By Devin Reese on 01-07-2011
Multichannel commerce is moving at a fast rate, but to ensure companies get their strategies right, it may be a good idea to ensure the basics are all in place.
The world of multichannel commerce is a very fascinating one at the moment. Just like an old steam locomotive the multichannel train has taken some time to gain speed, but now that it’s moving, there’s no stopping it.
It may even have gone over the top of the mountain to career down, just a bit too fast, slightly out of control… an exciting ride no doubt, but are we doing enough to keep it in check?
From the supplier side multichannel has now reached all the big players; consultancies, software vendors, system integrators, the lot. The realisation that the question (and solution) is a big one has ensured that new multichannel ‘specialist’ teams have appeared out of nowhere.
For the companies (retailers, etc.) that are implementing joined up retail strategies, the challenge of doing this and doing it properly is hard enough, but with execs easily excited about the latest iPhone app or why the website doesn’t work on their iPad, the focus may not always be on the things that truly matter in order to become a successful, true multichannel organisation.
Throw in the added complexity of the naming game (is it multichannel, omni-channel or cross-channel?), and it’s no surprise that we may have lost our way a bit and sometimes forget about the basics.
So,
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By Christopher Odonnell on 01-07-2011
I decided to dedicate my Saturday morning to rearranging all the food products in our pantry and throw away any outdated goods. I figured this might be my only shot to get organized for a while and assumed this task would take about an hour.
THREE hours later, I slipped my final can into an organized row.
And for the part I am ashamed to admit…
I had to toss 6 trash bags of food. I easily wasted several hundred dollars of grocery budget by letting my food expire. As someone who worked in a grocery store, I guess I missed the lesson on first in, first out.
It’s not that I don’t know how it happened. I come home from work, exercise, tidy the house, and tiredly open the pantry doors to grab whatever food is in front. I simply lack the energy to move things around especially in the last 9 months.
Off to Walmart I went to purchase $15 worth of plastic bins. Using plastic bins as drawers in my linen closet has helped to keep my shampoos, lotions, and body washes organized so I figured I’d give it a shot in the kitchen. Pulling out 10 individual cans to find one in the back? Not going to happen. Pulling out one clear plastic bin? Pretty darn easy.
Ugh. Why didn’t I think to do this years ago! I wouldn’
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For most of the people, the market is a frightful thought because they have witnessed the awful effects it can have when things go screwy. Stock plunged after Enron, and even if amalgamations are voiced as with the case of Chase and Bank One, the stockmarket feels the effects. Even DuPont saw its stock costs drop when negative info is publicized, so the stock exchange, most of the time, is a variable entity.
How does a new investor avoid the pitfalls of the stock market? Research is the only way, and it’s no ironclad guarantee. That means before you invest, you adopt the habit or reading the NYSE and DOW reports in the daily newspapers as well as reading the business section of the newspaper for any reports that may affect the stock prices of a company you may be considering. Of course, sadly, utility companies are always making money, but they are doing it at the expense of consumers like you and me. For some people, investing in the electric or water company is the only place they feel safe, but with all of the mergers of electric companies, that isn’t even a very safe investment in the 21st Century.
A new financier has to do some heavy reading and studying before making an investment in the stock exchange. Thi
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By Christopher Odonnell on 30-06-2011
The It’s Only Money blog went through a minor transition Wednesday morning. The blog’s framework is changing to a format that is more easily searchable by Google, Yahoo! and other search engines.
Brent Hunsberger’s blog can still be found at oregonlive.com/itsonlymoney, though the official address will be oregonlive.com/finance. If you have another address bookmarked or are using an RSS feed, you will want to redirect to the new address. Here’s the RSS feed address: impact.oregonlive.com/finance/atom.xml
You will still receive the same great content you’ve come to expect from Brent.
Thanks for making the change.
– The Oregonian
