E-Retailing

E-Retailing Strategy

Why E-Retailing Strategy?

To evaluate the feasibility of an online retail format. It provides a comparatively low cost alternative channel to the retailers keeping in mind their overall brand and retail strategy.

For Whom?

• Retailers looking to enhance sales by selling online

• Online retailers planning to improve various aspects of their retail offerings

• Entrepreneurs venturing into online retail formats

How?

Why Integrated Retail?

Integrated Retail combines several strengths:

• Retail IT solutions for chain retailers across verticals such as: specialty, hypermarkets, department store, supermarkets, food-service and kiosk retailing

• A client base of over 100 retail companies across Asia, in retail automation solutions

• Dedicated, multi-lingual, 24 X 7 help desk for supporting clients of specialty retail solution companies in the US

• Consultants engaged by leading IT systems integration companies to assess the business needs of multi-billion US$, multi-country and multi-format retail companies

Advisors who are the thought leaders in cutting edge retail applications such as RFID, Biometrics, VICS CPFR, GDSN etc.

Introduction

E-Retailing:

Internet Retailing or �e-retailing� as is usually referred to as covers retailing using a variety of different technologies or media. It may be broadly be a combination of two elements.

� Combining new technologies with elements of traditional stores and direct mail models

� Using new technologies to replace elements of store or direct mail retail.

Internet retail also has some elements in common with direct mail retailing. For eg, e-mail messages can replace mail messages and the telephone, that are used in the direct mail model as means of providing information, communication and transactions while on-line catalogues can replace printed catalogues. As with direct mail businesses, critical success factors include:

� Use of customer databases

� Easy ordering

� Quick Delivery

Operational elements that the Internet retail model shares with both the retail store and direct mail models include:

� Billing of customers

� Relationships with suppliers

There are, therefore, many elements that Internet retail and more traditional retail models have in common. Indeed many of the most successful Internet retailers have been those that have been able to successfully transfer critical elements from traditional retailing to the Internet, such as customer service and product displays.

The four challenges of E � Retailing

Every on-line fulfillment operation, large or small, faces four main challenges:

Controlling customer data

As outsourcing arrangements proliferate and delivery services become more expert in using information technology, retailers risk losing their lock on consumer data. This knowledge, ranging from the socioeconomic status of customers to their buying patterns and preferences, helps intermediaries and shippers reduce costs, but they can also use it to compete with retailers.