ON the topic of Smarter Commerce, I've seen two stories today... count 'em, TWO... about the intent for numerous retailers promising to match online retail prices at brick'n'mortar stores during the coming holiday season.
Found that Tickle Me Elmo for ten whole cents cheaper at Amazon? ...just step right on up to the Target cash register, because the Price is Right!
One of the stories was in The Wall Street Journal and claimed that over the past few days, Best Buy and Target both had said they would match the prices offered by the online sites of some rivals, including Wal-Mart and Amazon.
This in an effort to combat "showrooming" (bet you didn't even know there was such a word!), whereby shoppers checking products in stores then buy them on competitor's Websites, presumably for lower prices.
But, as the story goes on to observe, there soon could be trouble at the register, as these new policies require shoppers to both ask for and prove the existence of lowered prices.
"Mommy, Mommy, I just found the latest Furby on Amazon.com for a whole fifty cents less!"
Now, excuse Mommy while she fumbles around in her purse for her smartphone! Oh, never mind that line of people waiting around the store to pay full price for their Furbys!
You get the picture.
According to the Journal story, Best Buy's going to go them one better, and provide its sales reps some discretion -- if the SKU's price is too low, you don't get to go!...out the store with your Furby, that is.
All the more reason, I say, to stay in this holiday season, tablet or laptop in hand, with a nice warm cup of egg nog, and do all your holiday shopping from the comfort of your own home!
I remember reading last holiday season about retailers providing floor staff with devices so they could do real-time price comparisons with competitors and make adjustments accordingly. This is going to work for big retailers rather than, say, independent bookstores.
I've seen the recent ads from Walmart offering to match prices customers bring to the cash register.
I've not tried it and don't know if I'd be brave enough to even attempt the process. Just imagine holding up the line behind you to save a dollar. I bet the folks behind you aren't going to appreciate the delay.
And just how the process is supposed to work, I'm not sure. Bring out a printed ad, show the ad on your smart phone? Who knows.
Maybe that's what Walmart is counting on. Not many requesting a price reductions in real life, but just BELIEVING Walmart has the lowest prices to start with.
I think showrooming works best if only a very few customers(and those who have done proper price research on every item) will walk away with the best deal, this in turn will generate long queue at the cash counter (as if they are any shorter during holiday season anyways) sigh!! I guess I'll just pay 50 cents more and get home early.
Showrooming has been a big problem for small retailers. One of the relatively few remaining independent bookstores in New York, St Mark's Bookshop, is in dire straits. One owner told me he watches countless customers come in, browse the shelves as if in a library, check the price of items on their smartphones, and walk out again. He can't pay his lease and undercut Amazon.
Well, I can't say I blame the brick and mortar stores for trying. It has to be pretty frustrating to be 'showroomed' all the time. Having good traffic, a lot of people in-store, but poor sales at the end of the day.
Valiant effort, though, but as you've said, while it might inconvenience some people say at the checkout counter, it might actually help their business this season. Who knows?
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
You only need take one quick glance around the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit at the Gaylord Opryland facility here in Nashville to recognize how busy the Smarter Commerce customer reference team has been these past few months in anticipation of the event.
In this morning's general session here at the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit in Nashville, our emcee Jay Baer said what I've been thinking for the past several days: We're in a giant terrarium.
Ushering in a new era of cognitive computing systems, IBM announced today the IBM Watson Engagement Advisor, a technology breakthrough that allows brands to crunch big data in record time to transform the way they engage clients in key functions such as customer service, marketing, and sales.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling of customer behavior to convert more site visitors into leads, says Brian Baron, director of business analytics, in an interview at the Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Companies need to take advantage of new technologies to simplify interfaces, improve capabilities, and enhance back-office processes. But they can't upgrade their Websites too often.
Recently, Amazon was recognized for its customer satisfaction excellence. It has made no secret that being customer-centric is a primary goal. This should be the goal of every e-tailer that wants to build market share.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
A survey by JD Powers found that customer interest in product features is lessening as phones evolve. Rather than features, price is driving purchases, and that change could have a dramatic impact on how IT departments secure these devices.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
Email This
