Seriously, though, I was surprised by the findings as well. Although the data I saw from this study did not drill down further, I'm guessing that companies on the top of the scale -- such as Walmart and Target -- are fully integrated. I'd also think many smaller retailers -- that have one or two physical stores and rely extensively on ecommerce for the bulk of their business -- are tightly integrated, too. I'm guessing that many midsize retailers fall into this absence of integration, but it leaves room for many larger retailers too. Since management agrees about the importance of this integration and the resulting benefits, let's hope the resources are freed up for IT.
Shouldn't we expect price differentiation between brick n' mortars and online stores? (even if they are the same retailer)
The costs are definitely different, but should companies try to push their customers towards the most cost-efficient channel? Which is probably online stores.
I had no idea this was so widespread. I had assumed that most retailers would have fused the operations. I must have been drinking the Kool-Aid. As I believe you Americans say!
I had no idea this was so widespread. I had assumed that most retailers would have fused the operations. I must have been drinking the Kool-Aid. As I believe you Americans say!
Exactly, @kicheko. I was surprised, though, at the apparent disconnect many retailers seem to have between recognizing this need -- and actually doing something about it. Too many stores are operating their online and physical stores as separate entitites, and that's not good for business or the customer. Giving IT more freedom (and, most likely, money) will go a long way toward improving retail-brand loyalty across both forms of store, I'd strongly think. Especially if IT works closely with the folks behind the store's branding to ensure all customer-facing elements further propel the store's image, no matter whether the logo hangs above a glass window, on a computer display, or a smartphone screen.
At the end its all about allowing the customer to choose between either of the two ways of doing business with the organization. IT can shape a business because customers choose you based upon how easy and convenient transaction is online or otherwise.
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Social media has been with us for a decade -- but employer policies and the law are anything but firm about the most appropriate usage of this powerful tool.
Businesses often struggle to decide which domain to use. When it comes to purchasing a domain name, you have plenty of extensions to choose from, ranging from .com and .net, to .me, and even .mobi. But which one should you pick?
I've been writing about how the next evolution of the Internet might just be an advertising revolution, and how corporate IT can stay involved as the enablers and providers of the technologies that make this possible.
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.
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.
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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
