003 06:39:40 -0400
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E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0696 June 19, 2003
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem@gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
===================================================================
CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Teamwork and customer service
[3] Is Price the Criteria for Buying?
----- ---- --- -- -> Important Offer <- -- --- ---- ---- --
[4] Fact of the week
[5] Microsoft Back in Court - To Sue Spammers
[6] New price scan software
===================================================================
[1] Greetings.
===================================================================
Hi All:
Today's digest is longer than usual, as a result of Alan Zell's comments in
the last digest which raised a lot of comments by list members. So my
comments will be brief. Interesting view points. What do you think?
I will be exhibiting at the International IIA conference in Las Vegas from
June 21-24. If anybody is in the area, stop by for a visit. And, I sure
could use some special reports. Anybody have something they would like to
share? 1,500 - 2,500 words and we will make it a special issue, and it
will remain at our site for posterity.
http://etailersdigest.com/resources/Specials/
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
Dr. George Matyjewicz
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem@gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
==================================================================
[2] Teamwork and customer service
==================================================================
I have to share a very interesting experience I had this week. I've been
looking for a new car, and walked into a dealer at 7:30 PM on Tuesday. I
took a car fro a drive and then talked to the salesman about the specials
they were offering, i.e., zero everything - down, percent financing, no
payments until next year, etc. And the fact they would pay off up to 12
months owed on a lease or loan on an existing vehicle.
We all know there is a lot of fine print with those deals, i.e., you can
only take one of those options. So my wife and I were ready to leave, when
the salesman asked "What will it take for you to drive a car home
tonight?" I gave him my terms, which were reasonable to me, but outlandish
to a dealer. He cam back and matched the terms - off by a small
amount! So we bought.
That wasn't the interesting part. We stayed there until midnight
finalizing the deal (their closing time is 9:00 PM)! And they had four
people there - two until 11:00 PM and two until midnight. And all had to
be in work the next day at 9:00 AM! The salesman, finance manager, cashier
and auto prep person.
Think about it - they had four people there closing this deal. Why? What
motivated them to go that extra step? Was it commission? Pride? Or good
customer service? I'm going to meet with the owner tomorrow to find
out. I want to bottle his practices and resell them! And this was in the
NYC area, where being nice isn't part of their culture.
Can you imagine extra service like that in all businesses? Rather than
having somebody whine all day about how much work they have, they give more
time. Rather than leaving at quitting time they stay until you are
finished buying? Rather than saying "It's not my problem" they take on the
challenge and make it their problem to solve the issue. What a better
world, eh?
What do you do to encourage teamwork and added customer service in your
business? Have you experienced any good teamwork and customer service that
you would like to share?
George
===================================================================
[3] Is Price the Criteria for Buying?
===================================================================
If I am allowed I would like to comment on the sentence "When surveys are
done on what criteria people use to make a decision to buy price is often
5th, 6th or 7th in importance" made by Alan J. Zell in his article "Is
Price the Criteria for Buying?" on the E-Tailer's Digest Issue
#0695 posted on June 17, 2003.
My experience as a consumer researcher is that the importance of price is
lower when the measurement method does not allow for taking into account
product attributes simultaneously. That is, given any product, some
approaches ask survey respondents to make unlikely judgement about the
importance of each single factor separately from the other aspects of the
product, which is unlikely to happen when consumers will have to choose in
the real world.
This is one of the main reasons why such approaches as conjoint analysis or
choice based research have had quite large diffusion in the market research
field in the last 10-15 years: we (the researchers) understood that if we
would ask question such as:
>From 1=Not at all to 10=Very much, state the importance of each
attribute in choosing a product A
Color 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Dimension 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Price 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Etc...
we would obtain answers biased by factors such a social desirability, lack
of budget references, etc... That is, it is commonly observed that when
using such a question most important factors result having lower importance
ratings, and vice versa.
Academics first and practicians after started to propose alternatives of
the kind:
>From 1=Not at all to 10=Very much, how much do you like the following
product?
Color=yellow
Dimension=10x3x4
Price=3,50 $
Etc...
and then, even better, questions such as:
If you were on the market for product A, would you prefer the formulation
(1) or (2)?
(1)
Color=yellow
Dimension=10x3x4
Price=3,50 $
Etc...
(2)
Color=red
Dimension=10x3x3
Price=3,50 $
Such formulations allow to take into account the product as a bundle of
attributes and to activate trade-off reasoning, that is the consumer tend
to accept a bit less desirable value on any one factor (e.g. slightly
higher price) only if it is compensated by a more desirable value on
another factor (e.g. a more preferred color).
If some of your readers is interested, I can further explain how
compensatory measurement techniques work without going too much into
technical details.
Kind regards,
Luca
Mr. Luca MEYER
Consumer research advisor
Via Monginevro 70 - 10050 Salbertrand (To) - Italy
Tel +39.33.55.21.76.28 - Fax +39.01.22.85.48.01
Email: luca@lucameyer.com - Web: http://lucameyer.com/ - ICQ#: 289821268
+++ [Next Post] +++
In Sam Walton's book, he said the way they marketed their stores to
customers was with low price come-ons of health and beauty items to get
people into the store. It is still the way that the chains do business. The
perception formed by the promotional prices is that everything is at a low
price, or that the customer has to get into the store to then be persuaded
to make impulse purchases that they hadn't planned on. The way most large
retail business is conducted is in this mold. Bring them in with specials,
try and get them to buy the "other stuff" in the store, which you should be
making more profit on.
Few of us do business in a vacuum or a monopoly where we can establish any
price that we choose. Competition will keep a range of prices whereby a
consumer will choose to pay your price, or shop elsewhere. The additional
service or convenience that you provide will dictate how much additional
the customer will pay, up to a point. Seven-Eleven is a good example. They
are selling convenience, not low price. You can buy those aspirin at a
lower price at Wal-Mart, but 7-11 is much closer and open 24/7, and your
there for coffee anyhow.
Our business is extremely competitive, we have been growing at an enormous
clip, but we must be competitive with pricing. We will tell our customers
that we will beat any competitive price. We also tell them "It's not a
matter of being duplicit, but we have competitors and there are a lot of
items. Any competitor can promote any item at any time and we can't be
expected to monitor all of them, so we'll beat the price, just call us".
That gives us credibility and our foot in the door, it takes constant
attention to get the business and to keep it. As the relationship
advances, its your reliability and reputation that will build your
business, as the accounts give you a greater share of the pie. However, it
was being competitive with price that got your foot in the door.
Joe Dweck
+++ [Next Post] +++
I can't agree more with Alan Zell's comments. If I may add a few more points:
(1) As Mr. Zell notes, when a retailer claims that customers only look at
price, they essentially mean that the customer does not perceive enough of
a difference in the product/service offering to pay a higher price. The
retailer may claim that he/she offers better
service/quality/features/whatever, but either (a) the customer does not
value the difference enough to pay more, **OR** (b) the retailer has really
not made the difference evident or described WHY the customer SHOULD place
a higher value on their offering.
A few small retailers and service providers I interact with believe that
their service or merchandise is notably better than their competitors, when
in fact they merely meet industry standards. A few have figured out that
they actually can avoid some off-price practices if they offer the RIGHT
service to attract the RIGHT customer group, e.g. free gift wrap, VERY
heavily advertised, seems to work well in bringing some men into a certain
bath-and-body gift shop.
If you have a customer group that is highly involved in the product
category (e.g. cooks who are really into studying everything they can about
cookware,) THEY will work hard to understand quality differences. If you
have a less involved customer group, either they will look for obvious
product/price cues e.g. color of the item; price; heft and handling,) or it
is up to the manufacturer and retailer to make the case for added value.
(2) There are so many competitive offerings that competition **IS** more
intense for the customer's dollar. Why SHOULD customers pay more when they
know they can get (what they think is) the same thing?
(3) Sometimes, the retailer does not understand the size or buying
patterns of various market segments in the area. Yes, there may be a
market for 18 carat gold, but most of the customers who visit your store
may have 14 carat budgets. The retailer has to decide which customer
group(s) to target, the mix of merchandise, etc. I run into this issue
many times in my smallish town. A retailer visit a tourist or upscale
area, and then will want to bring a retail concept or merchandise line to
the area without understanding the significant differences in size, buying
power, etc. of the local area. Yes there is **SOME** interest, but not
enough to sustain a significant investment in a merchandise line or concept.
(4) Americans often have enough "stuff," and sooner or later they hit a
limit of much more they need in any particular merchandise
category. Personally, I think this is a major issue in the apparel, where
there really haven't been many new ideas in recent years, and we've
basically transitioned to a more casual wardrobe (darn it!) More recently,
I see this coming in the accessories area -- still more interest than in
apparel, but the handbag/jewelry/shoes competition has become much more
intense. After a period of "wow -- I need more of that!," a customer
moves on to other needs, purchase priorities, etc. I often have to
convince certain gift store operators that sooner or later, unless they are
in a high-traffic tourist area, their customer base will have enough
picture frames and silver vases. They need to think of something that
requires replenishment, or add/expand a merchandise where the limit on
multiple purchases is higher.
(5) Lastly (not to make this too long,) think of how many items YOU pass
by in a store that you leave without. That is, for whatever reason, and no
matter how cheap the price, you prefer to do without them. As Mr. Zell
noted, you first decide (even impulsively) the need you want to fill. THEN
you evaluate whether the value offered by the retailer is what you are
willing to pay. This is partly why you are willing to pay a certain price
for a can of soda in the grocery market in a 12-pack, and almost as much
for a single drink at a tropical resort with a little umbrella in it,
delivered to your pool chair.
...What will it be worth to you to fly United, that has just announced
email capability on board its flights? Stand by...
Regards,
Jan Owens
owens@uwp.edu
jan-owens@wi.rr.com
===================================================================
[4] Fact of the week
===================================================================
In 1971, 8 percent of all retail sales were a result of discounting. In
1996, the number jumped to 35 percent, and in 2002, 78 percent of all
retail sales were a result of discount pricing. - National Retailer
Federation & STS Market Research
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief
Matthew Kalash, Editor
Gifts & Dec Online
Visit us at http://www.giftsanddec.com
===================================================================
[5] Microsoft Back in Court - To Sue Spammers
===================================================================
Microsoft has filed suit against 15 spammers in the United States and
United Kingdom as part of a stepped-up campaign to stop the flood of junk
e-mail. The lawsuits claim the 15 defendants sent some 2 billion unwanted
and deceptive messages to members of Microsoft's MSN service and its
Web-based Hotmail e-mail service.
Details at...
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/21707.html
===================================================================
[6] New price scan software
===================================================================
QRS Corp. announced a Price Scan Verification Quick Start Package to
improved pricing integrity to help retail businesses meet price
verification standards and improve customer satisfaction. The program is
part of the QRS Retail Intelligence Solution set and provides an assessment
of store-level price integrity by matching shelf pricing to register
scanning, identifying root causes, and helping to eliminate inaccurate
price scanning.
Details at...
http://www.qrs.com/news/press_releases/2003/03_06_10_price_scan_verification.asp
===================================================================
Links to follow
===================================================================
GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.gapent.com/
Sarbanes-Oxley 2002 http://www.sarbanes-oxley2002.com
E-Tailer's Digest http://www.etailersdigest.com
ETD Archives: http://topica.com/lists/etailer/read
Prior to 29 Dec
1999 http://etailersdigest.com/archives/index.htm
Marketing Your Web http://www.gapent.com/myweb/
Automated Press Releases http://www.automatedpr.com
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<body>
<font face=3D"arial" size=3D2> E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for
the Retailer<br>
Issue
#0696<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> &=
nbsp; </x-tab> &nb=
sp;
June 19, 2003<br>
George Matyjewicz,
Moderator
<a href=3D"mailto:georgem@gapent.com"=
eudora=3D"autourl">mailto:georgem@gapent.com</a><br>
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
<a href=3D"http://www.etailersdigest.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.etailersdigest.com</a><br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
<br><br>
CONTENTS <br><br>
[1] Greetings<br>
[2] Teamwork and customer service<br>
[3] Is Price the Criteria for Buying? <br>
----- ---- --- -- -> Important Offer <- -- --- ---- ---- -- <br>
[4] Fact of the week<br>
[5] Microsoft Back in Court - To Sue Spammers <br>
[6] New price scan software<br><br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20
<br>
[1] Greetings.<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20
<br>
Hi All:<br><br>
Today's digest is longer than usual, as a result of Alan Zell's comments
in the last digest which raised a lot of comments by list members. So my
comments will be brief. Interesting view points. What
do you think?<br><br>
I will be exhibiting at the International IIA conference in Las Vegas
from June 21-24. If anybody is in the area, stop by for a
visit. And, I sure could use some special reports. Anybody
have something they would like to share? 1,500 - 2,500 words and we
will make it a special issue, and it will remain at our site for
posterity.
<a href=3D"http://etailersdigest.com/resources/Specials/" eudora=3D"autourl"=
>http://etailersdigest.com/resources/Specials/</a>
<br><br>
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.<br><br>
Sincerely<br><br>
<br>
Dr. George Matyjewicz<br>
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.<br>
<a href=3D"mailto:georgem@gapent.com"=
eudora=3D"autourl">mailto:georgem@gapent.com</a><br>
<a href=3D"http://www.etailersdigest.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.etailersdigest.com</a><br><br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D <br>
[2] Teamwork and customer service<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br>
I have to share a very interesting experience I had this week. I've=
been looking for a new car, and walked into a dealer at 7:30 PM on=
Tuesday. I took a car fro a drive and then talked to the salesman=
about the specials they were offering, i.e., zero everything - down,=
percent financing, no payments until next year, etc. And the fact they=
would pay off up to 12 months owed on a lease or loan on an existing=
vehicle.<br><br>
We all know there is a lot of fine print with those deals, i.e., you can=
only take one of those options. So my wife and I were ready to leave,=
when the salesman asked "What will it take for you to drive a car home=
tonight?" I gave him my terms, which were reasonable to me, but=
outlandish to a dealer. He cam back and matched the terms - off by a=
small amount! So we bought.<br><br>
That wasn't the interesting part. We stayed there until midnight=
finalizing the deal (their closing time is 9:00 PM)! And they had=
four people there - two until 11:00 PM and two until midnight. And=
all had to be in work the next day at 9:00 AM! The salesman, finance=
manager, cashier and auto prep person.<br><br>
Think about it - they had four people there closing this deal. =
Why? What motivated them to go that extra step? Was it=
commission? Pride? Or good customer service? I'm going to=
meet with the owner tomorrow to find out. I want to bottle his=
practices and resell them! And this was in the NYC area, where being=
nice isn't part of their culture.<br><br>
Can you imagine extra service like that in all businesses? Rather than=
having somebody whine all day about how much work they have, they give more=
time. Rather than leaving at quitting time they stay until you are=
finished buying? Rather than saying "It's not my problem"=
they take on the challenge and make it their problem to solve the=
issue. What a better world, eh?<br><br>
What do you do to encourage teamwork and added customer service in your=
business? Have you experienced any good teamwork and customer service=
that you would like to share?<br><br>
George<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D <br>
[3] Is Price the Criteria for Buying? <br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br>
If I am allowed I would like to comment on the sentence "When surveys=
are done on what criteria people use to make a decision to buy price is=
often 5th, 6th or 7th in importance" made by Alan J. Zell in his=
article "Is Price the Criteria for Buying?" on the =
E-Tailer's Digest Issue #0695 posted on June 17, 2003.<br><br>
My experience as a consumer researcher is that the importance of price is=
lower when the measurement method does not allow for taking into account=
product attributes simultaneously. That is, given any product, some=
approaches ask survey respondents to make unlikely judgement about the=
importance of each single factor separately from the other aspects of the=
product, which is unlikely to happen when consumers will have to choose in=
the real world.<br><br>
This is one of the main reasons why such approaches as conjoint analysis or=
choice based research have had quite large diffusion in the market research=
field in the last 10-15 years: we (the researchers) understood that if we=
would ask question such as:<br><br>
>From 1=3DNot at all to 10=3DVery much, state the importance of each<br>
attribute in choosing a product A<br>
Color 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10<br>
Dimension 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10<br>
Price 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10<br>
Etc...<br><br>
we would obtain answers biased by factors such a social desirability, lack=
of budget references, etc... That is, it is commonly observed that when=
using such a question most important factors result having lower importance=
ratings, and vice versa.<br><br>
Academics first and practicians after started to propose alternatives of the=
kind:<br><br>
>From 1=3DNot at all to 10=3DVery much, how much do you like the=
following<br>
product?<br><br>
Color=3Dyellow<br>
Dimension=3D10x3x4<br>
Price=3D3,50 $<br>
Etc...<br><br>
and then, even better, questions such as:<br><br>
If you were on the market for product A, would you prefer the formulation=
(1) or (2)?<br><br>
(1) <br>
Color=3Dyellow &n=
bsp; <br>
Dimension=3D10x3x4<br>
Price=3D3,50 $<br>
Etc...<br><br>
(2)<br>
Color=3Dred<br>
Dimension=3D10x3x3<br>
Price=3D3,50 $<br><br>
Such formulations allow to take into account the product as a bundle of=
attributes and to activate trade-off reasoning, that is the consumer tend=
to accept a bit less desirable value on any one factor (e.g. slightly=
higher price) only if it is compensated by a more desirable value on=
another factor (e.g. a more preferred color).<br><br>
If some of your readers is interested, I can further explain how=
compensatory measurement techniques work without going too much into=
technical details.<br><br>
Kind regards,<br>
Luca<br><br>
<br>
Mr. Luca MEYER<br>
Consumer research advisor<br>
Via Monginevro 70 - 10050 Salbertrand (To) - Italy<br>
Tel +39.33.55.21.76.28 - Fax +39.01.22.85.48.01<br>
Email: luca@lucameyer.com - Web: <a href=3D"http://lucameyer.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://lucameyer.com/</a> - ICQ#: 289821268<br><br>
+++ [Next Post] +++<br>
In Sam Walton's book, he said the way they marketed their stores to=
customers was with low price come-ons of health and beauty items to get=
people into the store. It is still the way that the chains do business. The=
perception formed by the promotional prices is that everything is at a low=
price, or that the customer has to get into the store to then be persuaded=
to make impulse purchases that they hadn't planned on. The way most large=
retail business is conducted is in this mold. Bring them in with specials,=
try and get them to buy the "other stuff" in the store, which you=
should be making more profit on.<br><br>
Few of us do business in a vacuum or a monopoly where we can establish any=
price that we choose. Competition will keep a range of prices whereby a=
consumer will choose to pay your price, or shop elsewhere. The additional=
service or convenience that you provide will dictate how much additional=
the customer will pay, up to a point. Seven-Eleven is a good example. They=
are selling convenience, not low price. You can buy those aspirin at a=
lower price at Wal-Mart, but 7-11 is much closer and open 24/7, and your=
there for coffee anyhow.<br><br>
Our business is extremely competitive, we have been growing at an enormous=
clip, but we must be competitive with pricing. We will tell our customers=
that we will beat any competitive price. We also tell them "It's not a=
matter of being duplicit, but we have competitors and there are a lot=
of items. Any competitor can promote any item at any time and we can't be=
expected to monitor all of them, so we'll beat the price, just call=
us".<br>
That gives us credibility and our foot in the door, it takes constant=
attention to get the business and to keep it. As the relationship=
advances, its your reliability and reputation that will build your=
business, as the accounts give you a greater share of the pie. However, it=
was being competitive with price that got your foot in the door.<br><br>
Joe Dweck <br><br>
+++ [Next Post] +++<br>
I can't agree more with Alan Zell's comments. If I may add a few more=
points:<br>
<br>
(1) As Mr. Zell notes, when a retailer claims that customers only look=
at price, they essentially mean that the customer does not perceive enough=
of a difference in the product/service offering to pay a higher=
price. The retailer may claim that he/she offers better=
service/quality/features/whatever, but either (a) the customer does not=
value the difference enough to pay more, **OR** (b) the retailer has really=
not made the difference evident or described WHY the customer SHOULD place=
a higher value on their offering.<br>
<br>
A few small retailers and service providers I interact with believe that=
their service or merchandise is notably better than their competitors, when=
in fact they merely meet industry standards. A few have figured out=
that they actually can avoid some off-price practices if they offer the=
RIGHT service to attract the RIGHT customer group, e.g. free gift wrap,=
VERY heavily advertised, seems to work well in bringing some men into a=
certain bath-and-body gift shop.<br>
<br>
If you have a customer group that is highly involved in the product category=
(e.g. cooks who are really into studying everything they can about=
cookware,) THEY will work hard to understand quality differences. If=
you have a less involved customer group, either they will look for obvious=
product/price cues e.g. color of the item; price; heft and handling,) or it=
is up to the manufacturer and retailer to make the case for added=
value.<br>
<br>
(2) There are so many competitive offerings that competition **IS**=
more intense for the customer's dollar. Why SHOULD customers pay more=
when they know they can get (what they think is) the same thing?<br>
<br>
(3) Sometimes, the retailer does not understand the size or buying=
patterns of various market segments in the area. Yes, there may be a=
market for 18 carat gold, but most of the customers who visit your store=
may have 14 carat budgets. The retailer has to decide which customer=
group(s) to target, the mix of merchandise, etc. I run into this=
issue many times in my smallish town. A retailer visit a tourist or=
upscale area, and then will want to bring a retail concept or merchandise=
line to the area without understanding the significant differences in size,=
buying power, etc. of the local area. Yes there is **SOME** interest,=
but not enough to sustain a significant investment in a merchandise line or=
concept.<br>
<br>
(4) Americans often have enough "stuff," and sooner or later=
they hit a limit of much more they need in any particular merchandise=
category. Personally, I think this is a major issue in the apparel,=
where there really haven't been many new ideas in recent years, and we've=
basically transitioned to a more casual wardrobe (darn it!) More=
recently, I see this coming in the accessories area -- still more interest=
than in apparel, but the handbag/jewelry/shoes competition has become much=
more intense. After a period of "wow -- I need more of=
that!," a customer moves on to other needs, purchase priorities,=
etc. I often have to convince certain gift store operators that=
sooner or later, unless they are in a high-traffic tourist area, their=
customer base will have enough picture frames and silver vases. They=
need to think of something that requires replenishment, or add/expand a=
merchandise where the limit on multiple purchases is higher.<br>
<br>
(5) Lastly (not to make this too long,) think of how many items YOU=
pass by in a store that you leave without. That is, for whatever=
reason, and no matter how cheap the price, you prefer to do without=
them. As Mr. Zell noted, you first decide (even impulsively) the need=
you want to fill. THEN you evaluate whether the value offered by the=
retailer is what you are willing to pay. This is partly why you are=
willing to pay a certain price for a can of soda in the grocery market in a=
12-pack, and almost as much for a single drink at a tropical resort with a=
little umbrella in it, delivered to your pool chair.<br>
<br>
...What will it be worth to you to fly United, that has just announced email=
capability on board its flights? Stand by...<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Jan Owens<br>
owens@uwp.edu<br>
jan-owens@wi.rr.com<br><br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D <br>
[4] Fact of the week<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br>
In 1971, 8 percent of all retail sales were a result of discounting. In=
1996, the number jumped to 35 percent, and in 2002, 78 percent of all=
retail sales were a result of discount pricing. - National Retailer=
Federation & STS Market Research<br><br>
Quinn Halford, Editor In Chief<br>
Matthew Kalash, Editor<br>
Gifts & Dec Online<br>
Visit us at <a href=3D"http://www.giftsanddec.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.giftsanddec.com</a> <br>
<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br>
[5] Microsoft Back in Court - To Sue Spammers <br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br>
Microsoft has filed suit against 15 spammers in the United States and United=
Kingdom as part of a stepped-up campaign to stop the flood of junk e-mail.=
The lawsuits claim the 15 defendants sent some 2 billion unwanted and=
deceptive messages to members of Microsoft's MSN service and its Web-based=
Hotmail e-mail service.<br><br>
Details at...<br>
<a href=3D"http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/21707.html"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/21707.html</a><=
br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D <br>
[6] New price scan software<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br>
QRS Corp. announced a Price Scan Verification Quick Start Package to=
improved pricing integrity to help retail businesses meet price=
verification standards and improve customer satisfaction. The program is=
part of the QRS Retail Intelligence Solution set and provides an assessment=
of store-level price integrity by matching shelf pricing to register=
scanning, identifying root causes, and helping to eliminate inaccurate=
price scanning. <br><br>
Details at...<br>
<a=
href=3D"http://www.qrs.com/news/press_releases/2003/03_06_10_price_scan_ver=
ification.asp"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.qrs.com/news/press_releases/2003/03_06_10_pri=
ce_scan_verification.asp</a><br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D <br>
Links to follow<br>
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D <br><br>
GAP Enterprises, Ltd. =
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> =
; </x-tab><x-tab> =
</x-tab><a href=3D"http://www.gapent.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.gapent.com/</a><br>
Sarbanes-Oxley=
2002<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> &=
nbsp; </x-tab><x-tab> &n=
bsp; </x-tab><a href=3D"http://www.sarbanes-oxley2002.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.sarbanes-oxley2002.com</a><br>
E-Tailer's=
Digest<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab> =
; </x-tab><x-tab> =
</x-tab><a=
href=3D"http://www.etailersdigest.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.etailersdigest.com</a><br>
ETD Archives:=
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>  =
; </x-tab><x-tab> </x-ta=
b><x-tab> </x-tab><a=
href=3D"http://topica.com/lists/etailer/read"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://topica.com/lists/etailer/read</a><br>
Prior to 29 Dec 1999=
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>  =
; </x-tab><x-tab> =
</x-tab><a href=3D"http://etailersdigest.com/archives/index.htm"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://etailersdigest.com/archives/index.htm</a><br>
Marketing Your Web=
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>  =
; </x-tab><x-tab> =
</x-tab><a href=3D"http://www.gapent.com/myweb/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.gapent.com/myweb/</a><br>
Automated Press Releases=
<x-tab> </x-tab><x-tab>  =
; </x-tab><a=
href=3D"http://www.automatedpr.com/"=
eudora=3D"autourl">http://www.automatedpr.com</a> <br>
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