CONCEPT
The European market is now at an exciting crossroads where technology adoption is absolutely essential for the biggest companies in retail to remain competitive. Empowered consumers, decreasing workforce productivity and competitive and saturated markets are the obstacles.
Many European firms are applying the new technologies efficiently, operational regulations are easing within many countries, and competitive incentives for change are increasing as obstacles to cross-border operations diminish. But as cultural and economic regulation proceeds in Europe, regional governments are eager to encourage the technology adoption in the retail sector.
The huge productivity gains seen in the US are the clear incentive.
Europe has seen that the transformation of retailing in North America from low-tech industry to sophisticated, high-technology market force has been a major factor in the acceleration of US productivity growth.
Retail firms have reaped significant productivity gains by relying on scale and scope, with massive centralized chains and increasingly larger stores growing rapidly. New information and communication technologies and the organisational changes they support have produced new and better information about customers – with faster and cheaper information flows to and from business units.
After following these trends in the US for years, GDS International now offers ERS Europe.
ERS Europe provides insight on how retailers can achieve critical business objectives by integrating leading-edge solutions across the retail enterprise.
ERS Europe helps retail executives make informed decisions about technology and operations solutions for all of their sales channels.
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EDITORIAL
Retail royalty reigns supreme
It is arguably the most glamorous store in the world; it’s also an instantly recognizable global brand universally associated with the very best in luxury and quality. Retail innovation
Mass-market retail seems to be once again in turmoil. As consumer confidence declines in some geographies, market consolidation increases in others and differentiation between retailers becomes less distinct, many major firms are reporting mixed news. Stepping up to the supply chain
In the wake of globalization, improved technologies and greater availability of customer information, retailers today are facing increased pressure to rethink their supply chain strategies. The year of the store
By Ann McCool
Is this again, the year of the store? It seems to be the term used every year, and yes – in retail, every day, every month, every year absolutely should be priority for advancing technologies in the store. Running to stand still
In the past, IT systems have played a significant role in helping retailers keep pace with changing times. If efficiency was the goal, IT helped cut costs. Consumer markets at a crossroads
Tom McDaniel of the Central European University’s Business School surveys the landscape of manufacturers and retailers in Central and Eastern Europe. Talkback
As consolidation in the logistics marketplace continues and the smaller supply chain specialists find it increasingly difficult to compete with the handful of giant global integrators. Ask the expert: How to: rollout an end-to-end retail solution
Are retailers fully exploiting POS data throughout their operations at the moment? Sveinn Aki Ludviksson, Sales Director for the Partner Network at LS Retail, provides his thoughts.
For more exciting Extended Retail editorial visit the 'Past Issues' section.
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EVENTS
Upcoming events:
Extended Retail supports the following conferences:
Extended Supply Chain 2007 (ESC2007)
26th - 27th March 2007
Press Releases
Cabletime Digital Signage Solution Installed at ThreeStores [doc] |
