Tag: Retailing

Skillsmart Retail Analysis: Online retailing potential developments and its impact on people and skills

Posted by | Nov 1, 2007 | |

This analysis explores how the adoption of online trading has introduced new opportunities for retailers and how these might affect those who work in the sector and the skills they may need. It is based largely on secondary sources and commentary from retailers themselves.
We briefly chart how online retailing has moved from being viewed as a minority hobbyist pursuit, to one which is now a mainstream route for retailers.
Like many IT based innovations, the development of online retailing channels presents businesses with a range of new choices. In this sense, the development of the technology is a ‘driver’ helping to shape the future of the sector.
However, culture and politics in companies and of consumers will be complementary drivers and will also shape how the new technology will be applied.
We speculate that on balance the development of online retailing is likely to further increase the depth and breadth of many job roles in the sector.
Within senior managerial occupations, online retail will pose a series of strategic challenges around the role of their online trading platforms and evaluation of their success. Professional and associate professionals will also be affected as online retailing will increase the breadth of activities they have to deal with.
The fulfilment of orders will also lead to new demands. Warehouse systems may increase in their complexity. Many delivery personnel will be expected to offer more than a perfunctory drop off of the item; some might even e expected to offer advice and expertise on the product being delivered.
The blurring of boundaries between online and traditional retailing will also present interesting challenges for store managers, sales and customer service roles. Where online and traditional retail operations operate seamlessly, many employees will require knowledge of the entire range of products and services on offer and skills to carryout a wide range of processes.
Within the retail sector previous developments have focused on reducing errors. It has also helped develop job roles that rely on modest levels of skills. The development of online trading may reinforce this trend.

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New international subsidiary in Russia for Wincor Nixdorf

Posted by | Oct 30, 2007 | |

Wincor Nixdorf has reinforced its presence in the Russian market and established its own subsidiary. “We want to strengthen our already well-established position in the promising Russian market,” explains Eckard Heidloff, President and CEO of the company, to an audience of representatives from politics, industry and press at the subsidiary’s opening in Moscow. He foresees retail banks and retail companies on the Russian market entering a phase of competition among themselves, thus providing Wincor Nixdorf with potential for growth. “In the Russian market, our customers are increasingly concerned with combining customer-friendliness and efficient processes. We would like to support them in this endeavor and, together with our partners, intend to focus on providing software and services in addition to hardware,” Heidloff pointed out.

Wincor Nixdorf finds itself in a good starting position, both in the banking and retail sectors. Strategic cooperation with local companies acting as sales and service partners has been ongoing since 1997. This business model has proven to be very successful and will be supported and extended by strengthening Wincor Nixdorf’s resources in Russia. In the last ten years, market share of ATMs has risen from 4 percent to 30 percent while the market share of electronic POS systems for retailers saw a remarkable increase from 1 percent to 42 percent. As measured by their balance sheet totals, eleven of the twenty largest retail banks are customers of Wincor Nixdorf’s. And in terms of sales, twelve of the twenty largest Russian retail companies are among Wincor Nixdorf’s customer base. In addition, Wincor Nixdorf supports international retail companies wishing to expand in the Russian market.

With 256 ATMs and 456 electronic POS systems per one million inhabitants, the Russian market offers promising perspectives compared with Western Europe. By way of comparison, Western Europe has 736 ATMs and just under 5000 POS systems installed per one million inhabitants.

Many banks and retail companies are also investing in improvements to process efficiency and customer service due to increasing competition in the Russian market. With total solutions for process improvement that include hardware, software and services, Wincor Nixdorf can make a considerable contribution to the competitiveness of banks and retail companies. In the future, Wincor Nixdorf will increasingly strive to adapt internationally successful concepts to the conditions and requirements of the Russian market. By adding further resources to its own existing service networks as well as those of partner companies, Wincor Nixdorf aims to improve service quality and availability even more.

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John Lewis selects Home Delivery Network as partner

Posted by | Oct 24, 2007 | |

Home Delivery Network has been selected by John Lewis Partnership to carry out home deliveries on behalf of the department store chain.

Under the terms of the rolling contract, Home Delivery Network will handle more than one million parcels annually for the John Lewis Partnership.

Walter Blackwood, Home Delivery Network managing director, said: “We are delighted the John Lewis Partnership has chosen our next day delivery service and we look forward to a long association with this well established company.”

Stuart Hill of John Lewis Partnership added that Home Delivery Network had been selected for its “unique ability” to adapt operations to the retailer’s increasing needs.

The UK’s largest dedicated home delivery service, Home Delivery Network delivers items from flowers to furniture, with more than 120 million items a year delivered to all 120 postal regions of the UK.

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Western Union teams with Wal-Mart Canada to offer Western Union Money Transfers(R) and Quick Collect(R) services

Posted by | Oct 16, 2007 | |

The Western Union Company and Wal-Mart Canada Corp., today announced an agreement to provide fast, reliable and convenient global money transfers and Quick Collect(R) services to consumers in Canada.

With a national, chain-wide rollout scheduled for completion in early 2008, Western Union(R) services will be available effective today at select Wal-Mart stores throughout the Greater Toronto area. Wal-Mart Canada currently operates 287 stores coast to coast, serving more than 1 million Canadians daily.

“Customers turn to Wal-Mart for convenience and value – and we are constantly looking for ways to introduce new services at everyday low prices,” said Trudy Fahie, Vice President Financial Services, Wal-Mart Canada Corp. “Through this relationship with Western Union, our customers can enjoy the best overall value when it comes to choosing a money-transfer service provider.”

Through Wal-Mart Canada, Western Union will offer consumers the ability to send and receive Western Union Money Transfers(R) transactions to over 200 countries and territories. The Western Union Quick Collect(R) service enables consumers to send payments for their mortgages, credit-card bills, as well as car and consumer loans using cash or a debit card at Wal-Mart Canada stores.

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UPS Survey: American businesses missing global opportunities

Posted by | Oct 9, 2007 | |

Most of America’s small- and mid-sized businesses have failed to explore the significant growth opportunities offered by an increasingly global economy. Indeed, a new survey conducted for UPS shows 67 percent of the nation’s small-to-mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) are still chaining themselves to the U.S. economy.

The inaugural UPS Business Monitor United States, a survey of 600 business decision-makers conducted by the marketing insight firm TNS, found that only 33 percent reported participating in any cross-border trade. Of those, 15 percent are importers and nine percent exporters. Nine percent do both.

“The survey shows that many American SMEs haven’t gone global yet,” said David Abney, chief operating officer of UPS. “And if they don’t take part in trade, they stand to lose their competitive edge in a business environment that continues to transcend international borders. For example, McKinsey** estimates that nearly 1 billion new consumers are expected to enter the global marketplace over the next decade as a result of economic growth in emerging markets, creating a significant opportunity for American small businesses.”

Survey respondents cite many reasons for not engaging in international trade, including a perception that it is too risky, a lack of knowledge about international markets, unfamiliarity with customs regulations and disinterest in expanding business beyond U.S. borders.

Among businesses that either import or export, 45 percent perceive global trade as a benefit while 18 percent see it as a disadvantage. Slightly more than half – 52 percent – say global expansion will help them remain competitive or create an opportunity to increase profits. One out of every four believes that global expansion could lead to competition that will cut into profits.

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