The Web
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 11/1/2000
Trends seen at September's eRetailing 2000 conference in New York included: multimedia presentation tools, such as 3D technology, streaming video, and audio; digital cash, smart cards, and other secure forms of payment; data mining and analysis; more sophisticated and comprehensive online promotions; wish-list applications; and the development of new platforms for ad delivery, particularly wireless devices. Most of these are still too expensive to be practical for the independent retailer, but watch this space for developments.
Business-to-Business
MIX Inc. reported that its b-to-b marketplace, www.ebizmix.com, surpassed the $50 million mark in order volume in just seven months. Ebizmix.com provides independent specialty retailers with gift, garden, and home decorative accessories merchandise from suppliers. According to internal reports, peak site traffic for the summer buying season was up 54 percent, peak order volume was up 55 percent, and peak account usage was up 78 percent over the winter buying season numbers. Ebizmix.com is owned and operated by MIX Inc., which was formed by Hallmark Cards Inc. in April.
Ebizmix.com announced a strategic partnership with Mike Russo of Industry Advisors Inc. and the Gift Association of America. Russo will provide ongoing business strategy consulting for ebizmix.com. He will author articles exclusively for ebizmix.com, conduct seminars, and more.
The Rosen Group, Baltimore, MD, publisher of Niche and AmericanStyle magazines, is developing a community Web portal designed to bring new collectors into the craft marketplace, and facilitate relationships between artists and craft retailers. The two sites, AmericanStyle.com and NicheMag.com, communicate with collectors and retailers respectively. Both will be able to find artists and artwork by keyword, price, category, artist, gallery, city/region, process, and motif or style. Artists can access shops and galleries and refer customers to their retail outlets. Over 1,000 retailers will have access to wholesale buying, editorial features, and show travel and registration services.
Gift show organizer Helen Brett Ents. launched its site, www.gift2jewelry.com. Built by ExpoExchange, it includes three distinct areas: one devoted to Helen Brett, including the company's eight gift and jewelry shows; a job placement center and five special-interest discussion groups; and online shopping and e-commerce. At the marketplace portion of the site, exhibitors can sponsor e-booths accessible to retail buyers who want to learn more about their products. The portal also features a home page that offers gift industry news and information.
Online Retailing
Software developer Snippets entered into a partnership with CloudPop, a provider of gift registry and merchandising solutions to merchants and shopping portals. FirstRegistry, a division of CloudPop, will integrate Snippets' technology into its portal gift registry network. FirstRegistry network users will be able to create, add to, and manage their gift registries from a desktop. FirstRegistry operates an online registry, www.firstregistry.com. For information, visit www.cloudpop.com.
Nexgenix, www.nexgenix.com, an e-business services company, now offers consulting services for catalog retailers, including marketing, branding, and technology services. The company's model is based on the concept of building "e-Relationships" with customers, reexamining traditional principles of catalog marketing to interact with customers in personalized and cost-effective ways to build loyalty. Nexgenix helps catalog retailers integrate online and offline customer support to offer Web self-service, live customer service chat, personalized content and homepages, intelligent e-mail auto-response, and searchable product support knowledge bases. Nexgenix also helps customers develop personalized order- management pages, profile information storage (allowing customers to avoid data entry), order status notifications delivered to wireless devices, and rewards to encourage repeat business.
Internet startup deliverEnow.com announced a strategic investment by CD & L Inc., an air and ground delivery service with 78 offices in 24 states and the District of Columbia. DeliverEnow.com wires retail chain stores' local inventories to the Web, providing customers with Web-based visibility, in-store fulfillment capabilities, immediate delivery, and scheduled returns. According to Drew Kronick, deliverEnow.com co-founder, the company had extensive discussions with retail chains across the country, and will be announcing its first major agreement. DeliverEnow.com also announced the release of Stock Clerk 1.0, a proprietary in-store fulfillment, managing, and monitoring system that allows retailers' Web orders to be paid for, picked, packed, and shopped efficiently from a local store.
A new service offers same-day shipping to any zip code in North America, regardless of weight. Five levels of service include Next Flight Out, which offers delivery within 6 to 8 hours anywhere in the U.S., SameDay Heavyweight, for shipments over 70 pounds, SameDay regional ground delivery within 600 miles of origin, SameDay Local to every U.S. zip code, and SameDay Charter, which charters an aircraft just for your shipment. You can order same day pickup and delivery from www.800sameday.com, or by calling (800) SAME-DAY. 800SameDay is a subsidiary of Associated Global Systems.
Want to do business in Canada? Visit www.borderfree.com to find out about a service that brings you customers from around the world, quotes prices in their local currency, and takes responsibility for payments, deliveries, and returns. The United Kingdom and other countries will soon join the site's menu of markets.
Manufacturers on the Web
Coyne's & Company launched the Web site, www.coynes.com. The site features full-color images, FAQs, company history, and contact information. There's an image library that will be made available to all of the company's retailers. The information-based marketing site is designed to appeal to consumers and to retailers, but is focused on supporting the company's retailers.
