STORES Magazine - May 2008 - (Page 110)

INSIDE TRACK Compiled by Anastasia Van Engelen NRFnews State of Retailing Online 2008 THE LATEST edition of Shop.org’s State of Retailing Online Marketing Report, released last month, finds that e-commerce retailers have found a sweet spot in the industry: online sales are predicted to hold strong during a year where retail industry sales are expected to experience sluggish growth. The report estimates that online sales will rise 17 percent (to $204 billion) this year. Apparel ($26.6 billion), computers ($23.9 billion) and autos ($19.3 billion) will be the three largest sales categories. Other findings from SORO 2008: • Online retailers allocate 53 percent of their marketing budgets to online customer acquisition • 35 percent of sales come from search engine marketing • 90 percent of all online retailers surveyed use pay-forperformance search placement, and 79 percent said they will make this tactic an even greater priority this year • More than half of retailers said that social network advertisements and widgets would be categories of increased focus this year. The report is available to all Shop.org members or can be purchased by non-members at http://www.shop.org/web/guest/research/store. & WHO WHAT WHEN NCCR Associate Member Program THE NATIONAL Council of Chain Restaurants has launched a new associate member program open to all suppliers in the food serv- ice industry. Associate members will gain the opportunity to attend the NCCR annual meeting, sponsor mutually-selected NCCR research and attend conferences and networking events. Additionally, NCCR associate members will receive selected NCCR communication and newsletters, including a subscription to STORES, access to members-only online information and other NRF publications. Associate members of NCCR will also become associate members of NRF. NCCR and its member companies operate and own more than 50,000 restaurant facilities and, through franchise and licensing agreements, another 70,000 facilities are operated under their trademarks. Collectively, NCCR member companies and their franchisees employ more than 2.8 million workers. For more information or to become an NCCR associate member, please contact NCCR president Jack Whipple at whipplej@nccr.net. Response to Behavioral Advertising Guidelines SHOP.ORG recently submitted a 14-page letter to the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of itself and NRF urging the FTC to move slowly in attempts to set voluntary guidelines for “behavioral advertising” on the Internet. The comments assert that technology tracking how consumers shop provides a variety of benefits, isn’t harmful and isn’t as widely opposed as critics claim. Behavioral advertising involves collecting information about consumers’ online shopping and using that information to offer targeted advertising of products or special offers that might appeal to a specific customer. Shop.org said consumers “react very positively” to the practice on websites such as Amazon.com and Netflix.com, which make book and movie recommendations based on customers’ prior choices. And while critics portray consumers as opposed to receiving marketing based on their online shopping, Shop.org estimates show that only 6 percent of retail consumers opted out of marketing e-mails in 2007. Shop.org recommended that the FTC first conduct a study outlining any consumer harm from behavioral advertising and any specific deficiencies in existing industry practices, saying it “is essential that a complete record be formed.” For more information, contact NRF vice president and government relations counsel Elizabeth Oesterle at (202) 626-8109. WWW.STORES.ORG Active Shooter Workshop NRF and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) announced their joint efforts to curb retail theft through an emergency response workshop at a recent ICSC Security Conference in New Orleans. The Active Shooter workshop shared emergency response protocols that address active shooter and hostage scenarios. Recent shootings in Washington, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois have prompted questions about current and future training and policies regarding retail crime. The workshop taught retailers what to do if a gunman takes hostages or opens fire in shopping centers or in their stores. Members of the Los Angeles, Mesa (Ariz.) and Shreveport (La.) police departments, as well as security experts from mall operators, shared their expertise during the workshop. The discussion focused on protecting employees and customers during a violent situation, including key questions such as whether employees should be told to run, hide or warn shoppers, and how to do each safely. Nearly two dozen retail companies participated in the meeting. 110 STORES / MAY 2008 http://Shop.org http://SHOP.ORG http://Shop.org http://www.shop.org/web/guest/research/store http://www.shop.org/web/guest/research/store http://www.shop.org/web/guest/research/store http://Shop.org http://Amazon.com http://Shop.org http://Shop.org http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - May 2008

Stores - May 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Contrasting C-Level Compensation Across Segments What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Cover Story: Concepts That Clicked Concept2Watch Kiosks Artificial Intelligence Tech Support Online LPinformation Data Synchronization Human Resources Site Selection POS Selection Communications Biometrics Networking Systems Credit Loeb Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - May 2008

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