Who is opening more stores? Bed Bath & Beyond. The article makes a neat insight by comparing what items can be found in its website and amazons, and then comparing the prices on each site. BBB is reported as having prices that are 13% more.
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August 9, 2016
August 9, 2016
Did you miss the mobile gift registry training today? Check out the replay below on Vimeo:
Vimeo will ask for a password. Please contact us for the password. ;)
We also have another mobile registry training scheduled for Thursday, August 11th at 10 am EST. Join us ;)
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June 25, 2016
June 25, 2016
Many store owners ask me "Should my store sync its POS system with its website?" Some stores have already synced the two and are proud that their website has the same content as in their store.
My answer: syncing a store's POS and its website is not currently a good idea.
Reason: POS systems are not meant to power websites.
When retailers enter data into their POS, they often just enter this data for products: 1. UPC 2. SKU 3. Retail price 4. Product name (this often contains the brand name)
I snapped this pic while on the plane home from Dallas so the lighting isn't that great but the read is worth it. The article says that BBB is struggling to complete online which explains why it bought One Kings Lane this month. Read this article to: A. Know that you're not alone and B. Confirm that Bridge is taking you down the right path.
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April 14, 2016
April 14, 2016
Today's WSJ reminds us that mobile shopping grew 100% last year to almost $50 billion. (Desktop sales were about $250 billion.)
Bridge's online store and gift registry are mobile friendly.
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March 1, 2016
March 1, 2016
If web sales are only 5% of Targets sales, why is Target hustling to adapt for the web? Answer: much more than 5% of sales are researched first online and then bought in store. Some stats claim that 50% of large, in-store sales are first researched online. After all, can you imagine buying a stereo, car, or appliance without first researching it online? 5% may actually be more like 50% and that's why retail players are battling and investing online.
Side note: I'd forgotten that Amazon ran ...
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February 26, 2016
February 26, 2016
Kohls saw an increase of 30% in digital sales. Other retailers made plans to close underperforming physical locations. What is your business doing to invest in its website? Your website will continue to deliver a greater return over your physical store.
Today's HFN magazine shares Bridge's progress with helping independent retailers. Bridge would like to thanks its members for helping everyone make it to this milestone.
Article:
Bridge and its Tabletop Partners Reach a Milestone
Bridge founder expects to reach $1.2 million by year's end
Posted on November 6, 2015 by Allison Zisko
The following article from Advertising Age says that consumers wish to do more business online, but that companies may not be adequately meeting him/her there. Ad Age included a survey that companies can take to measure their communication preparedness. I'm including it with this post.
MARKETERS FAILING INTERACTIVE PART OF INTERACTIVE MARKETING Forrester Study: Consumers Want Cross-Channel Engagement, but Companies Are Falling Behind
In the fall of 2010, the company did a test. It showed its products two waysβwith the video and without the videoβto track shoppers' behavior. It found purchases increased about 10% when a product included a video description, says Laurie Williams, video and photo products manager at Zappos. The company is still testing to figure out what components affect sales the...
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December 28, 2009
December 28, 2009
Wall St. Journal: As Stores Sputter, Sales Sizzle Online
As Stores Sputter, Sales Sizzle Online Dec. 15 Sets Record for Web-Site Revenue; Sears, Macy's,Other Big Retailers Lure Internet Shoppers By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER
A holiday season of Web price wars and aggressive online promotions by store-based retailers is leaving e-commerce a larger force in American retail.
While sales conducted at brick-and mortar stores are about flat this season compared with 2008, online retailing grew 4% from the ...
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August 15, 2009
August 15, 2009
Tracking abandoned shopping carts and retrieving lost sales
Below is a good article from Inc. magazine about tracking abandoned shopping carts. How can the home goods industry get sales from this area?
Excerpt: The median abandonment rate is 40 percent for consumer-products companies and 58 percent for service companies, according to a recent survey by MarketingSherpa, a research firm based in Warren, Rhode Island. During periods of economic decline, shopping cart abandonment tends to spike, ...
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April 23, 2009
April 23, 2009
New Sales Begin on the Transaction Confirmation Page
This image shows a screen shot of what the confirmation page looks like at CafePress.com after you make a purchase there. Please see how CafePress.com encourages purchasers to hand over friends' e-mails.
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November 30, 2008
November 30, 2008
2008 Online Sales to Grow 12% Over 2007
From Advertising Age magazine regarding online sales:
Overall retail sales are projected to grow only 2.2% by the National Retail Federation, making online growth projections of 12% downright cheery.
Deloitte's annual holiday survey also presents several compelling reasons to maintain spending online. The category is ranked by consumers as the No. 2 shopping destination this year behind discount department stores. A full 21% of consumers plan to shop ...
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November 30, 2008
November 30, 2008
Online Shoe Seller Can Help Luxury Home Goods Get Leg Up
The article below about Zappos.com offers ideas to help online stores increase their sales. These strategies include: - free shipping - free returns - a more generous return policy - free upgrades on shipping
Do these services above cost $ to offer? Yes, however, for a $1 spent, they may give back $5 in sales. That is how Zappos.com sees it. And they do almost $1 billion in sales. Also, check out their website: http://www.zappos.com/ The design is...
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October 5, 2008
October 5, 2008
Free Shipping Offers From Online Merchants Will Increase
A recent article in Advertising Age questions whether free shipping from websites may be less common due to rising fuel costs. I believe free shipping with and without conditions will increase. Free shipping has more to do with getting around MSRP than actual shipping costs. For a retailer to cut out free shipping, theoretically the free shipping would have to account for 50% of an item's price thereby canceling out any profit for the ...
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July 19, 2008
July 19, 2008
Shoppers Go Online to Save Gas Money
This article below from the today's NYT echoes a conversation I had this week with a major tableware brand. The head of the company said that he can see a day when the traveling home goods salesperson will not travel. Instead, the person will do his or her sales presentations over the phone and web. Samples will be shipped via UPS or FedEx. Otherwise, sales reps have to drive to and from meetings, and this gas money may eat up 25% of their commission. Oddly, ...
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July 16, 2008
July 16, 2008
Williams-Sonoma Investing in Web in Down Times
An article by Barbara Thau in HFN from June 2008 points out that while Williams-Sonoma, parent company of Pottery Barn and West Elm, is facing shrinking sales, the company is still investing in the web.
Excerpt: "Williams-Sonoma Inc.βs net revenues decreased 4.4 percent to $781.8 million. Net earnings fell 42 percent to $10.4 million.
Direct-to-customer net revenues, which includes catalog and Internet revenues, fell 4.0 percent to $348.2 million.
This prospective online application by Apple shows the importance of 'group thought' and the 'mob atmosphere' in shopping. In brick and mortar stores, we like to see what others are looking at and buying. Websites currently do that by listing the Top 10 Most Viewed Stories, or Most Popular Products. Showing how many people are online and/or where they are in the store is one more way to help people feel comfortable online.
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