ETD: 984 Technology in Retail; 1,000th Party?; IRS Refund
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Tue Jun 6 17:30:37 GMT 2006
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0984 June 6, 2006
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Technology in Retail
[3] 1,000th Party?
[4] IRS Refund
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
Today we have an interesting piece on how Tesco, the U'K's #1
retailer has beaten Wal-Mart at it's own game - using
technology. There's hope for us all. It's amazing what you can
gather from you data base. I love how they learned that families who
have newborn babies buy more beer! Who'da thunk it?
Patty Sachs suggests we have a grand cyber party for our 1,000th
issue, like we did for our 100th (October 21, 1998). I'm debating
what to do for that issue and beyond? And do we stop after
1,000? What do you think?
There's a new scam going around now, supposedly from the Internal
Revenue Service. Don't fall for it!
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, LLC
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Technology in Retail
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It's interesting to note how technology has helped another retailer
beat Wal-Mart in it's own game - technology. One of Wal-Mart's major
strengths was their ability to use technology effectively to grow to
be #1. Well, in the U.K., the #1 retailer Tesco is beating them with
technology.
Tesco has signed up 12 million Britons for its Clubcard program,
giving cardholders discounts in exchange for their name, address and
other personal information. The Clubcard has helped boost Tesco's
market share in groceries to 31%, nearly double the 16% held by
Wal-Mart's Asda chain, according to market-research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres.
The data let Tesco tailor promotions to individual shoppers and
figure out quickly how new initiatives are working. After Tesco
introduced Asian herbs, cooking oil and other ethnic foods in
neighborhoods with many Indians and Pakistanis, the data showed the
new products were also popular with affluent white customers. The
company quickly expanded the rollout.
Tesco's computers often turn up counterintuitive results. Shoppers
who buy diapers for the first time at a Tesco store can expect to
receive coupons by mail for baby wipes, toys -- and beer. Tesco's
analysis showed that new fathers tend to buy more beer because they
are home with the baby and can't go to the pub.
Tesco has used its knowledge of shoppers to fight Wal-Mart's core
appeal: low prices. After Wal-Mart bought Asda, Tesco searched its
database and singled out shoppers who buy the cheapest available
item. They were most likely to be tempted by Asda, Tesco figured.
Tesco then identified 300 items that these price-sensitive shoppers
bought regularly. One was Tesco Value Brand Margarine. Tesco lowered
the price of the margarine, along with other products with similar
profiles. As a result, shoppers didn't defect to Asda, says Clive
Humby, chairman of Dunnhumby, a British research firm that is
majority-owned by Tesco and analyzes customer data for the retailer.
Tesco's sales jumped 17% to $79 billion in the year ended Feb. 25,
and net income rose 17% to $2.96 billion.
So, if am 800 pound gorilla shows up in your backyard, look for ways
to beat him. And, it's even nice when you use his own tactics.
George
PS The WSJ has an article on this today...
http://online.wsj.com/article_print/SB114955981460172218.html
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[3] 1,000th Party?
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Our moderator wrote:
>Today we are at digest 983 - 17 to go before we hit that magic
>1,000 number. I'm debating what to do for that issue and beyond?
>Do we do a party like we did with 100? (everybody loved the photo
> http://www.etailersdigest.com/celebrate/photos.htm). And do we
> stop after 1,000? What do you think?
You know this party girl is all for celebrations. Perhaps we can use
some of the gala goodies from our first event and add more of the
same to accelerate the excitement and frivolity.
ETD readers are busy folks but I'll bet they would be up for a 15
minute break like we gave them last time.
Let me know what your thoughts are and let's definitely pay tribute
to the 1000th ETD Mail.
Patty Sachs, Celebrations Expert
<http://www.pattysachs.com>www.pattysachs.com
+++ [Moderator's Comments] +++
Thanks Patty, but I don't know if we have the time to do such an event.
For those who were around for #100, starting October 21, 1998, we had
the first-ever cyber party, complete with refreshments, party favors,
activities and a photo gallery. It was a lot of fun, and attracted a
lot of visitors.
Patty planned it, and we executed it. Patty does a remarkable job
planning parties.
George
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[4] IRS Refund
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Have you seen the latest scam, supposedly from the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS)? It even has the IRS logo...
It's telling you that after calculating your fiscal activity that you
are eligible for a tax refund of $63.80. And, after you submit the
tax refund request, it will take 6-9 days to process. And it gives
you a brief sentence on why you may be eligible. And if finishes
with a "click here" link, which of course goes to a phony
address. The form does look real.
Now we all know about these scams and how phony they are. Let's look
at this and see what is really happening:
1. They are obviously targeting the average person where $63.80 is
meaningful. It's not a get rich quick scheme.
2. 6-9 days to process means that's how long it will take to
completely wipe out your assets and ruin your credit.
I can't stress enough to watch where you are when online. ANYTHING
to do with your personal information needs to be on a secured server
- the https and the lock at the bottom.
If you are foolish enough to fall for this, for shame.
George
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