Seven Ways to Improve Returns Processing
Everyone knows that a positive shopping experience increases the likelihood that a customer will purchase again. Returns processing is a customer contact point and as such can provide you with a competitive edge, so long as you handle it properly. That’s why returns have moved from the dark side of marketing and operations to the forefront. ...
Room for Improvement in Online Customer Satisfaction
Online sales during the holiday rose nearly 25%, according to estimates, but consumer satisfaction hasn’t increased in kind. In fact, during the last week of the holiday shopping season, satisfaction among online shoppers dipped 0.5% from the previous weeks ...
Tips on Building a WMS Business Case
Warehouse management systems may well be the cool technology to have in 2006, according to a recent Distribution Digest survey. A significant percentage of the respondents are considering a WMS implementation in the coming year. With that in mind, Distribution Digest shares the following advice on building a business case for a WMS:...
Industry Update: Companies and Products
CommercialWare Inc., a provider of cross-channel commerce solutions for retailers, will provide infrastructure solutions for The Vermont Country Store. With a need to modernize operations and an eye to long-term growth, the 60-year-old enterprise has selected CommercialWare’s suite of retail products as the software to drive the store’s multichannel business. ...
MVPs Account for Almost Half of All Web Spending
In retail, most of your business comes from regulars—especially online. A recent report from Nielsen//NetRatings says that nearly a fifth of the online buying population accounts for nearly half of total online spending. These buyers, dubbed "most valuable purchasers" (MVPs), spend more dollars online and make more purchases on the Internet than the rest of the online buying population. ...
Multichannel Retailers Acquire, Divest at Brisk Pace
Now that multichannel retailing is well established, merger and acquisition activity is picking up markedly in the sector. According to Petsky Prunier LLC, an investment bank specializing in direct marketing deals, for the first nine months of 2005, M&As among marketing service, marketing technology, and multichannel marketer companies totaled 351 transactions and represented $38.5 billion in estimated transaction value. The nine-month transaction dollar volume is a record, up 66% from the same period last year. This period was also characterized by larger transactions: The median direct marketing industry transaction during year-to-date 2005 was $18.5 million, up 85% from $10 million during the same period in 2004....
Customer Service Hits New High in Logistics, Distribution
The distribution and logistics industry is steadily improving its customer service, according to a new study from The Customer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm. The survey assigns a Customer Respect Index (CRI) rating for each company. The CRI measures a customer's experience when interacting with companies over the Internet. ...
Consumer Confidence Up, But Holiday Shopping Lags
As the holidays begin, consumer confidence is looking up. A December economic report from BIGResearch says that the number of consumers who are very confident or confident in the chances for a strong economy has risen to 43.1% from 39.3% in November. The increase in confidence parallels a decrease in those concerned with political and national security affairs. About one in five (20.2%) continue to worry, down a point from last month (21.2%) and about three points from 2004 (23.4%)....
Prepare Your Operation to Cope with These Six Trends in 2006
You may be preoccupied with family and friends this holiday season, but don’t forget that the marketplace isn’t standing still. Logistics expert Debra Ellis points to six trends that you can expect next year and recommends actions to deal with them:...
Supply Chain Initiatives Cut Costs, Increase Revenue, Survey Finds
The bad news about supply chain management (SCM) efforts? They’re difficult. The good news? They work. That’s the conclusion of a recent survey conducted by Computer Sciences Corporation and Supply Chain Management Review. A total of 180 supply chain professionals from 18 industries responded to an eight-page questionnaire designed to measure the progress of supply chain initiatives....
Expedited Cargo Market Set to Grow; Ground Trumps Air
If you’re in expedited cargo operations, you’re in luck. You can expect another year of strong performance, predicts The Colography Group Inc. in its latest report on the $98 billion U.S. expedited cargo market....
The Gift That Keeps On Giving--Well Past Peak Season
Expect your operation’s peak season to last longer this year as consumers redeem a plethora of those gift cards—this holiday season’s third most-wanted item, according to a survey of 7,128 consumers conducted by the National Retail Federation. Gift card sales will total $18.48 billion this year, a 6.6% increase over 2004, when holiday gift card sales hit $17.34 billion. The average consumer will spend $88.03—15.6% of his or her holiday gift budget—on gift cards. And both givers and receivers will benefit: More than two-thirds (75.5%) of consumers polled say that they plan on purchasing at least one gift card, and more than half (52.3%) would like to receive gift cards this holiday season. ...
Export Compliance: Seven Trends to Watch
As we approach the end of the year, it's time to pull out the old crystal ball and try to figure out what lies ahead. Fortunately, the global trade experts at JPMorgan Chase Vastera have made divination easier, at least in the area of export compliance. ...
What Goes Into a Per-Order Labor Cost Calculation?
One of our readers recently sent in the following question regarding per-order labor costs and how to calculate them: "Do the labor costs relate only to pickers and packers of the orders? What about management? ...
Retailers Need to Provide Greater Data Security, Survey Says
In an age of litigation and increasing government scrutiny of corporations, retailers must protect customers' privacy -- and they may not be doing a good job of it, according to a new international survey ...
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