Peter Robilliard

Toll

2012-01-19T21:32:00.000-08:00

I'm doing some consutling work with Toll ( in Melbourne) at the moment.

Toll is the Asian region's leading provider of integrated logistics, generating an annual revenue of AU$8.2 billion and operating an extensive network of over 1,200 sites in 55 countries.
Toll's access to transport and infrastructure assets includes road fleets, warehousing, ships, air freight capacity, ports and rail rolling stock.
These assets when combined with operational expertise and technology solutions, are aimed at driving supply chain efficiencies to deliver best practice in supply chain management for Toll's diverse customer base.

Tolls unique model is built on Toll managing transport and logistics assets to deliver integrated logistics solutions to our customers striving for supply chain excellence. When combined with smart technology connecting all services and interfacing with customers, provides a powerful point of differentiation. This integrated customer service offering is sought after in the market place, globally.

10 tips for retailers on using technology to beat online blues

2011-08-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

By Peter Dinham Wednesday, 17 August 2011 23:00 IT Industry - Market

In Australia retailers are facing tough times as consumers keep their money in their pockets, and with new challenges posed for traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers by the dramatic shift to purchasing by consumers of all manner of goods and services from overseas, online retailers. But some tips for using technology to help are at hand.

The help and advice for the hard-pressed retailers in all markets comes from IDC’s Retail Insights team who, in their latest market report recommend their top 10 ways for retailers, using technology to prepare for the holiday shopping season.

According to IDC, navigating the advantages that technology may provide in engaging both loyal and new consumers can determine the difference between retailers' ending the year in the red or in the black.

IDC has come up with what it calls its “four IT-enabled mega-trends” to help retailers make better decisions and to help retail IT organisations prepare, including:

• Cloud for cost and scale advantage

• Mobility for unified consumer interaction

• Omni-channel for same-shopper sales growth, and

• Intelligence for better decisions, to help retail IT organisations prepare for the holiday season.

IDC says retailers can put certain initiatives into practice immediately in the areas of e-commerce, store systems, merchandising, supply chain, and product management.

Leslie Hand, research director, IDC Retail Insights, says that retailers can expect consumers to be very discerning in their holiday shopping this year, and this may result in “continued profit pressure for retailers due to excessive or sub-optimal discounting strategies.”

In addition to managing these risks, Hand says that retailers are also faced with fending off competition, sometimes coming from new sources: blurring segments, direct sales from manufacturers, growing e-commerce sales and new entrants, local niche merchants and social commerce web sites.

And, Hand has an extra word of advice: “Retailers must remember to fix what they can now, and prioritize for post-holiday investment what can't be fixed, so they are not similarly disadvantaged in 2012."

The IDC report begins with recommendations to defend against landed cost fluctuations, and Hand says that “as today's rising commodity prices may, in turn, force increases in prices to consumers at a time when economic uncertainty is causing them to remain highly sensitive to price changes.”

IDC also suggests in its full report that to succeed in the dynamic environment leading up to the holiday season, retailers need to focus simultaneously on better understanding and delivering value to their customers; collaborating with their trading partners by providing visibility into trade promotion performance, pricing, inventory assortment, and shopper behaviour; and continuously managing exceptions to planned costs, adjusting retail price, promotions, and allocations as necessary to optimize sell-through, sales, and margin.

Additional technology initiatives for retailers which IDC addresses, include:

• Ensuring price and promotion engines are ready for holiday traffic

• Improving online retailing conversion rates

• Leveraging social media to boost customer acquisition, retention and conversion

• Creating web sites optimized for mobile retailing

Multi Channel Fulfilment for Retailers

2011-07-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

I recently had cause to look at this solution from the IVIS Group.

Smart retailers now understand that gaining the potential benefits of a multichannel strategy - increased market share, increased sales, improved customer equity and reduced costs - takes a lot more than simply expanding the number of channels used to reach customers.

Giving your customers the consistent and rich buying experience they demand means ensuring that your brand, products, promotions and pricing are presented in a coherent way to all customers, whatever channel or mix of

channels they choose to buy from.

Setting up and operating a multi-channel environment opens up huge opportunities but also brings many challenges, principally the need for well managed, consistent and rich information across all channels.

The solution as presented in the IVIS whitepaper assists in:

Aligning information across channels to ensure a consistent customer experience
Integrating information - product, price, descriptions, specifications, availability and images - across online and offline channels to increase customer satisfaction
Delivering cross-channel category management, merchandising and promotions
Enabling cross-selling and up-selling by optimising the purchasing process from research to browsing and point-of-sale
Facilitating rapid implementation of new channels, products, partners and processes
Enabling dynamic promotion of high margin and overstock products while demoting out of stock and uncompetitive products

Multi channel Fulfilment Planning and Forecasting

2011-07-29T10:49:00.001-07:00

The objective of Planning and Forecasting is to drive growth and profitability across the business by accurately predicting key performance metrics by channel and managing inventory in line with demand as it changes.

This analysis has shown that the Direct channels of Catalog and Web have significant differences in behaviors, structures and metrics, compared to the Store channel.

To optimize the planning process it is therefore critical to take account of these unique characteristics and treat each channel as distinct selling vehicles to proactively drive demand. An organization also needs cross-channel visibility to trends and the impact of changes in each individual channel on the ability to execute the overall strategic goals. However, trying to plan all channels as if they were the same will only result in a suboptimal plan and lost opportunities.

It is helpful to think about multi-channel planning in a similar way to how a customer shops. The customer expects the overall brand experience to be consistent across Web, Catalog and Store, but each selling vehicle represents a different experience for the shopper in terms of promotional offers, the amount of product information available, merchandise presentation and convenience.

These differences impact the way these channels need to be planned. Trying to support catalog planning or web planning with a store-focused planning process or solution will ultimately compromise customer service and erode profit margins.

Online shopping - The Australian Perspective

2011-07-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

Recent articles published in The Age newspaper are giving us a clearer picture of the Australian online market place.

There's a 20 per cent annual increase in the number of people shopping online. The online market is current;y estimated to turnover A$9.5B

Online retailing is here, growing fast and not about to be curtailed.

Read the full article http://www.theage.com.au/business/finally--a-clearer-picture-of-online-shopping-20110729-1i2yl.html#ixzz1TW4vRTcD

The rise & rise of Private Label Retailing

2011-07-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

The Global Private Label Mgmt (PLM) trend (as seen in the USA , UK) is well and truly on the rise in Australian Retail. Most big retailers are actively growing their stable of private label products.

Private label used to be less than 5% of revenue but today the targets are up as high as 40+%.

This makes sense if you're in the FMCG sector , pharma sector or any retail arena that has high and competitive volume sales.

But we should also be aware that PLM can deliver;

■ Greater product innovation and brand differentiation

■ Accelerated sales and reduce market lead times

■ Streamlined supply chain working practices

■ Collaborative category management

■ Complete and validated product due diligence

■ One truth database for providing consumer facing information

■ Compliance to legal, ethical, environmental and safety regulations

■ Increased sales volume and reduced time to market

■ Elimination of duplication and waste

■ Control of brand integrity

■ Create a collaborative product development environment for retail colleagues;

■ Collaborate with suppliers and 3rd parties critical to your supply chain, e.g. laboratories or auditors, around one dataset and one lifecycle process;

■ Rapidly increase private label volume without increasing costs;

If you'd like to know more then please contact me or click on the link above..

Australian Retail: Cost reduction solutions

2011-07-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

The current lack of retail consumer confidence ( and spend) is hitting retailers hard.

Revenues are down , foot traffic thru stores is down.

The only growth area seems to be Internet sales. Many retailers are looking at cost reduction strategies in order to maintain their margins. This makes good sense as it can deliver immediate savings and also provide a platform for long term process improvements.

In my travels across Aust i see significant interest in eSourcing initiatives being used to lower the cost of goods sold. A strong dollar and strong global trade means that sourcing from Asia and Eastern Europe has never been better value.

All retailers looking for better sourcing for their products should in my opinion look at SaaS based esourcing as a winning solution in these hard times.

Summary . IDC Retail Insights Community . Retail Industry Focused Groups . IDC Insights Community

2011-03-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

Summary . IDC Retail Insights Community . Retail Industry Focused Groups . IDC Insights Community

2011 Retail Customer Experience Top 100

2011-01-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

CLikc on the link to the retail customer experience website to review a great range of relevant whitepapers

Top results from Multi-Channel Retailing
Cash Automation Devices: How to Choose the Right One for Your Application
Social commerce: What's possible, and what's actually happening
Converging the Retail Experience to Connect with the Changing Shopper
Luxury Apparel Leader Empowers Sales Agents to Thrive, Gets Ready for Growth
Using multichannel customer care to maximize the holiday shopping season
View all Multi-Channel Retailing listings

Top results from Social Media
Social Media: An Inside Look at the People Who Use It
Social commerce: What's possible, and what's actually happening
Automating Social Recruiting for Better Hiring
2011 Retail Customer Experience Top 100
HMV leverages social networking to connect with customers
View all Social Media listings

Top results from Retail - Warehouse
Assisted Selling and the Point of Decision
Increased Productivity with Interactivity
Digital Signage Hardware
Slides: Enhancing the In-Store Experience
Competing for Transactions: Making a Good Impression Pays Off
View all Retail - Warehouse listings

Top results from Online Retailing
Urban Outfitters responds to massive site traffic surge, increases revenues
Social Media: An Inside Look at the People Who Use It
German Retailer Creates New Fashion Shopping Experience
Retain online customers with back-to-basics approach
Ready to Buy: The In-Market Consumer
View all Online Retailing listings

Top results from Retail - Mall
2011 Retail Customer Experience Top 100
75,000 Red LEDs Wrap 7-Story Mall Facade
Sourcing Retail Store Fixtures from China
Top results from Department Stores
Webinar - Mobile Retail: What Comes Next?
The Benefits of Retail Kiosks
2011 Retail Customer Experience Top 100
Sourcing Retail Store Fixtures from China
Self-Service at Supermarkets and Grocery Stores
View all Department Stores listings

Top results from Specialty Stores
Retail digital signage: Rogers Wireless
Growing Beauty Supply Chain Saves Hours, Trims Costs, and Brings in New Revenue
Curiosk wine kiosk offers specialty retailer the expertise of a sommelier
2011 Retail Customer Experience Top 100
Acrilex builds backdrop for Urban Decay products in Sephora stores
View all Specialty Stores listings

Top results from Retail - Convenience Stores
Expanding ATM Usage in a Credit Crunch
Transaction Equipment Corp. Warehouses Speed Customer Service
2011 Retail Customer Experience Top 100
Self-Service at Supermarkets and Grocery Stores
Ten Attributes of a Superior Self-Checkout Solution Environment

5 retail technology trends to watch in 2011

2010-12-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

A great article from the retail customer experience website on retail tech trends in 2011.

The shopping outlook for the holiday season seems to be positive. Online sales are expected to have a high single digit year-on-year growth like last year. The highlights have been better product assortment, lower prices, and good promotion strategies. As a result, cross-channel fulfillment and inventory optimization have become imperative to sustain business.

Here are the five big IT trends that will impact retailers in 2011:

In Store Experience: After being at the forefront of technology news for most of 2010, apart from the shopping app, tablet devices such as iPad remain relatively unexplored for the retail world. High-end retailers would look at providing a custom in-store experience for walk-in customers using these tablets. The usability of this tablet could be explored for the store associates/attendants for functionalities such as item search etc. Given the large screen of the tablets, it can prove to be extremely useful in providing a real life experience such as exhibiting products in various colors and viewing merchandise that is otherwise unavailable in stock.

Multi-Channel Fulfillment: Shopping across channels is available as order online and pick-up in store, or order in-store and get it shipped to a delivery address. Despite this becoming a norm in the retail industry, only a few have managed to master it. Thus, multi-channel fulfillment will form the point of convergence for providing a great shopping experience and customer retention, as well as the retailers’ own inventory optimization.

The existing approaches to fulfill this are:

Order online and in-store pick-up
Order in store and delivery at customer address
The retailers who have already successfully implemented these solutions could look at further optimization, such as a combination of both i.e. order online and ship-out from the store. This would reduce shelf life of in-store inventory.

Better Online Experience: Among the indicators of non-conversion of online sales, the most evident one is shopping cart abandonment. There are a few areas of improvement for retailers:

Better sorting, searching, and filtering: A majority of sites are still struggling to provide filtering while multi-options filtering is almost non-existent.
Multi-brand combination in single cart: Multi-brand retailers should be able to combine shopping carts across brands and apply promotion on the complete cart.
Clarity on Price and Delivery rate: Prices and delivery dates should be clearly marked with no ambiguity.
Payment Options: Payment should include more non-credit card options.
Return policies: Return policies should be clearly explained.
Check-out options: A buyer should be able to complete checkout without registering with the seller.
Planning and Forecasting: Profiling of each store and assortment planning are the key areas to optimize inventory in these times. Even though forecasting at the organizational level is pretty common, the implementation of the correct assortment mix at the store level becomes a challenge. In order to obtain better efficiency at the store level, retailers are likely to invest in new products or enhancements to their existing systems. This could range from systems to measure customer mix, customer behavior towards changing in price changes, and promotions in a particular month or quarter of the year.

Mobile Platform: The mobile platform has become an important channel for retailers with the much more advanced smartphone. Smartphone providers such as Apple, Blackberry, or Android have open platforms for development of software applications for their OS. Since mobile phones are discretionary points of spending, retailers are likely to cater to this need with their own shopping applications. These shopping apps are a low-cost investment and can quickly become a popular channel for shopping, provided they have ease of usability and offer hassle-free shopping.

Sharad Singh is pre-sales head and solution architect, retail at MindTree Limited.

Innovate. Differentiate. Profit.

2010-12-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Tech-savvy, fickle consumers and a volatile economy threaten precious margins every day. Being innovative and creating the most differentiated consumer experience wins new and repeat purchases.

Deliver a more alluring consumer experience, drive value chain innovation, and generate profitable growth with innovative technology and retail best practices.

The team at Retail and Supply Chain (RSC) Advocates bring the latest in retail technologies and operational excellence to your business.

We offer:

· Retail consultancy

• End to end professional services and support

• Customer Experience programs

• Business Intelligence solutions

• Multi-channel\ online solutions

• Loyalty and CRM systems

• In store video and TV

• Community TV solutions

• POS systems

• Printers, scanners & utilities

• CCTV, security systems

• Integration services

• Traditional, in store, cloud or web based POS

• Head office, regional or in store retail solutions

• Self service kiosks

• Mobile payment solutions

• Social Media integration

• Shelf talkers

• IT services and support

• Hardware and Software independence

• and much more...

So if you’re interested in:

Improving your margins

Improving your revenues

Reducing your costs

Upgrading your technology

Improving your customer’s retail experience;

then the team, @RSC would love to hear from you,

so please call or email Peter & the RSC team today for a free consultation

Invest Victoria, Melbourne, Australia: Victorian Government Investment Promotion Agency IPA

2010-11-25T14:49:00.000-08:00

Invest Victoria, Melbourne, Australia: Victorian Government Investment Promotion Agency IPA

Mystery Shopping - Customer Experience

2010-11-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

i was recently given a real insight into the 'behind the scenes' workings of a mystery shopping company.

Very impressive , very labor intensive and very interesting all round if i do say..

The technology and solutions offering seem to best suit, high volume customer focused companies with 100's of retail outlets, like telco's, large food franchise that have a very competitive market place.

If you've not looked at this area before i would recommend you do.

Melbourne Point Of Sale

2010-11-24T15:37:00.000-08:00

i met up with a POS vendor yesterday - MELBOURNE POS .

Very impressive product, great functionality, very knowledgeable team and a well priced solution.

They work mainly with HP hardware.

If you have a moment check out the link. http://www.melbournepos.com.au/

The health of the Retail Sector in Australia

2010-11-22T16:57:00.000-08:00

I have a potential concern with the health of the Australian retail sector at the moment.
Its just a few weeks to Christmas and the shopping mall of Australia should be buzzing..
But the mall and shops seem to be, ( at least to me, ) quiet.
And behind the scenes cost cutting measures are in place in many of the large retailers.
Companies are announcing head count freezes, delaying projects and everybody seems to be preparing for soft sales numbers during this period.

Lets hope it will all rebound in 2011.

Australian Card Authentication Technology

2010-11-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ventures International Group is representing an Australian Card Authentication Technology company (“The Company”) which is already achieving market acceptance and has been adopted by Visa Europe who are currently actively promoting it to their member banks.

The Company is now actively engaging with potential strategic partners for whom the technology is synergistic with their current business in either the Global Payments industry (credit cards, ATMs, POS, interbank networks, SI’s), or the Security space.

• The company is seeking to raise AUD $33.5M to facilitate an offer to be made to one of the major global accounting firms to enable it to exit from its current 51% stake in the business
• This represents the world’s first and only multi- feature authentication, transaction integrity and identity protection solution that is commercially endorsed and supported by a leading Payment Card Industry (PCI) member – Visa Europe.
• The Company was established May 2006 by a group of security and technology specialists with more than 25 years combined experience in strategic information security, risk management and commercialisation of technology software and services.
• The Company aims to become the global leader in innovative security solutions spanning multiple potential markets. Its flagship product is a credit/debit/ATM/ID card with embedded keypad, display, microprocessor and proximity chip that is currently marketed for use in card-not-present transactions.
• The use of the technology could also be extended for use in all card-present transactions such as ATM, PIN-Entry-Devices (PED) and Point-of-Sales (POS) terminals.
• The enabling technology is strongly protected by worldwide patents.
• This is a multiple-capability security solution that addresses the numerous security threats associated with financial fraud and theft, as well as identity theft. The unique ability to combine multiple security solutions in a single delivery unit (either an ISO:7810 compliant card or a mobile phone), enables the general public - for the first time - to greatly enhance their security, without the onerous need to memorise multiple passwords, or the need to carry, and look after, multiple tokens and cards.
• The revolutionary and patented solution has the capacity to largely eliminate many of the more prevalent financial frauds such as card skimming and online payment fraud, while reducing the ease by which to perpetrate other attacks such as phishing, all of which affect everyone involved in using electronic banking, PED and POS transactions, and of course paying for goods and services on the internet.
• For the first time there is a product available to the public that will protect their financial transactions, and their identity, in a format that is easy to use, effective, and even desirable. The possibility of marketing a piece of security technology and making it a sexy, advanced technical status symbol (think iPhone vs any other mobile phone), means that for the first time greatly increased security can become a ‘Pull Marketing’ product that the public will actively demand from their banks.
• Independent research revealed has an extremely high approval rating amongst techno savvy Gen-Y consumers willing to pay for the chance of getting hold of a card.
• After an extensive evaluation, testing and certification process, Visa Europe signed a deal with the Company that will see the technology made available across all Visa Europe’s 4,600 member banks. Visa Europe has over 380 million Visa debit, credit and commercial cards in use. ( The USA card market is in excess of 1.3B cards)

We would pleased to provide more detailed information, including the Information Memorandum, upon execution of the attached NDA.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Olavs J. Ritenis CEO Ventures International Group
M : +65 9185 3044 (Singapore) M : +61 405 448 938 (Australia)
E : olavs@ventures-international.net

20 Cecil Street, #15-08 Equity Plaza, Singapore 049705
www.ventures-international.net

New RFID Manu..

2010-10-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

Shenzhen New Force Communication Technology Co., Ltd is a high-tech enterprise specializing in researching, developing, producing and selling 915M ultra high frequency (UHF) of radio frequency identification (RFID) Products. We master core technologies and win independent intellectual property rights covering UHF RFID reader, antenna, electronic label and RFID application system.

The New Force Communication own enormous technological potential. Since its inception, the company has been coming off with the following honors: Shenzhen hi-tech sector, Shenzhen Double software enterprise, FCC certification of USA, CE and RoHS certification of EU. And the patents for invention about UHF reader were applied for also. The New Force Communication’s products are widely applied in parking, access, logistics, warehouse management, assets management, theft-proof and counterfeit-proof, automation of assembly etc, and covering many provinces of China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Southeast Asian, North American and Europe etc.

The New Force Communication have founded a RFID Joint Research Lab with Hunan University, one of the famous University in China. This provides powerful support and scientific foundation in theory, experiment, calculation and application aspects for the company engage in hi-tech innovation. The RFID Joint Lab combines the advantages of manufacturing, institution and research teams, ensures the leading position in RFID technology. The New Force Communication’s enterprising and cooperative researching team transfers the technological achievements which they research&develop quickly, offers customers the best solutions which adapt to every special need in different area in time, include software and hardware development, systems integration, after-sale support and personnel training etc.

SCM Software as a Service (SaaS)

2010-09-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Less Software build native SaaS applications on the Force.com platform from SalesForce.com which enables users to efficiently Buy, Manage and Sell their Inventory to their customers.
The Application supports multiple channels for selling their products, including Field-Sales Tele-Sales, Web-Stores and eBay which enables companies with the ability to Acquire, Manage, Distribute products and Fulfill customer’s orders.

Modules Include:
Acquisition Inventory Management Order Fulfillment

Business intelligence at the start…
Less Software’s approach to building applications starts with asking the business intelligence questions first then build the application to answer the questions using analytics, reports and dashboards to help our customers manage their business.

Specialties
Supply Chain Management, SCM, SAAS, supply chain management, inventory management, supplier relationship management, supply chain solutions, logistics software, procurement software, supply chain logistics, scm software, logistics management software, supply management software, saas logistics, saas procurement, web based supply chain software and I.M.

Social Media for the Winery Business

2010-08-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

If you are a winery and do not have a formal Strategy for Online marketing, then please download this pdf from ewinery as it discussed the pro's and con's , do's and don'ts of social media as it pertains to the wine industry.

While social media is improtant to your brand and messaging its only part of the online marketing or direct to consumer growth market.

Contact me to discuss further..

Top 100 Retail Movers 2010

2010-06-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

This free report, sponsored by Motorola, highlights the top companies, people, issues and trends that dominated retail in a very tumultuous year.

Retail Business Intelligence

2010-06-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Manthan - The latest in Retail Technology B.I

As a retailer today, you know - better than anyone - the need for speed in retail.
The need to arrive at optimal enterprise-wide strategies and tactics, as swiftly as possible.
The need to formulate the ideal rapid responses to ebbs and flows in the market.
In short, the need for accurate, fluid, streamlined decision making.
This is why you need solutions that have evolved beyond providing mere decision support. Products and services that are designed with our deep domain expertise in retail, to do more than merely provide raw information.
Tools that let you make sense of the flood of data pouring in from across your organization, and help you choose the best course of action.
And then, help you implement your decisions, seamlessly, enterprise-wide.

Retail Technology Webcast

2010-06-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

"Facing a difficult economic environment, retailers have started to scrutinise their IT investments. As a result they are prioritising solutions that cut costs, improve efficiency and enhance their customers experience to boost profitability, even in saturated markets."

Planet Retail's Joachim Pinhammer, Senior Retail Technology Analyst

Session 1
Focus: Retail Technology Date: 28 June 2010 Time: 11am (UK Time) Duration: 40 minutes

competitive supply chain of the future

2010-05-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

According to the experts, the competitive supply chain of the future must have:

Optimization: The alignment of global supply chain resources

Synchronization: The ability to coordinate, organize and manage end-to-end supply chain flows

Profitability: The result of creating value through supply chain activities

Adaptability: The degree to which supply chain members can change in response to unexpected events

Velocity: The speed at which end-to-end flows occur in the supply chain

Ten Attributes of a Superior Self-Checkout Solution Environment

2010-05-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

The most successful self-checkout solution represents a blend of innovation, engineering excellence and in-depth understanding of the customer experience. It incorporates rugged, precision-built hardware in a user-friendly configuration designed for flexibility and exceptional total cost of ownership.

But make no mistake, when it comes to assuring the best all-around experience for your customers as well as store associates and the information technology (IT) team, nothing differentiates a superior self-checkout implementation more than the solution software.

The link is to an NCR sponsered whitepaper on Self checkout technology.

Improving the Instore Experience

2010-05-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

This pdf presentation ( see link) looks at 5 technologies at play in the Retail store environment that when used correctly can enhance the shopping experience and ensure retailers get closer to their customer base.

Click on the link about to download pdf or copy and paste this link :

http://global.networldalliance.com/downloads/white_papers/GlobalShop09_Enhancing_The_In-Store_Experience.pdf

Top 10 Retail White papers

2010-04-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

The Top 10 Most Popular on RetailCustomerExperience.com for March

"Top 100 Retail Movers and Shakers" was once again the most popular downloaded publication last month, while a story that offered tips for marketing toward women was the most popular article.

Read on for the complete Top 10 lists for March on RetailCustomerExperience.com.

TOP 10 WHITE PAPERS

1. Top 100 Retail Movers and Shakers
2. Top 10 Customer Satisfaction Survey Best Practices
3. Designing the Shopping Experience: Five crucial steps
4. Measurement and Analysis for Digital Signage
5. Small-Screen Displays in a Retail Environment
6. 10 Reasons Why Kiosk Projects Fail
7. Kiosk Branding
8. Slides: Enhancing the In-Store Experience
9. Digital Display Technology: Learning the Basics of Digital Signage
10. Social Media: An Inside Look at the People Who Use It

Supply Chain Data: Real-Time Speed Is Seductive, Dangerous

2010-03-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Let's call it the Wall Street Effect: Many companies now face tremendous pressure to ensure that all corporate data is "up to the second," just like those traders on The Street who bask in sub-second financial data and those consumer "day traders" who now demand equal speed.

Give me my data, and Give it to me fast!

That "need for speed" in today's supply chains is one of the underlying messages of a recent report from Aberdeen Group: "Supply Chain Intelligence: Adopt Role-Based Operational Business Intelligence and Improve Visibility." (Free with registration.)

Given that Wall Street Effect, users of supply chain systems today expect this up-to-the-second data. Customers now look for it as well. The Aberdeen report notes that 21st-century supply chains must collaborate with and respond to customers, suppliers and partners at real-time speeds. Supply chain risk needs to be assessed as it happens.

In several instances, the report's authors, analysts Nari Viswanathan and Viktoriya Sadlovska, point to a coming shift in historic supply-chain strategy: from the traditional "supply chain organization" to a "customer-focused customer value chain organization" that utilizes "advanced BI technologies that are pervasive and role-based."

That may be a buzzy mouthful, but the message is clear: Supply chains must become quick to respond--to anything, anyone and anywhere in the chain.

Bad Data Delivered Faster Is Still Bad Data

Multichannel Logistics: Walmart.com’s Site-to-Store Strategy

2010-01-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

Multichannel Logistics: Walmart.com’s Site-to-Store Strategy

At the end of every year, Walmart holds a meeting for the investment community. Because so much of Walmart's core strategy revolves around excellence in supply chain management, I always enjoy hearing about the company's plans. What interested me the most this year was Walmart's multichannel strategy.

The linked article details some of the key points..

• Amazon is the company's main target. Walmart.com, of course, is currently much smaller than Amazon, but it is growing faster. Walmart is trying to leverage its reputation for price leadership to take on Amazon. While the company doesn't have the vast selection of books that Amazon has, Walmart wants to be the price leader for bestsellers. Many prescription drugs are now offered for $4 and can be delivered to the home. Whereas Amazon attracts many price-insensitive convenience shoppers, Walmart is clearly targeting price-sensitive shoppers, and these shoppers pay close attention to shipping charges. Some of Walmart.com's products ship to the home at ridiculously low prices. For example, if you go to the Health & Beauty section of Walmart.com, you will find that it offers 97 cent shipping for many items.

• In taking on Amazon, Walmart has added more than a million products through a partner network. Because of this, Walmart offers a much larger variety of products online than what it offers in stores. Like at Amazon, shoppers can view the same product from different partners, read reviews on the reliability of that partner, and pick the partner that offers the best combination of price and reputation.

• It is Walmart's "Site to Store" strategy, however, that really differentiates the company from other online retailers. A customer can use the Site-to-Store service to have eligible products shipped for free to their local Walmart. For a customer that is already a regular Walmart shopper, this is a great convenience. In fact, a Walmart.com fact sheet claims that nearly 90 percent of its customers shop in Walmart stores at least once per month. The online site thus serves a dual purpose. Shoppers can also use the site to research products they might want to buy in the store. For example, Walmart added a tool that allows customers to set weight loss goals and then view the food products they shop for most frequently in stores and check product details, like ingredients and nutritional content.
Forty percent of Walmart.com sales are Site-to-Store purchases. To support Site-to-Store, Walmart is experimenting at a couple of store locations with a drive-thru pick up option. It is also making the store sections where online purchases are picked up larger and more prominent.

Site-to-Store is an impactful strategy for a couple of reasons. Multichannel purchasers are typically much more profitable than customers that just shop at the store. A presentation I received from Manhattan Associates (an ARC client) about its multichannel software solutions cited Nielsen Online data showing that the typical Walmart multi-channel shopper spent 38 percent more per year than Walmart offline shoppers in 2008. Presumably this is why Walmart is testing, rather than rolling out, the drive-thru option. The company wants to make sure that what it gains from an increase in online shoppers more than makes up for the smaller transaction sizes.

But what is most impactful in the Site-to-Store strategy is that it allows Walmart to utilize its existing network of 147 US distribution centers (DCs), 51 transportation offices, 7,200 tractors, 53,000 trailers, and 8,000 drivers. Last year, Walmart made two moves in its DC network: the company opened a DC to support food imports and it closed a Walmart.com DC!

Walmart also mentioned that it had implemented a new inventory management system. I wondered why until I started to think about its multichannel offerings. If you want to support Site-to-Store or be able to sell against network-wide inventory, you would need a unified inventory management system.
Walmart competes on low prices and its multichannel tactics reflect this strategy. The company's website makes it clear that online prices do not always match store prices, and prices may also vary between stores. This is widely considered a multichannel mistake, but one can see the logic of this for a low-cost provider like Walmart. Further, I can't find a phone support option at Walmart.com.

Apparently, all ordering problems must be addressed by email.

Walmart clearly wants to use its size and scale to compete more effectively. Leveraging its existing logistics network to support Site-to-Store is just one example.

WMS Architecture and Total Cost of Ownership

2010-01-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

WMS Architecture and Total Cost of Ownership

Steve Banker of ARC has written a new article on WMS configurability or Business Process Modelling & configurablity. Its a good read idf your looking to install an configurable , flexible WMS

Supply Chain and Logistics Predictions for 2010

2009-12-23T17:50:00.000-08:00

Demand Signal Repositories (DSR) market continues to grow briskly: Based on research ARC conducted for an upcoming market study, the DSR and related applications market grew 49 percent in 2009. And this occurred in the midst of a large global recession! Based on ARC estimates, i2 Technologies, a new entrant to the market at the end of 2008, grew its DSR-related revenues from under $1 million to over $10 million in one year.
We also estimate that IBM has grown its revenues in this area to over $10 million in three years, despite not offering a core DSR database product. And now Oracle has entered the market, and we expect the company to generate at least $10 million dollars in DSR-related revenues in the next five years. (i2, IBM, and Oracle are all ARC clients). Based on these factors, it's hard to imagine this still immature market not growing by a very health margin again next year.

Also look to Bluesky Tech - They have a killer app for FMCG

Google continues to roil the supply chain technology market: As I highlighted in a recent post, Google has shaken up the GPS and navigation industry with some recent announcements. Google is developing a map database to compete with the routing and navigation maps provided by NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas. The company also announced it is offering a free turn-by-turn (TBT) navigation app with its Android 2.0-based smart phones. I don't expect these to be the last announcements that surprise logisticians. I expect Google to continue investing in mobile technologies, in free cloud-based applications, and in other new areas designed to rattle its mortal enemy Microsoft. Google's primary focus is serving the mass consumer market, not providing logisticians with new solutions. Nevertheless, I expect to see more solutions based on Google technologies come to market in the supply chain arena.

Going Green: With the USA EPA ruling earlier this month that CO2 and other greenhouse gases are a danger to public health, thus giving it the power to regulate CO2 emissions under the Clean Air Act, some form of legislation from Congress is arguably the better poison for companies to swallow. The clear winners at this point: software vendors offering "carbon information management" solutions (see "Managing Carbon: A Green Opportunity for IT" and click here to read all our postings this past year related to sustainability).

The State of the Retail Supply Chain

2009-12-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Retail Industry Leaders Association and the supply chain faculty at Auburn University recently published a report called "The State of the Retail Supply Chain." The research results are based on interviews with Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Directors from 45 large retailers headquartered in North America, including many retail organizations respected for their supply chain capabilities.

I've attached a link to the complete pdf document - i recommend all SCM & retail Exec's dowloan and circulate the document within their teams.

The people, products and knowledge for all companies ( not just US based) to be "leaders" is avaialable today.

If you'd like to know more contact me..

Multi-Channel Retailing

2009-11-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

OVERVIEW: Multi-channel retailing is a deceptively easy concept. Simple in terminology, but complex to explain and even more so to deliver. This paper provides an overview of what it is about, covering the drivers, benefits, challenges and organizational changes needed to get there.

What is Multi-Channel?
Retailers traditionally maintained a single department, offering sales and support via a single mode of customer interaction like the physical store. Over time this has expanded to include multiple ways of selling to, engaging, and interacting with the customer, primarily via mail, catalogue and telephone.
Advancing technology however, has led to a number of new ways of inter-personal interaction like the internet, mobile phones, and interactive TV; and as these embed deeper into social culture, subsequently new channels for offering product and service.
Multi-Channel then refers to the delivery of customer propositions via multiple channels with at least some degree of cross channel integration in management, information and service, i.e. in a consistent and coordinated way across all channels.
Complete integration and sharing of information and experience across all channels is now being referred to as Merged-Channel retailing, but that's a story for another paper. If you want to know more, have a look at my paper on The High Street 2.0, which is about merging online and offline customer experiences.

Drivers
While emerging technology has been a key enabler, multi-channel growth is essentially driven by consumers. According to Shop.org, 34% of consumers today use at least three channels when shopping. Research has found them to spend up to 10 times more, to generate 25 to 50% more profit and demonstrate greater loyalty than their single-channel counterparts. The core driver then is customer demand.
The other major driver is cost saving through efficiency and effectiveness. Managing channels separately may not only impair customer relationships but also result in cost increases resulting from running separate order-management and customer service operations, multiple warehouses and fulfilment systems, and buyers and merchandisers duplicating effort across the different channels.
Multi-channel is also driven by strategic competitive advantage and differentiation opportunities, and regulatory pressures around ensuring that all customers are able to access products and services on offer.

Benefits
There are a huge number of both organizational and customer related benefits to be gained from implementing a multi-channel strategy. Here’s a few:

Organisational Benefits
• Increased revenue and growth opportunities – more touch points into target market
• Better responsiveness and sensitivity to changing environments
• Competitive advantage over pure-plays particularly around immediacy, education opportunities for complex products and easy e-merchandise returns.
• Organisational efficiency and effectiveness opportunities through sharing of processes,
technology and information

Customer Related benefits
• Better and wider customer interaction with a greater variety of information available for improved understanding of customers and identification of opportunities for increasing value per customer (business intelligence)
• Increased customer loyalty through better understanding of customers
• Better customer experience reducing churn and increasing loyalty
• Opportunity to leverage and improve brand perception
Customers themselves also benefit from increased choice in interaction opportunities and the ability to switch channels as convenient.

Challenges
I'd argue that the underlying success factor in multi-channel retail from an external perspective is a seamless customer experience, and from an internal perspective is a single customer view – different sides of the same coin. Most of the challenges to any retailer appear to stem from attempting to achieve this.
The two key areas of impact here are technological and organizational dependent on retailer age and size. The older the organization, the more likely they are to have legacy systems, and the larger they are, they more likely they are to face resistance to change. Multi-channel may therefore require integration of disparate technologies, while also needing a complete review of structure, skills, staff incentivisation, and a host of other business and marketing processes.

The 5 main challenges faced by similar retailers entering the multi-channel space are as follows:
1. Evaluating cost of investment in development of cost effective, secure, scalable environments and systems integration against probable short term impact on bottom line
2. Pricing across different channels - Store channels have higher cost structures than web channels for example, and price competition is higher on web, but consumers can be put off by different pricing for the same product
3. Channel synchronisation i.e. ensuring brand, customer experience and customer information
consistency across channels while avoiding the 3E trap i.e. trying to provide ‘everything to
everyone everywhere’
4. Problems in merging and standardising customer data i.e. unifying different systems which may have very different data models
5. Difficulties in reducing or abolishing organisational boundaries to cope with new channels
In summary, customers for whom a multi-channel approach will yield the most benefits are often those for whom achieving it the most problematic – they have the largest customer bases, most complex lines, and longest histories of systems development, with many business critical systems that supply old CRM processes.

Organisational Impacts and the Changes Needed
A successful shift to multi-channel retailing requires a number of changes to the way any traditional retail business functions, primarily in the areas of commercial capability, technical capability, and organization and processes.

Commercial Capability
• Retailers must develop the ability to differentiate between offering attributes across different
channels because they vary in effectiveness and efficiency.
• Modeling capability will be crucial in enabling a deep understanding of the target audience’s
channel preferences and their perceptions of service
• Pricing, brand impact and route to market will have to evolve to ensure a seamless customer experience.
• The organisation will have to shift towards developing multi-channel value propositions and
commercial strategies.

Technical Capability
• The core capability needed is a single customer information view, ideally via a single platform for enterprise wide customer relationship management and proposition development. This requires full integration of database and management systems across channels and also with supply chain activities.
• Multi-channel IT architecture requires a channel independent, service oriented and scalable
integration of different front-end and back-end legacy systems and 3rd party services. The front- end should support open industry standards like XML and web-services.
• Measurement capability will be vital for monitoring and review channel integration
Organisational Process
• There may be need for a culture change programme to shift from a product or function focused approach to a customer focused approach
• Where separate channels have their own objectives, management, staff and systems, these may need to be synchronised or even merged if necessary
• Organisational restructure may require a new model that adapts people, processes and
technology to meet the coordinated approach to channel management. Strong support from CEO and Management will be required.
• Multi-channel trend analysis on the industry in question will need to play a larger role in the
corporate strategy formulation process
• Channel strategy and associated business propositions must be embedded into the basic
processes of the organization

Where do you start?
A good place to start your multi-channel journey is by considering Flint and Spieler’s 4 stage process (Source - IBM white paper on Multi-Channel Customer Management: The Benefits and Challenges)
1. Create a multichannel strategy
2. Determine the relative priority for the channels
3. Reorganise for multichannel operation by reconciling central brand, experience and service
standards control with the need for local autonomy in managing individual channels
4. Adopt and implement best practices for integrating new with old technology

Summary
To summarise, while the benefits are many, this paper should have highlighted the fact that there are a number of challenges involved too. Embedding real multi-channel practices will take time as it involves both a cultural and technological shift for any organisation. My recommendation when making early stage investment and ROI decisions around multi-channel retailing, is aim to focus on long-term value and competitive advantage rather than short-term profit. In other words, think longer term when developing your business case, and have the patience to see it through. It will pay off.

What Causes Shelf Out-of-Stocks?

2009-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Steve Banker from ARC has written up a good article on out of stock management .
See this link for the full article..

What Causes Shelf Out-of-Stocks?

Retail Customer Experience WebSite

2009-11-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'd like to recommend a one-stop website for all your retail customer experience needs.

The site showcases; products, events, news articles, company listings, research papers, whitepapers, videos and much much more.

RFID - Resurgence in Mining Industry

2009-10-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

Mining operations around the world are beginning to realize the tremendous benefits of real-time tracking systems utilizing RFID technologies. Here are just some of the benefits already being enjoyed today:

Safety: Real-time visibility of the accurate location and status of employees is
paramount at all times, but especially in emergencies. RFID systems can remain
operational during accidents, allowing you to know the precise location of personnel
during an emergency, thus greatly reducing respondent response time. RFID can also
be used to quickly locate emergency equipment such as respirators, first-aid kits and
fire suppression equipment.

Asset Management: Manage materials, equipment and personnel more efficiently with
automatic identification solutions. Accurately account for the status and location of all of
your equipment, thus dramatically improving asset utilization, and streamlining the
maintenance and repair process.

Collision Avoidance: NIOSH studies calculate that collisions between haulage
equipment and pedestrian workers or other vehicles claim an average of five lives each
year in surface and underground metal/nonmetal mining operations. Many more
workers are severely injured. New developments in RFID systems can significantly
reduce the risk of collisions, by providing automated alerts when problems appear likely.

Security: RFID can be used to limit workers from using unauthorized equipment as well
as prevent access to unauthorized areas.

No single solution works for every mining operation and a fit gap analysis is recommended so as to ascertain the cost, benefits and best technology and partners to utlise.

Appealing to the Imagination

2009-10-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Extract from a recent article from Jon Bird.

Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of the legendary London department store which now bears his name, once said that “the whole art of merchandising consists of appealing to the imagination. Once the imagination is moved, the hand goes naturally to the pocket. But if the first appeal is to the purse, the imagination is apt to revolt and raise barriers against buying.”

Arguably, much of Australian retail is about appealing “to the purse” rather than “the imagination”. Hence we can end up with relatively sterile retail environments plastered with cardboard screaming about “this week’s offer”. The great retailers of the world, however, have always understood the importance of getting the customer’s juices going before asking for the order. And a big part of the stimulation has been in the form of exciting visual merchandising (VM).

According to David Jenkin in “What Great Retailers Do”, VM is a simple concept; “it’s all about presenting merchandise in the most eye-catching way.”UK and US retailers tend to put more emphasis on the importance of really inspiring VM. UK creative director and retail commentator Mary Portas resurrected Harvey Nichols in the UK by creating highly memorable shop windows and calls them “the art of the high street”. Mickey Drexler (now CEO of American apparel retailer J.Crew) built The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy empire on clever VM.
...
It’s time for Australian retailers to lift their sights and embrace VM on a more sophisticated level. By appealing to “the imagination” first and “the purse” second you might just find wallets opening automatically. Jon Bird is CEO of retail marketing specialist IdeaWorks (www.ideaworks.com.au). He can be contacted at jon.bird@ideaworks.com.au.

A fingertip away from desire

2009-10-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

A recent article by Jon Bird

In 1923, Robert Woodruff, then President of Coca-Cola, first stated that the iconic soft drink should always be “within an arm’s reach of desire”.Over the next half century or so, Coca-Cola met and exceeded Woodruff’s vision, popping up across the globe in convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants and vending machines. Wherever thirsty consumers found themselves, there was bound to be an ice-cold Coke close by.Coke took 50 years to achieve its ubiquitous presence.
These days however, retailers can reach the same goal in the twinkling of an eye with relative ease, first via the internet and now the mobile phone. As I’ve written in several columns, the device in the palm of the shopper’s hand really does change everything. Suddenly, as the US consultancy Retail Forward notes, the “store” is no longer a location, but omnipresent. We are rapidly shifting from the concept of “place” to “anyplace” and retailers who recognise and capitalise on this fact will be winners in the future.

In a presentation last month in the US, Dan Stanek, executive VP of Retail Forward, identified that mobility = opportunity. Stanek said that transit, queues or the car can become shopping trips. With the right iPhone App, downtime can be turned into shopping time. The trick is to place your offer within a fingertip’s reach of desire during a customer’s idle moments.
Already, you can purchase music on the move from iTunes with just four clicks. Hear it, want it, click, click, click, click, it’s yours. It’s frighteningly simple... and personally, I love it.

Amazon is at the vanguard of m-commerce (mobile commerce), as they were with shopping via the web. Their new iPhone application elegantly allows you to fill a shopping cart with your fingertips no matter where you are. The app also features a neat function called “Amazon Remembers”. See something you like – say a chair that takes your fancy at a beach cafe – hit the Remembers button and your iPhone camera opens so that you can take a snap and automatically send it to Amazon. Then Amazon analyses the photo and tries to find an item just like it to offer you for sale. Clever stuff.Tesco in the UK is developing its own iPhone app to allow customers to do their supermarket shopping on the move. So you could fill your trolley on the bus, or perhaps even buy your groceries in the middle of a meeting.

US discount department store Target doesn’t yet allow you to easily purchase products from its application, but you can search for items on your mobile, check if they’re available before you shop (what’s increasingly called “know before you go”) and even get the in-store aisle location. Plus the latest deals in the Target Weekly ad are just a click away. And if you do see a product you’d like to purchase, you are linked through to Target’s online site.

Australian retailers are just starting to get their heads around e-commerce, and we can expect a rash of shopping-enabled sites in the next 12-18 months. But it’s worth starting to plan for an m-commerce world. Ask yourself this question: when customers desire your product or service during an idle moment, will you be there at their fingertips?

Top 10 brand and marketing trends for 2010

2009-10-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

By Robert Passikoff president, Brand Keys Oct 2009
Niels Bohr once noted that "prediction is very difficult, especially about the future," but then he didn't have access to predictive loyalty metrics. Happily, we do. And, as they measure the direction and velocity of consumer values 12 to 18 months in advance of the marketplace and consumer articulations of category needs and expectations, they identify future trends with uncanny accuracy.

Having examined these measures, we offer 10 trends for marketers for 2010 that will have direct consequences to the success — or failure — of next year's branding and marketing efforts.
1) Value is the new black
Consumer spending, even on sale items, will continue to be replaced by a reason-to-buy at all. This spells trouble for brands with no authentic meaning, whether high-end or low.
2) Brands increasingly a surrogate for "value"
What makes goods and services valuable will increasingly be what's wrapped up in the brand and what it stands for. Why J Crew instead of The Gap? J Crew stands for a new era in careful chic — being smart and stylish. The first family's support of the brand doesn't hurt either.
3) Brand differentiation is brand value
The unique meaning of a brand will increase in importance as generic features continue to plague the brand landscape. Awareness as a meaningful market force has long been obsolete, and differentiation will be critical for success — meaning sales and profitability.
4) "Because I said so" is so over
Brand values can be established as a brand identity, but they must believably exist in the mind of the consumer. A brand can't just say it stands for something and make it so. The consumer will decide, making it more important than ever for a brand to have measures of authenticity that will aid in brand differentiation and consumer engagement.
5) Consumer expectations are growing
Brands are barely keeping up with consumer expectations now. Every day consumers adopt and devour the latest technologies and innovations, and hunger for more. Smarter marketers will identify and capitalize on unmet expectations. Those brands that understand where the strongest expectations exist will be the brands that survive — and prosper.
6) Old tricks don't work/won't work anymore
In case your brand didn't get the memo, here it is: Consumers are on to brands trying to play their emotions for profit. In the wake of the financial debacle of this past year, people are more aware then ever of the hollowness of bank ads that claim "we're all in this together" when those same banks have rescinded their credit and turned their retirement plan into case studies. The same is true for insincere celebrity pairings: think Seinfeld and Microsoft, or Tiger Woods and Buick. Celebrity values and brand values need to be in concert, like Tiger Woods and Accenture. That's authenticity.
7) They won't need to know you to love you
As the buying space becomes even more online-driven and international (and uncontrolled by brands and corporations), front-end awareness will become less important. A brand with the right street cred can go viral in days, with awareness following, not leading, the conversation. After all, everybody knows GM, but nobody's buying their cars.
8) It's not just buzz
Conversation and community is all; eBay thrives based on consumer feedback. If consumers trust the community, they will extend trust to the brand. Not just word of mouth, but the right word of mouth within the community. This means the coming of a new era of customer care.
9) They're talking to each other before talking to the brand
Social networking and exchange of information outside of the brand space will increase. Look for more websites using Facebook Connect to share information with the friends from those sites. More companies will become members of LinkedIn. Twitter users will spend more money on the Internet than those who don't tweet.
10) Engagement is not a fad. It's the way today's consumers do business
Marketers will come to accept that there are four engagement methods including Platform (TV; online), Context (Program; webpage), Message (Ad or Communication), and Experience (Store/Event). But there is only one objective for the future: Brand Engagement. Marketers will continue realize that attaining real brand engagement is impossible using out- dated attitudinal models.

Accommodating these trends will require a paradigm change on the parts of some companies. But whether a brand does something about it or not, the future is where it's going to spend the rest of its life. How long that life lasts is up to the brand, determined by how it responds to today's reality.

Seven ways to cut costs with retail systems integration and roll-outs

2009-10-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Retail technology like digital signage and next-generation POS can generate revenue, increase efficiency and satisfy customers – but it also requires intelligent use of resources to deploy and maintain. In this webinar, you'll learn seven strategies for working with your systems integration and roll-out teams in order to save money, make the most of your assets, and get deployments up and running faster.
Learn the best ways to communicate with front-line tech staff, and how to make sure they have what they need to use their time and resources efficiently.
Discover the hidden costs of an inefficient maintenance plan – and how you can eliminate them.
Find new ways to make deployment launches smooth and painless.

hit the link for details..

CSCMP - Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals

2009-09-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

CSCMP Mission: To lead the evolving supply chain management profession by developing, advancing, and disseminating supply chain knowledge and research.
CSCMP Vision: The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals is the preeminent worldwide professional association of supply chain management professionals.
CSCMP exists to:
Provide opportunities for supply chain professionals to communicate in order to develop and improve their supply chain management skills
Identify and conduct research which adds to the knowledge base of supply chain theory and practice
Create awareness of the significance of supply chain to business and to the economy

CSCMP Values: As a professional not-for-profit organization, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals holds these values:
We operate with the highest standards of integrity and ethics.
We are committed to the individual professional development of our members.
We are an inclusive organization, open to all who wish to enhance their supply chain management knowledge.

We endeavor to be the supply chain management thought leaders by encouraging, promoting, and disseminating leading edge products and services.
We endeavor to offer products and services of the highest quality.

CSCMP Goals:
1) Provides leadership in developing, defining, understanding, and enhancing the logistics and supply chain management profession.
2) Enhances member value through education, networking, research, communication, and other services
3) Operates with sound business practices.

There are local CSCMP groups across Asia , Australia and the globe.
i urge you to hit the website and take advantage of the councils collaterals, expertise and members.

Buying a WMS in an M and A environment

2009-09-28T04:20:00.003-07:00

With quite a few mergers & acquisitions in the WMS space during the recent months, I was wondering what should be the strategy for companies planning to implement a WMS?
Also, for companies that have already implemented these packages, what should be their strategy with respect to upgrades, support etc.?
Full Article:

Adapted from a response by Jim Willems on 10/03/2008. I believe that if a company completes an accurate selection process (meaning they buy a system according to their needs not their desires) and they structure the contract terms correctly, the consolidation of the WMS industry should be minimal. In my experience most clients are looking for a 5 to 7 year life from their WMS - meaning their system should be up and live prior to their vendor being purchased. Most acquiring firms are not going to immediately change anything, allowing for the client to get even closer to the point of their systems live expectancy. If the new vendor does significantly changes to the culture, pricing, and system the client should be at a point of having their ROI and able to move to a new system if needed.

2009-09-28T04:20:00.001-07:00

Explaining the Value of Logistics to the CEO

2009-09-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

By Adrian Gonzalez - ARC Advisory Group
Is logistics a cost center or a competitive differentiator? Is it a core competency or a function that should be outsourced?
I would argue that most CEOs, at least historically, have viewed logistics as a cost center (trucks, warehouses, overhead, etc.), a business function that falls short of their "core competency" definition. This perspective has led to the ongoing growth (except for this year) of the logistics outsourcing (3PL) industry.
Of course, just because a business function is not considered a core competency, or is outsourced to a third party, doesn't necessarily mean that it's not valued by the CEO. The true test of value is whether a CEO is willing to continue investing in logistics, either internally-in people, technology, assets, etc.-or by developing more strategic relationships with 3PL partners. If neither type of investment is taking place, then you have a problem.
Is this the case at your company? If so, how do you explain the value of logistics to your CEO?
The common advice is to communicate the value of logistics in terms the CEO, as well as the CFO, can understand. In other words, you have to speak their language, which entails linking logistics with financial metrics. Unfortunately, many logistics executives are financial illiterates. If you can't read and understand an income statement or balance sheet, for example, then your ability to effectively communicate the value of logistics to the CEO/CFO is severely limited.
Placing logistics in a financial context will get your foot in the door, but is it enough?
I don't think so. CEOs suffer from a similar deficiency: most of them are supply chain and logistics illiterates. They are often the weakest link in a company's supply chain, as Rueben E. Slone, Executive VP of Supply Chain at Office Max, and his co-authors wrote in "Are You the Weakest Link in Your Company's Supply Chain?" (Harvard Business Review, September 2007). "In this article," the authors wrote, "we advise CEOs not to become unwitting weak links in their companies' own supply chain strategies. The costs of neglecting important matters of supply chain management are damaging to any type of business for which SCM is potentially a competitive differentiator (most notably, manufacturing, retail, and distribution). CEOs should get involved."
Sir William Osler, MD, the father of modern medicine, once said, "Medicine is learned by the bedside and not in the class room. Let not your conception of manifestations of disease come from work heard in the lecture room or read from the book: see and then research, compare and control. But see first."
In order for CEOs to truly appreciate the value of logistics, they too must see first...by spending the day picking goods at the warehouse; driving shotgun on a delivery truck; finding capacity for uncovered loads; tracking and tracing shipments; building pallets near the loading dock; calling vendors overseas, and taking calls from customers, in both cases the same question: Where's our order?
If getting your CEO immersed in your logistics operations is too much to ask, then have him attend a supply chain and logistics conference...or two or three, especially the ones organized by the software and technology vendors that power your logistics processes. While not as good as see first, spending a few days with supply chain and logistics professionals, from many different companies and industries, presenting case studies and discussing industry trends, is still a valuable type of seeing and hearing.
How do you explain the value of logistics to a CEO? You don't. The value has to be experienced firsthand, like getting soaked in the rain. Everything else is just words and numbers.

A Strategic Hole in the WMS Market

2009-09-10T01:22:00.000-07:00

A Strategic Hole in the WMS Market

Consolidation looms in WMS market

2009-09-10T00:27:00.000-07:00

Top WMS suppliers gain more market share in shrinking market By Dave Hannon

Recessions tend to drive market consolidation, as the lean revenues thin out the herd in nearly all markets. And the warehouse management systems (WMS) market is no exception, say market analysts at ARC Advisory Group.

In a recent report, ARC analysts say the top-tier vendors in the WMS market saw strong growth in 2008, as they have in most of the past 10 years ARC has performed the study. However, that trend of the big getting bigger cannot continue for much longer, and soon—maybe as soon as next year—the WMS market will have consolidated to the point where the only way the top five vendors can grow is by taking over one of the other top five.

Overall the WMS market shrank by 1% in 2008 and is forecast to decline again this year in total size before trending back up to grow again in 2010 through 2013. Compound annual growth for the WMS market through 2013 is forecast to be 2.2%, but much of that top-line growth is driven by the largest vendors.

“ARC expects that at least 10 WMS suppliers will go out of business”in 2010, says Steve Banker, ARC analyst. “In a smaller, consolidated market, the major suppliers will find that the WMS market is much more of a zero sum game. One vendor’s growth will come at another’s expense.”
And among the smaller vendors, there is likely to be a snowball effect—as WMS buyers get more concerned about the risk or going with a lesser-known vendor, they will ask those vendors to open up their books. “And many will fail that test,” ARC reports.

41 new business ideas from around the world

2009-09-08T18:22:00.001-07:00

Get ready for an innovation avalanche! 41 new business ideas from around the world

Click in the link to learn more

What makes a great shopping experience

2009-08-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

Reserach results from the study were outlined in Getting to “Wow”: Consumers Describe What Makes a Great Shopping Experience published at Knowledge@Wharton.

What is interesting in this article is their list of five major areas that contribute to a great shopping experience:

Engagement: being polite, genuinely caring and interested in helping, acknowledging and listening.

Executional excellence: patiently explaining and advising, checking stock, helping to find products, having product knowledge and providing unexpected product quality.

Brand Experience: exciting store design and atmosphere, consistently great product quality, making customers feel they’re special and that they always get a deal.

Expediting: being sensitive to customers’ time on long check-out lines, being proactive in helping speed the shopping process.

Problem Recovery: helping resolve and compensate for problems, upgrading quality and ensuring complete satisfaction.

Great shopping experiences are those we talk about to others.

Retailers trading under a common shingle - the various newsagency brands or just the word newsagency - need to collectively agree standards and strategies which drive great shopping experieences and commit to relentless pursuit of these standards and the implementation of the strategies.

Too many newsagencies are run by people who prefer process work over business leadership, people who have bought an income and not a business.

The strength of our future as a retail channel depends on how many of us want to provide a great shopping experience.

How does your business shape up ?

Best in Class WMS Performance - Aberdeen Definition

2009-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

How does your business measure up against this criteria ?
How do you improve your business ?

Top 10 Supply Chain Technology Trends

2009-08-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

It’s easy to name “mobility” and “wireless” as trends, but it’s less clear exactly what direction these developments are taking and how they can be used to improve business. Intermec have recently released a new whitepaper which while having an Intermec bias of sorts does provide a good framework for current tech trends in supply chain. ( See link)

In summary the whitepaper lists the following trends:

Here are the top 10 trends and technologies impacting supply chain operations spanning production, distribution, retail and remote service.

1. Comprehensive connectivity – from 802.11 wireless LAN technologies, cellular networks, Bluetooth
2. Voice and GPS communication integrated into rugged computers
3. Speech recognition
4. Digital imaging
5. Portable printing
6. 2D & other bar coding advances
7. RFID
8. RTLS
9. Remote management
10. Wireless and device security

You’re probably familiar with the technologies listed above, but perhaps not with the latest developments and trends. For example, did you know that practically any application can be
easily modified to accept speech input because of the recent development of terminal emulation-based speech recognition technology? Did you know that Bluetooth, 802.11b/g, cellular and
GPS communication are all available in a single handheld device?

Did you know improved optics allow 2D bar codes on paper to be read at greater distances (over 50 feet) than 1D bar codes on retroreflective labels?

Read the whitepaper in full to learn more about how these and other developments are helping make production, distribution, service and other supply chain operations more efficient.

Warehouse & DC: Voice broadens its horizons

2009-08-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Over the last five years, voice technology went from “bleeding edge” to “leading edge” to ultimately joining the ranks of other affordable, reliable technologies for use in picking operations. Here’s where it’s going and how it’s being applied by two savvy DC managers.

The verdict is in and there’s very little debate: Voice-directed picking has proven time and again that it can help companies make significant strides in productivity, accuracy, and safety improvement. By converting pick lists to voice commands and transmitting them to workers via headsets linked to wearable, mobile computers over wireless networks, voice allows workers to free their hands and eyes for the most important task at hand—the picking of product. And by all accounts, interest in voice, especially in grocery and retail verticals, is not expected to wane anytime soon.
According to Eric Lamphier, senior director of product management for Manhattan Associates, his company’s voice implementations are going global with the majority of the demand coming from private, non-3PL sectors. “The grocery/food customers have certainly been leaders when it comes to implementing the technology, as full case, pick-to-pallet operation remains a very good fit for voice,” says Lamphier, adding that the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors are rapidly following.

Tom Singer, principal at supply chain services provider Tompkins Associates, agrees with Lamphier’s assessment, but puts forth another theory for voice’s growing popularity. “Over the past few years,” says Singer, “top tier solution providers like Manhattan and Red Prairie have been collaborating with vendors and voice developers offering direct interface, out-of-the-box voice solutions.” Users simply pay a licensing fee for their pick engines to become voice-enabled.
According to both Singer and Lamphier, perhaps the latest technological development with voice responsible for driving its growth is the introduction of multi-modal devices. “What it gives you is the ability for dual use,” says Singer. “Pickers can work in a voice-only mode when doing straight picking, but switch to the screen or display when doing cycle counts and replenishments.”

Also Vocollect are ramping up its efforts and focus in Asia Pacific.

Voice for high volume , full case pick is an ideal solution.

Look out for voice is other domains such as medical - coming soon

Want to know more - lets chat.

DHL Scores Five Asian Logistics Awards

2009-08-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

By Martin Murray

The 2009 Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Transportation & Logistics Awards were presented at a ceremony in Singapore last week. The big winner at the awards was the global logistics company, DHL. The logistics giant was the winner in five categories, including received two of the regional Best Practices awards, comprising Manufacturing Logistics Service Provider of the Year and Green Logistics Service Provider of the Year. DHL was a winner in three Voice of Customer awards, including the Pharmaceutical Logistics Service Provider of the Year for Malaysia as well as Pharmaceutical Logistics Service Provider of the Year for Indonesia and FMCG and Retail Logistics Service Provider of the Year for Indonesia.

Supply Chain Software and Technology: The Status and the Future

2009-08-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

A Great article that give great presecptive on the SCM IT market

By Bridget McCrea -- Supply Chain Management Review, 9/1/2008

You've heard that technology moves at the speed of light, and nowhere is this more evident than in the supply chain space, where new and improved offerings crop up every year. There are new iterations of TMS, WMS, ERP and GTM systems to test out, budding technologies like RFID and GPS to try, and many other options at your fingertips in this age of innovation.
In this article, we'll divide the supply chain technology space into segments—the software and solutions that vendors are developing, and the technology that they're using to make those systems better, faster and cheaper. Then, we'll look at what's around the next corner, what's coming down the pike, and the directions that software and technology are likely to take in the years to come.
So strap yourself in, sit back and enjoy the ride as we take you through the present and future of supply chain technology.Software and Solutions
Historically, supply chain software has been divided into two broad categories: supply chain execution (the optimization of product and service flow from source to customer) and supply chain planning (the coordination of assets to optimize the delivery of goods, services and information from supplier to customer). Over the last year, however, the lines between the two have become blurred, with new software bridging into both areas.
Nari Viswanathan, research director, supply chain management, for Aberdeen Group in Boston, points to One Network as a vendor that's helping to bridge the gap. “Its solution can do both planning and execution,” says Viswanathan, “and provides solutions that cover a wide variety of user roles and functions.” He says shippers are embracing the trend, with large high-tech, CPG, aerospace and defense manufacturers purchasing the software, which “sits on top of existing ERP systems.”
Also growing in popularity right now is the use of replenishment software, which is being developed by vendors like Oracle. Credit the fast-paced manufacturing environment with stoking the need for such systems, which help shippers achieve faster replenishment processes.
“This software runs several times a day, making use of the demand pattern provided by retailers,” says Viswanathan. “For a DVD manufacturer, for example, the software can help retailers replenish the stock within just a few hours.”
Joe Francis, executive director of technology for the Supply Chain Council in Washington, D.C., says global visibility has come to the forefront for many companies. And this, in turn, has pushed vendors to come up with solutions that effectively make the world smaller for those doing business internationally.
“Global visibility is the best practice that everyone wants right now,” says Francis. “Bad events are so disruptive that we're starting to see much more emphasis on track-and-trace and predictive events control.” Such controls aren't necessarily the domain of large ERP systems, says Francis, which tend to be more transaction-oriented in nature, rather than predictive. For help, shippers are turning to more specialized supply chain applications that can better tackle the global environment.
According to Steve Banker, director of supply chain management at Boston-based ARC Advisory Group, a recent survey of 140 supply chain managers uncovered TMS as the top-of-mind technology solution right now. Banker says that high fuel costs and a growing interest in green initiatives are pushing shippers in that direction, followed closely by WMS solutions that allow shippers to use RFID or speech recognition in their DCs. “TMS ranks the highest, and WMS is next as the most important supply chain applications right now,” Banker says.
Within those two categories, on-demand or “fast” solutions have gained much traction over the last few years. “Everyone has embraced the Web—particularly in the transportation realm—as the application space for solutions,” says Ann Grackin, managing director, global supply chain risk intelligence for Marsh Consulting in New York. Such solutions are particularly attractive for shippers that want to get up and running fast (without having to deal with the purchase-and-install process) at an affordable price and in an application environment where their trading partners can do the same.
“The concept isn't new, but the rate of adoption of these on-demand systems is increasing,” says Grackin. “Not just because we're seeing more complex supply chain networks that have to talk to each other, but also due to the increased need for visibility. The Web is the way to get that done.”
So whereas in the past, large companies would send out mandates to their trading partners to get hooked up on a specific solution, today those same firms are closely collaborating with their vendors and customers to create systems that help the various entities work together in the most efficient manner possible. Grackin points to the bumper crop of product recalls and counterfeit challenges in 2007 as one of the major catalysts for change in that arena.
“This year, we've seen a 2.7 percent increase in border seizures of counterfeit product, and that number could rise to 5 percent by the end of the year,” says Grackin. “That's driving companies to sit down with their trading partners to figure out how they can work together better and secure their supply chains while also increasing visibility and transparency. Then, they're coming up with strategies to put those discussions into action.”
According to AMR Research, users will be reaching out to both ERP vendors and so called best-of-breed specialty vendors to support a wide range of supply chain functions. Exhibit 1 gives a breakdown of the sources they turn to for the various applications.The Tech Behind it All
As companies are assessing the latest and greatest supply chain solutions, they're also looking at the technology behind those systems. Right now, for example, some have their hopes pinned on new combination RFID-GPS systems that integrate the two technologies into sensors and cellular devices. “Combining the two technologies allows tags to be used in every environment—whether they are remote or local,” says Grackin, “and solves the problem of 'where in the world is the reader?'”
At both the enterprise level and the third party (3PL) level, Francis says GPS is providing shippers with much more detail than they previously were able to access. Advancements in the technology is allowing for a “merging of fields” which enables companies to reroute shipments in the field (when an order change comes in, for example), thanks to the fact that their exact locations are known.
Francis says he “still hasn't seen the killer app for RFID that everyone is waiting for,” but adds that the technology has been most effective in military logistics applications, particularly in reverse logistics. “When you return from the field with material, you don't have a lot of time to scan in the bar codes on your trucks for parts,” Francis explains. “You'd rather put them in a box and have someone else know what's in them by simply punching a button.”
From her vantage point as research director at AMR Research in Boston, Jane Barrett says that adoption of RFID and service-oriented architecture (SOA) have so far been “slower than the vendors would like.” With companies under pressure to finish projects, getting new technologies isn't always easy. “Companies don't always feel that they will get the ROI that they want, and they often lack the skills and resources to get these new technologies,” says Barrett. “In some cases the technology is out there, but companies are under such pressure to try to keep the wheels turning, and as a result are struggling to adopt it.”What the Future Holds
As technology continues to evolve, so too do the supply chain applications that companies are using to increase visibility, optimize operations, streamline transportation channels, and increase their bottom lines. Studies by AMR Research show that these applications will be driven by customer demands, heightened global competition, and regulatory compliance among other issues. (Exhibit 2 shows the issues impacting application investments.)
Looking forward, Grackin sees more developers looking to address risk management, and creating data and the solutions that surround such activities. “Future software applications will have to understand and embrace a new set of performance matrix around supply chain management, such as those that can look at existing models and try to extrapolate what can go wrong,” the Marsh consultant says. “While we've seen architectures in the risk management arena, we haven't really seen the data and solutions yet.”
In looking at the 3PL space, Francis says optimization will continue to be an ongoing goal for these providers and their clients. Many are beginning to use solutions from vendors like Xelocity, for example, to model their entire logistics network and develop their RFPs. “We see a big trend in custom logistics providers using this type of simulation software to set up their contracts,” says Francis. “Using this process, the 3PLs can then do pre-execution using a fairly accurate model that helps them understand the level of optimization necessary to go into the contract bid.”
Calling SOA “more rhetoric than reality” and a “slow, gradual process,” Banker says software as a whole is becoming more SOA-like every day. “Some suppliers are ahead of others,” he says. “In TMS, for example, on-demand works pretty well and is becoming more and more prevalent.”
Banker sees more supply chain managers turning to voice applications in the future. “I'm hearing from companies that voice is coming up in more and more deals,” says Banker, who expects voice to be integrated with other systems for maximum effectiveness. “It's sort of the multi-modal idea of being able to use voice in the beginning in conjunction with other applications.”
Finally, Banker says shippers are showing an interest in the use of appointment scheduling capabilities based on user-defined business tools such as optimization as well as dynamic routing guides that allow companies to select the most efficient and affordable routes possible for the shipment of goods. “This is a relatively new application that factors in carrier performance and dynamically adjusts based on that measure,” says Banker. “It's a relatively new technology that users are highly interested in.”More to Come
Viswanathan of the Aberdeen Group expects the evolution of service or “interarchitecture” and master data management to come to the forefront of supply chain applications in the future, and to result in further innovations over the next few years. More and more, he says, there is a need for the creation of globally-integrated supply chains, with all trading partners (suppliers, customers, shippers and carriers alike) functioning as part of a single, large supply chain, rather than a bunch of individual ones.
“Going forward,” says Viswanathan, “I see SOA and master data management allowing companies to synchronize across these disparate systems.”
As they struggle under the pressure of rising commodity costs and competition both domestically and overseas, expect more shippers to look to technology to solve their supply chain problems. Vendors are stepping up to the plate and coming up with new technologies and solutions to meet their customers' growing needs.
“Many of today's supply chains were designed around $20-a-barrel oil, and now many companies are rethinking what their entire supply chains look like,” says AMR's Barrett. “Technology is one major piece of that puzzle.”

Top 20 SCM Vendors

2009-07-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

The leaders in 2008 look much the same as in 2007. Once again, No. 1 SAP with $942 million and No. 2 Oracle with $715 million top the list. In a tough year, both posted significant percentage gains, with SAP up nearly 12% and Oracle growing by nearly 9%. JDA Software with $390 million, Manhattan Associates with $337 million and RedPrairie with $293 million rounded out the top five.

The TMS market was essentially flat, coming in at $1.2 billion, up from $1.1 billion in 2007, according to Adrian Gonzalez, director of the logistics executive council for ARC Research (781-471-1000, www.arcweb.com). The high price of fuel continues to be the most important factor driving the TMS market, according to Gonzalez. "Record oil prices through the first nine months of 2008 helped the market post an overall respectable number for the year."
The WMS market, meanwhile, was also flat, at $1.2 billion, according to Steve Banker, ARC's service director of supply chain management. The most important development in the market may be that big players like RedPrairie, Manhattan Associates and HighJump continue to take market share from the small to mid-sized providers. As Banker looks at the market, he sees as many as 20 small players that are on life support and may not survive in the current economy.

The most significant trend may be the emergence of new models, like on-demand, software-as-a-service, and by-the-transaction subscription models, for delivering and pricing supply chain management solutions. In the TMS market, for instance, the hosted model already represents about one third of the implementations, according to Gonzalez. While it has been slow to expand to the other applications, vendors are experimenting with new models. One idea that is emerging would deliver and price software services based on the number of transactions similar to the way a 3PL charges for order fulfillment services. Both Banker and Jacobson have had conversations with WMS and MES providers that are talking about this concept. Whether it will catch on or not is too early to tell.
"The on-demand market is about 1% of the WMS market," says Banker. "But vendors are looking at ways to reduce the upfront cost of implementing a solution."

Asia Pacific is about 8-12% of the global market and I predict significant change in the make-up of the SCM vendors in Asia Pac in 2009-2011.

The Asia Pacific market for WMS is still over $100M ..

More to follow..

Retailer Transforms Supply Chain With RFID

2009-07-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

In a move to RFID-enable its complete supply chain, apparel retailer Charles Vogele has implemented a Merchandise Visibility system that will cover point-of-manufacture to point-of-sale, using standard EPC Gen 2 labels. The system, the first standards-based system to RFID-enable a retailer's entire supply chain, will assist retailers in streamlining their supply chains by applying smart tags to apparel merchandise at point-of-manufacture, and reading the tags in all parts of the logistics operations, including in the store. Retailers will be able to improve operations and increase shelf availability at the store by tracking item-level merchandise throughout the facility. Thomas Beckmann, vice president of supply chain operations at Charles Vogele, notes the firm's "logistical challenge" of dealing with approximately 70 million garments sourced annually from more than 400 suppliers and distributed to 34 consolidation hubs throughout Asia and Europe. "Our adoption of RFID has transformed and improved our operations from source to store," Beckmann says. The Merchandise Visibility system was supplied by Checkpoint Systems.Web Link

Fresh software KPI, Gauges,Reports, Events & Cheap

2009-06-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Fresh software services Pty Ltd is a software company providing KPInsight - Analysis, Visibility, and Alerts.

Probably the most important KPI tool you’ll ever own.

And it’s free!

Yes that's right .. no upfront license fees Wow !

want to learn more then contact me today.

Australian National Retail Forum - Melb August 11-13

2009-06-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

The National Retail Forum is Australia's leading annual conference event for retail professionals, designed to help you gain insight ideas and experience from leading Australian and international retailers, industry specialists and consultants to empower you to improve your business performance.

Register now to see speakers including Ruby Anik (Senior VP Brand Marketing, JC Penney), Bernie Brookes (Chief Executive Officer, MYER), Alan Oster (Chief Economist, National Australia Bank) and Warren Wilmot (Chief Executive Officer, 7 Eleven Stores Australia).The National Retail Forum provides a unique opportunity for retailers to focus on the future, share experiences and embrace opportunities to evolve and adapt to a changing market.

Delegates also receive free entry to Retail Expo Australasia 2009, which runs alongside the National Retail Forum at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Come and experience ‘Retail 2020: Store of the Future', an exciting new technology feature that will be launched at this event.

See you there ..

Latest Trends in SCM Technology

2009-06-11T17:41:00.001-07:00

I attended the SMART conference in Darling harbour this week. Attendance was down by 2/3rd's on the previous event 2 years ago but i feel the quality was up in terms of attendee's, solutions and technology on show.

A few trends of note :

- Low cost visiblity solutions for tier 2 and 3 companies now available

- good mobile solutions for truck and container tracking

- New ( to me at least) fatigue solutions for drivers

- Green Supply chain focus is on the increase

- All the usual IT SCM vendors there with great products.

- A few notiable companies missing

- Rapid build ERP solutions

and more

Top 10 Business and Technology Challenges

2009-06-08T00:56:00.000-07:00

An interesting report from Gartner on the Top 10 business and Technology challenges for CIO's.

How does this compare to your companies needs ?

Retail Technology Subject Topics

2009-06-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in any of these retail technology topics and would like to know more then contact me :)

Assisted Selling , Branding , Convenience Stores ,Customer Psychology , Customer Service , Digital Signage , In-Store Media , Loyalty Programs, Merchandising , POS , RFID , Self-service , Store Layout and Design , Supermarkets/Grocery Analytics and Measurement , Department Stores , Display Technology , Interactive Displays Kiosks, Marketing Point-of-purchase ,Psychology, Retail - Apparel , Retail - Electronics, Retail - Online Retail - Specialty, Self-Checkout , Signage Technology, Vending, Digital Signage , Measurement & Analysis , Digital Merchandising, Customer Experience ,Content Design & Aesthetics , Retail - Digital Signage,

The Smart Supply Chain Technology Show

2009-05-24T19:29:00.001-07:00

The Smart Supply Chain Technology Show (SSCT) is the biennial exhibition for supply chain and logistics professionals to find out what’s new in supply chain products and services, network with colleagues, clients and business partners and build new business relationships. The theme for 2009, “Meeting the Challenge – Logistics Innovation for Operational Efficiency”, recognises the opportunities and demands presented by the current business environment, and identifies innovation as a key to meeting these challenges.

I hope to see you there :)

IBM :Turning Customers into Advocates

2009-05-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

A good pdf document from the IBM retail team. ( see link).

The premise is the while retailers are heeding the daily drumbeat of pundits on the importance of focusing on the customer experience, a gap remains between what retailers are delivering and what shoppers expect.

Retailers can close this gap by systematically integrating knowledge of what their best customers want and expect from their brand into every core operational decision.

This is where the bar will be set for retailers - to turn shoppers into advocates and create a sustainable, differentiated advantage.

This is what RSC is all about: making advocates of your customers for your company.

ARC Advisory Group ranks Manhattan Associates as leading supplier of warehouse management systems

2009-05-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

Manhattan Associates: WMS solution achieved first place ranking in 15 categories.
ARC Advisory Group released its “Warehouse Management Systems Worldwide Outlook, Market Analysis and Forecast Through 2013” today, with global supply chain optimization provider Manhattan Associates, Inc. ranking as the leading supplier of total warehouse management software (WMS) and services.

ARC Advisory Group produces the annual forecast which follows more than 80 suppliers of WMS solutions and gives a detailed analysis and forecast for the marketplace through 2013. The Manhattan Associates’ WMS solution achieved a first place ranking in the following categories:

Total WMS Software and Services
Suppliers of WMS Software
Base WMS Software
WMS Add-on Software Modules
WMS Implementation Services
WMS Maintenance Services
WMS in North America
WMS in the Middle East & Africa
WMS in Asia
WMS to Tier 1 Customers
WMS to Tier 3 Customers
Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturers
Wholesale/Distributors
Apparel Retailers
Department & General Merchandise Retailers

"Manhattan is the largest supplier of WMS solutions in the world. The company emerged as the leading supplier of WMS in Asia this year for the first time," says Steve Banker, service director, supply chain management for ARC Advisory Services. "Manhattan also made huge strides in EMEA this year, moving up from the #6 WMS provider to the #2 provider of WMS in the region. Not only did Manhattan Associates increase their global footprint, but they increased their solution footprint significantly by introducing some compelling WMS add-on modules — Supply Chain Intelligence (SCI) and Workforce Schedule Optimization. In a marketplace where it is sometimes difficult to differentiate solutions, Manhattan has continued to extend the runway with science-based applications built exclusively for distribution centers."

"Manhattan's ranking in ARC's “Warehouse Management Systems Worldwide Outlook” underscores our commitment to developing the type of solutions that give our customers a short term path to success while also delivering long term value," says Eddie Capel, executive vice president, global operations, Manhattan Associates. "Our entire suite of distribution management solutions is designed to give our customers flexibility and the ability to add complementary solutions such as Supply Chain Intelligence, Total Cost-to-Serve or Labor Scheduling as their supply chain network continues to grow and mature."

Foot note: In my Opinion if you need a SCM/WMS with the lot then MANH is the group to talk too...

Oracle - Beehive Collaboration Software

2009-05-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

Oracle announced enhancements to its recently launched Beehive collaboration software in hopes of positioning it more strongly against long-established offerings from Microsoft and IBM. Oracle also slashed its entry-level price for Beehive from $120 to $50 per user, while announcing prices for a cloud-based version.
According to independent analyst Peter O'Kelly, Beehive represents Oracle's fourth attempt to crack the collaboration market, which has been long dominated by Microsoft and its Exchange and SharePoint products, and IBM with its Lotus Notes and Domino software.

Despite its late entrance to the market, Oracle's senior vice president of collaboration technologies David Gilmour asserts that things will be different for Beehive. "The market leaders are groupware products that have grown up," he said. "Collaboration was layered on after the fact, not designed that way in the beginning. Beehive is almost the complete inverse of that."

Warehouse Management Systems - Outlook to 2012

2009-05-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

The ARC group has recently published a Five Year Market Analysis and Forecast through 2013. An overview of the report can be found at http://www.arcweb.com/StudyBrochurePDFs/Study_wms.pdf

The outlook is for slow growth off the back of a drop in 2009.
For many suppliers, strategies must be focused on survival rather than growth.

In putting together their strategies, the following kinds of questions need answers.

How much will the market consolidate?
How will 2009 compare to 2008?
When will the market begin to grow again?
What types of core WMS solutions and add on modules will sell well during the downturn?
What regions and industries should suppliers focus on?

WMS is often sold as part of a larger supply chain or enterprise suite. How important is that suite? How does the suite offered by leading suppliers need to change so that leading suppliers can maintain and grow their market share?

The full report can be downloaded from this address : http://www.arcweb.com/Research/Studies/Pages/WMS.aspx
There are also similar reports for TMS, planning, Global Trade, SCE etc

Blue Sky - Insight SCM Visibility

2009-05-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Insight™ is a supply chain visibility application that provides the ability to measure key indicators, monitor process improvements, and maintain supply chain performance across the extended supply chain. By linking information between disparate systems, substantial efficiencies can be gained generating a better return on your supply chain investment. Insight also identifies root cause relationships which allows for improved decision making.

http://www.blueskylogistics.com/insight.html

Great product , sits on multiple WMS applications. Contact me for details...

Growing busines via your Networks - Ivan Misner

2009-04-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

I came across a great website and blog by Ivan Misner today: http://networking.entrepreneur.com/. On his website Ivan says ( and i concur).. I “refuse to participate in a recession,” .

He has co-written an e-book on business and success that helps people learn how to go about doing just that. The book was co-authored with 11 of the world’s foremost authorities on business. It’s called The Way Out!–Your GPS “Guided Path to Success,” and it is a road map for how to steer clear of the recession and drive toward success and prosperity. It was published by iLearningGlobal with the goal of giving people everywhere turn-by-turn directions to help navigate away from challenges such as the current economic state, and toward the destination of their personal, professional and financial goals.

You can download the ebook for free from this URL :

http://www.bni.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=xQ3M02K%2bECU%3d&tabid=64

The contents of the ebook reflect many of the ideals and business rules RSC ahere too.

Top 20 Software Vendors in Retailing - Dec 2008

2009-04-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

Oracle
SAP
Microsoft
Celerant Technology
Micros Retail
Escalate Retail
Tomax
PCMS
Datafit
ECR Software
Retalix
MicroStrategy
IBM
Magstar
Manhattan Associates
Lawson Software
SAS
Epicor
Radiant Systems
JDA
Software Reflexis

The 6 Laws Of Customer Experience

2009-04-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

BRUCE TEMKIN has a great blog site : http://www.experiencematters.wordpress.com/

A recent whitepaper by Bruce lists and discusses the 6 Laws Of Customer Experience.

1) Every interaction creates a personal reaction.
2) People are instinctively self-centered.
3) Customer familiarity breeds alignment.
4) Unengaged employees don't create engaged customers.
5) Employees do what is measured, incented, and celebrated.
6) You can't fake it.

THE BOTTOM LINE: WHEN IT COMES TO THE 6 LAWS OF
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, IGNORANCE IS NOT A VALID DEFENSE.

Check out his website and blog for more details and a full white paper

TESCO to re-launch loyalty scheme24 Apr 2009

2009-04-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

Tesco in the UK is set to re-launch its Clubcard loyalty scheme in the next few weeks, in an effort to further build brand loyalty. The re-launch is reportedly likely to be based around the things customers can do with Clubcard and features a significant investment by Tesco’s own admission. The move is part of the retailer’s strategy to get a balance between price and loyalty programmes, as a means of rewarding customers. The chain will likely be looking to ramp-up both its marketing communications of Tesco Clubcard, as well as the analysis of its shopper behaviour data. Industry sources suggest Tesco will need to expand its Clubcard marketing to digital channels as part of the re-launch.

Tesco's focus on Loyalty and multi-media is testiment to the uplift retailers can obtain and retain with a solid focus on Loyalty & multi-media channels marketing.

What is your retail strategy in this area ?

Want to know\ learn\discuss more - then contact me :0)

Planet Retail - Daily News Feed

2009-04-16T04:19:00.000-07:00

Planet Retail

Every day, thousands of professionals turn to Planet Retail as the most trusted authority on global retailing. From in-depth company profiles and market analysis to virtual tours and breaking news, our market leading intelligence service can deliver immediate value to your business.Why Planet Retail

I find the website and daily news feed provides a useful incite into the world of retail and retail trends and activites ..

http://www.planetretail.net/

Supply Chain Technology Market to Grow to US$9.2B in 2012

2009-04-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

AMR Research estimates the supply chain management (SCM) applications market will grow by seven percent annually for the next five years, despite the gloomy economic conditions of 2008. Now a $6.5B market, it is forecasted that steady growth will bring the SCM applications market close to $9.2B in 2012.
Based on its analysis, the company predicts there is a high likelihood that the economic challenges of the coming years will offer greater opportunities for supply chain technology adoption.“The supply chain, and the technologies that support it, will play an important role in helping companies deal and thrive in an economy that is going to be quite unlike anything we’ve seen in the post-war era,” said John Fontanella, vice president of research at AMR Research.

The study named five major forces that will be at work in the economy and society in the foreseeable future, and how the supply chain and the technologies that support it will help companies in the next five years.
High inflation – Inflation will force supply chain managers to play an important role in protecting product and company margins through cost control and increased efficiencies in their operations. Rising commodity prices – Pressure from higher commodity prices will bring supply more in line with demand and reduce inventory levels from raw materials to the finished product. Threats to brand security – Counterfeiting, the gray market, and questionable quality standards will make brand protection a top priority.

Companies will look to adopt risk mitigation and global trade technologies as well as analytics to monitor distribution channel buy-and-sell patterns. Sustainability becomes a component of corporate decision making – Public sentiment will force substantive measures by industry to become more environmentally friendly.
This will present opportunities to more directly connect product development efforts with supply chain management to minimize waste and material usage. Cash is king – Capital spending will come under scrutiny as companies preserve cash.
Technologies that increase the velocity of cash collection, including B2B e-commerce, will become a critical component of future initiatives.
The report also found that SAP, Oracle, and Manhattan Associates were the three largest SCM vendors by revenue in 2007, with a market share of 13 percent, 10 percent, and five percent respectively. AMR, www.amrresearch.com

Ad.Wright ! - Singapore based

2009-04-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

AdWRIGHT is a full service interactive and ideas agency encompassing Branding, Advertising, Marketing, Communications and Web 2.0.

http://www.adwright.com/ is headed up by MARTIN HENWOOD Originally from the UK, Martin moved to Asia back in 2000 and fell in love with Singapore's cross-cultural life style. Martin started out in the Print and Reprographics industry, working with UK Agencies, his early adoption of web technology has been his true passion, always looking for the edge.

As a founding Director of Ad.WRIGHT Communications, Martin has had a unique exposure to IT, agency and business challenges, gaining valuable experience that is used to help Ad.WRIGHT's clients achieve their ultimate business and marketing objectives.

The website is excellent - please check 'em out..

Customer Experience - Loyalty research in 2009 - Bruce Temkin

2009-04-13T04:51:00.000-07:00

I found this blog report on customer loyalty which i must share with you.

What Research Was Hot In Q1 2009? April 8, 2009
Posted by Bruce Temkin in Customer experience.

For the ninth straight quarter, Bruces reports had the highest level of readership across all Forrester analysts. So, needless to say, customer experience remains a hot topic — even in the downturn.
To get a better sense of what’s hot, he compiled the following list of his 20 research reports that have had the most readership by Forrester clients in Q1 2009 (along with their publication dates):
Customer Experience Correlates To Loyalty (February 2009)
Voice Of The Customer: The Next Generation (February 2009)
The Customer Experience Index, 2008 (December 2008)
Customer Experience And Loyalty: A Closer Look (March 2009)
The Customer Experience Journey (September 2008)
Obstacles To Customer Experience Success, 2009 (February 2009)
Customer Experience Index 2008 Snapshot: Retail (February 2009)
Customer Experience Index 2008 Snapshot: Banks (December 2008)
Eight Steps For Keeping Customer Experience Momentum During An Economic Downturn (April 2008)
The Business Impact Of Customer Experience (March 2008)
Engage Gen Y Online With Immediacy (November 2008)
Experience-Based Differentiation (January 2007)
Customer Experience Index 2008 Snapshot: Wireless Carriers (December 2008)
A Closer Look At Customer Experience And Loyalty (August 2008)
Banks’ Cross-Channel Experience, 2008 (July 2008)
Customer Experience Index 2008 Snapshot: Internet Service Providers (March 2009)
Customer Experience Index 2008 Snapshot: Airlines (March 2009)
How Consumers Research, Buy, And Get Service (March 2008)
The Gen Y Design Guide (December 2007)
Wells Fargo Uses Ethnography To Improve Customer Communications (October 2008)

He have a few observations from this list:

There’s a lot of interest in connecting customer experience to business results (e.g., loyalty)
People want to see results from their specific industries
Companies are still trying to figure out how to reach Gen Y
Experience-Based Differentiation remains the blueprint for customer experience excellence
Looking Ahead To My Q2 Research

How Loyal Are Customers? Not Very. This report examines how three areas of loyalty vary across industries and companies: The willingness to repurchase, the reluctance to switch, and the likelihood to recommend.

Headcount - Rent don't Buy Expertise

2009-04-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

In these downtimes where companies are shedding fulltime jobs , "downsizing" and "watching the bottom line" it’s still important to protect top line revenues, maintain customer satisfaction and provide adequate support and internal expertise.

So how do companies achieve this with headcount freezes in place?

The answer is to rent the required expertise. There are many very experienced part-time & consultant based resources in the market place today and while companies cannot afford to hire them fulltime they are available for part-time, contract or retainer based engagements.

So if you have a business to run but can't hire then look towards a more flexible, cost effective arrangement. You may be surprised with the level of expertise and the skills available in today’s market place.

Smart SaaS

2009-04-10T23:30:00.000-07:00

I'm becoming a big fan of SaaS companies and this blog by Kevin Dobbs provides some incite into how SaaS companies need to be setup, funded and run.

What are Venture Capitalists Saying About SaaS? by Kevin Dobbs

Flat is the New Up:

One phrase that was uttered more than once is that ‘Flat is the New Up’. Although when it comes to Software as a Service… it appears that ‘Up is still Up’. Even in 2008, most publicly traded SaaS companies have bounced back from their lows by an aggregate of 20%, which is much better than the S&P 500. Apparently Wall Street likes SaaS companies and now are valuing them at 3 to 3.5 times their recurring revenues, unfortunately at the beginning of 2008 that number was closer to 8x. Keep in mind that this is better than a lot of public firms that are currently trading at their cash values. Other Wall Street analysts are valuing SaaS firms at 12x their cash flow but it is difficult to understand if there is a consistent valuation metric that firms or investors should be using.

Customer Acquisition Costs:

When building your SaaS business model, it is important to assume that for every dollar of recurring revenue you will probably need to invest $.50 to $1.00 in your Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC). It is important than ever to have an active program of testing various CAC channels and tactics to maximize your investments. Then you need to have a smart statistical framework that you can explain to your investors.

Key take aways:
1 You need to still need to have a great idea, product and team but you might need to have reduced risk for your potential investors.
2 Demonstrate your company knows how to stretch a dollar as far as possible. Fewer employees is better… think Craigslist.
3 Show traction. Number of transactions, members, customers, revenues, profits.
4 Shop carefully for your potential investors and don’t waste time with Zombies.

GPS Solution - Telogis - Check it out ..

2009-04-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Leading Global Platform for Location Based ServicesTelogis’ product portfolio consists of a comprehensive wireless fleet management solution for fleets and a robust, proprietary mapping solution for fleet management companies and other telematics OEMs, enterprise users and systems integrators.OnTrack, the Company’s GPS-based fleet productivity and management platform is a scalable, easy-to-use, Software as a Service (“SaaS”) solution for fleets.

Its ease of use has allowed OnTrack to achieve a significantly high adoption rate among its fleet management customers. OnTrack enables fleet managers to improve productivity and reduce operating costs by providing secure, remote access to real-time GPS vehicle and driver information as well as providing dispatch and route optimization and handheld products for fleet optimization. OnTrack has an extremely open architecture and can integrate with a wide range of fleet management, CRM software, or mobile resource management systems.

OnTrack can communicate with and import data from other applications as well. Telogis application programming interface (API) tools and software development kits (SDK) are also available to provide an additional level of customization. As an example, many customers customize OnTrack and layer in vertical-specific data, such as gas lines and power lines etc.OnTrack Workforce is a wireless location-enabled application that allows businesses of all size to increase regulatory compliance, streamline operations, and improve customer service while eliminating paperwork and manual dispatch functions. OnTrack WorkForce can be run on any Windows CE device.Highlights of OnTrack WorkForce include: Voice prompted turn-by-turn navigation using premium NAVTEQ map data, an hours of service module for regulatory compliance, and real-time instant messaging.

OnTrack Workforce increases regulatory compliance, streamlines operations, and improves customer service.The navigation functionality enables drivers to route themselves to known customer locations as well as new locations entered on the fly. Stops can also be dispatched by the back office via OnTrack; Telogis' web-based fleet management application. The seamless integration of web-based and mobile applications is a natural extension of Telogis' technology portfolio.The real strength of OnTrack comes from the platform it is built upon.

The platform, another product set sold by Telogis, is GeoBase.GeoBase is the company’s market-leading geospatial platform and mapping solution for application developers, systems integrators, enterprise users and other peers, including telematics OEMs. Features include rich and detailed maps, navigation, geocoding, reverse geocoding and route optimization.

The strong demand for a geospatial mapping platform was initially derived from other peers in the AVL and GPS location industry. Users embed GeoBase maps in their web-based AVL and GPS software applications.

http://www.telogis.com/

Convenience Stores Gaining Popularity in South Asian Countries

2009-04-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

According to a new research report, “Asian Convenience Store Market Forecast to 2010”, by RNCOS, the emergence of convenience store is changing the retail industry dynamics in most of the Asian economies.
Many countries are witnessing rapid growth in the number of convenience stores despite the ongoing financial crisis. The rising popularity of convenience stores in the region is accredited to better product availability, easy accessibility, low level of investment as compared to other modern retail formats, shift in consumer preference and improvement in price bargain.

According to a Sr. Research Analyst at RNCOS, “Convenience store retailing in Asia has become a major growth area for a large number of retailers operating in modern retail format, especially grocery retail. The Asian convenience store industry is witnessing fast growth due to untapped potential in most of the emerging markets like India, China, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia compared to high degree of saturation in European and American convenience store industries.” Moreover, the share of convenience stores is increasing in most of the South Asian markets.
These markets offer immense growth opportunities against other regions in Asia on account of strong economic growth and growing middle class. The shift towards modern trade in South Asia is dominated by China where convenience store format accounts for more than 58% of all new stores. India, one of the most attractive retail markets in the world, is dominated by unorganized retail (97%), representing growth opportunities for modern retail format such as convenience store.
The report also says that the convenience stores will prove superior to the traditional markets because they provide better service and quality to customers. “Asian Convenience Store Market Forecast to 2010” comprehensively discusses the convenience store market in Asia and highlights new technologies being integrated into the market at a fast pace.
It also gives a brief overview of key market trends along with the sales trends to help clients understand the prospects of convenience store retailing in Asia. The report gives a detailed account of future growth areas that enable clients to design their business strategies as per the changing market dynamics in the region. For FREE SAMPLE of this report visit: http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM010.htm

Bloomberg: CLSA Favors Asia Relative to Global Stocks: Technical Analysis

2009-04-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- Investors should buy more Asian stocks relative to global equities after the MSCI Asia-Pacific Free excluding Japan Index broke above its resistance, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said.
A rally this month helped the MSCI regional index break through the resistance provided by the October and January highs, triggering a buy signal, CLSA analysts Laurence Balanco and Tiara Fontanilla wrote in a report yesterday. They upgraded the index to “overweight” relative to the MSCI World Index.
Asian stocks rallied about 15 percent in March, the best monthly performance since October 1998, as governments from the U.S. and Japan widened measures to ease the financial crisis. Gains last month were more than double the 7.2 percent advance in the MSCI World Index.
The index’s relative performance oscillator, which tracks the performance of the gauge relative to its 40-week weighted moving average, also moved into the “overbought” region for the first time since November 2007, CLSA said.
Analysts use moving averages to identify trends and find support and resistance levels for prices.
“While it does suggest that the market is a bit stretched short term, it also depicts a positive change in momentum characteristics,” the analysts wrote in the report.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chen Shiyin in Singapore at schen37@bloomberg.net

My opinion: I hope and wish this is true :0)

10 Best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Blogs by Danny Sullivan

2009-04-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Widely considered a leading "search engine guru," Danny Sullivan has been helping webmasters, marketers and everyday web users understand how search engines work for over a decade. He's editor in chief of Search Engine Land, maintains a personal blog called Daggle, and can be found microblogging on Twitter @dannysullivan.

Below in alphabetical order are his picks for the best blogs that cover mostly SEO (getting unpaid traffic from search engines) along with a few that focus on paid search (getting traffic by paying for it). For more SEO blogs he suggests the Search Engine Land Blogroll which has over 100 blogs categorized.

Bg Theory, LLC : Long time paid search marketer Brad Geddes provides plenty of tactical looks and advice about Google AdWords and PPC in general.

Google Blogscoped : Though not really an SEO blog and more about Google in general, Google Blogoscoped often spots important changes to how Google is displaying results, new tests and so on. Google Operating System is similar in nature (http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/).

Google Webmaster Central Blog : Official advice, tips and news directly from the people at Google who build tools to support site owners looking to increase their traffic. Microsoft offers a similar must read blog, Live Search Webmaster Center Blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/webmaster/), as does Yahoo with its Yahoo Search Blog (http://ysearchblog.com/).

Matt Cutts : Google search spam fighting czar Matt Cutts is a must-read for keeping up with the internal thinkings of Google about what’s acceptable – and unacceptable – SEO.

Nine By Blue : Former Google Webmaster Central founder Vanessa Fox provides fantastic advice about technical issues related to SEO as well looking at search analytics.
SEO Book : Aaron Wall does an amazing job of capturing key points and observations on both tactics an issues in short posts.

SEO Moz : The site is kept freshly updated with lots of interesting articles on SEO tactics, as well as thought-provoking “issues” looks.

Search Engine Journal : A hallmark here are regular “top lists” that I often find useful – top SEO add-ons for Firefox, top Google AdWords reports and so on.

Search Engine Land : Yes, the blog that I oversee. But I’m one of over 50 writers there, so it’s not just me. I’m both an editor and a reader! And it really is a key stop for anyone who wants to keep up with search marketing news on a daily basis.

Search Engine Roundtable : No time to read through the several search forums out there to know what’s breaking from the trenches? Search Engine Roundtable does it for you, pulling out the signal from the noise.

Traffick : Led by another long time paid search marketer, Andrew Goodman, Traffick provides both advice and keen insight into paid search, industry and conversion issues.

Petrol World

2009-04-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

For those people in the P&C space make sure you subscribe to the daily petrol world news feed.

Lots of relevant Petrol & convenience (P&C) news from across the globe.

http://www.petrolworld.com/

If you'd like to know more about the P&C space and relevant solutions available please contact me.

IBM : Why advocacy matters to online retailers

2009-04-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

I found a great IBM article on their website:

Why advocacy matters to online retailers: Customer focus can mean greater loyalty and financial returns are in store

Online retailers have yet to optimize customer relationships; to become a customer focused online retailer, companies need a new approach for developing and applying customer insights.

http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/ibvstudy/gbs/a1029604?cntxt=a1000063

I know the IBM retail team in Asia Pac and they seem to be very focused on Retail , Loyalty & the anyplace kiosks across the APJ region.

CeBIT Aust 12-14 May 2009

2009-04-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

About CeBIT Australia :

CeBIT Australia is a 3 day Exhibition and Conference covering the full spectrum of business technologies.

The exhibition is segmented into 8 categories covering at total of 28 separate business technologies categories. The conference program consist of 5 separate conferences over the three days

Explore the CeBIT Exhibition

Access
Enterprise
www Online Business
G-Tech
Retail IT
Financial Services
e-Health
Future Parc

Explore the CeBIT Conference program:

AusInnovate
Access
Enterprise
e-Government
WebForward

World Retail Congress 6-8th May Spain

2009-04-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.worldretailcongress.com/

World Retail Congress is the most influential and highest profile gathering of the retail industry across all sectors at global level. Watch the 2008 video here
Against the background of the first economic crisis of the global era and the resulting uncertainty in many markets, it is clear that retailers can no longer operate or think in isolation.
Launched in 2007 the Congress has become the annual platform for the most senior executives within the retail industry to come together to share best practice, make lasting business contacts and exchange ideas on the most crucial global issues.
Over the last two years the Congress has brought together over 2000 attendees, including retailers and their suppliers from over 50 countries and active in more than 90. In only two years the event has attracted a prestigious line-up of world-class speakers, including Anders Dalvig of Ikea, Mickey Drexler of J.Crew, Jose Luis Duran of Carrefour, Sir Philip Green of Arcadia, Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco, Motoya Okada of AEON, BS Nagesh of Shoppers’ Stop and Mike Ullman of JCPenney.
The 2009 Congress will take place in Barcelona on 6-8 May 2009. With its reputation and influence growing around the world it is set to continue to attract industry leaders, in even greater numbers.

Supply Chain Asia

2009-04-06T06:03:00.001-07:00

Supply Chain Asia is a community that seeks to provide an informal and open platform for professionals in this industry to network, share and learn from each other. Information provided within Supply Chain Asia are free to its community members. Events run by Supply Chain Asia are priced affordably to ensure that it is accessible to all. Membership to Supply Chain Asia is free. To join Supply Chain Asia, click here.

I urge all Supply chain professionals to visit the site and join ( it free).

Forum 2009
Supply Chain Asia Forum 2009 will be held in Singapore from 7-9 July 2009 at Sheraton Towers Hotel. Forum brochure is now available for download. If you keen to participate as a sponsor, you can download the Marketing Kit by clicking here. The first 100 delegates will receive a complimentary copy of Dr John Gattorna's new book. Special fees of SGD595 applies for those who signed up and paid before 30 April 2009.

SIGN UP ONLINE - CLICK HERE.

Top 10 SCE providers - 2008

2009-04-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

TOP 10 SCE PROVIDERS for 2008

Vendor 2007 SCE $ URL
1 Manhattan Associates $348 million www.manh.com
2 RedPrairie $253 million www.redprairie.com
3 SAP $134 million www.SAP.com
4 Aldata $116 million www.aldata-solution.com
5 Oracle $114 million www.oracle.com
6 Infor $106 million www.infor.com
7 HighJump $ 94 million www.highjump.com
8 Swisslog $ 72 million www.swisslog.com
8 Knapp Logistik $ 72 million www.knappusa.com
9 CDC Software $ 66 million www.cdcsupplychain.com
10 Dematic $ 65 million www.dematic.com

The question is how do these companies fair in Asia Pacific ?

What to learn more then contact me ?

Public Relations , Communications Technology

2009-04-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

As marketing budgets are cut, PR is picking up a lot of the frontline responsibility to maintain market share and protect corporate reputation.

However the fragmentation of media channels and the increased velocity and volatility of issues in today’s business climate is making it increasingly difficult for Communications Directors to keep on top of the task.

The risk runs from lower quality and quantity of press coverage relative to competitors, to potentially catastrophic communications and reputational failure.

Today’s business imperative is to equip PR operations with the means to enhance both operational and strategic performance while maintaining a rigorous control over costs.

State-of-the art Media Engagement Platforms do exist to dramatically enhance both operational and strategic performance. From a centralized platform, every aspect of the PR process can be streamlined, from list building to news distribution and monitoring to measuring results.

Organizations can leverage these innovations to generate dramatic time savings and higher productivity, better internal co-ordination and orchestration and enhance their media relationships for a higher quality and quantity of coverage.

Quite simply they can consistently outperform their less enabled competition in share of media voice, media recommendations and perception of brand value.

Like to know more then contact me..

Peter Robilliard - Introduction

2009-04-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

Peter Robilliard is a retail & supply chain advocate with a focus on bringing the best global technologies and business solutions to your company.

With a focus on Retail & Supply chain technologies and 25 years of global IT knowledge across many countries and companies, Peter is uniquely positioned to advise, assist, manage and drive technology sales and services into both I.T vendors & companies across the Asia Pacific region.

Retail: POS, Loyalty, Merchandising, Mobile POS, WFM, Business Analytics solutions across, FMCG, Petrol & convenience, Speciality Retail, Quick service Restaurants, hospitality, Fashion & Apparel sectors.

Supply Chain: WMS, TMS, Planning, Forecasting, Optimization, Dashboards, Visibility & RFID.

Services: Sales, Pre-sales, Consulting, professional services, project directorship & management, support, referrals, introductions & networking

Location: Across Asia Pacific and with a partner network that covers the globe.