This paper addresses the eBusiness marketplace in Asia Pacific in the latter half of 2000, with a focus on long-term return on equity models. The dot.com hype through April of this year was a distraction for real businesses needing to understand that they must e-enable to achieve their click-and-mortar potential. Scores of get-rich-quick dot.coms with stupid business plans have left a path of bad faith in the internet marketplace in their wake.
The development of international trade as we have come to know it today has been the climax of many centuries of change. It first evolved slowly, from the early bartering and transfer of flints and metals between local communities. Over time, the geography gradually widened and from the Roman Empire to the seventeenth century an international coinage system was developed. The Commercial Revolution of the seventeenth century led a transformation to the sophisticated world trade networks that we know today, with the global economy dominated by multi-national corporations and the world of stocks and shares. I argue that we are now seeing the first signs of a new revolution in world trade which will not only change the way in which we trade, but will fundamentally alter the way in which we communicate with each other outside of the work environment. This is the TRUE impact: of the e-business revolution.
Historically it has always been assumed that the hardest part of new product development is to find an idea/product that appeals to the consumer. However, now that is only half the battle, and maybe even less than half, as markets have become much more competitive, and the retail trade has become concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. This is a problem that is faced in nearly all developed countries in the Western world. In the next few pages I will cover more fully the reasons why trade research is now so critical in the development programme, how, when and where trade research can help in the development process, and how it should be organised. Also some of the inherent problems of trade research and thus the pitfalls to be avoided. An important start point is to define what trade research is. Trade research is the means by which an understanding of the commercial customer can be gained. It is not confined purely to the retail trade as many people would think, but also covers business-to-business research. It can be used to find out more facts about a market, or to understand the needs or attitudes of the commercial customer. Currently very little such research is carried out and what is done is often very superficial. New product development is not confined to the consumer; new products and services are being developed every day for the commercial customer; therefore, although the emphasis of this article is largely on consumer products and services, much of it can also be applied to business-to-business research.
For La Redoute, 1992 Europe is a process in which the group has already engaged itself. Irrespective of the measures taken at Community level, La Redoute has to ask itself two fundamental questions: our trade at European level, can it be standardised? which options are open? Then it is obvious that some of the community decisions will weigh on our business and on our operations: in particular, the decisions being prepared on the levels of VAT rates have deep influence on the mail order market. Those three aspects will be dealt with in this paper.
This study is focussed on the consequences of these so-called tele-information services for the structure and the developments in the distribution of consumer goods in the nineties. The study was based on literature-research and a lot of expert-interviews. Because of the important role of electronic communications in the distribution channel, a wide application of electronic payment and various forms of teleshopping, the structure of retailing will change: the difference between trade and services will fade the difference between small and large retailers will fade the borderlines between lines of business in retailing will fade (cross-trading) vertical relations in the distribution channel will be strengthened European integration (EC 1992) will reinforce internationalisation of retailing and will also give impulses to tele-information services. Small independent shopkeepers as well as large retail-chains have to deal with the positive and negative consequences of tele-information services. The consequences offer both threats and opportunities. The profits from efficiency which can be gained by the adoption of telematics have to be invested in service quality. The combination of an efficient use of telematics and top quality personalised service offers the best opportunities for retailing on its way to the year 2000.
This paper presents the results of a representative survey conducted in 1985 with 40 chief buyers of the central organizations in German food retailing. The study was initiated by Hildmann, Simon, Rempen & Schmitz/SMS and conducted by GfK. The retail outlets that form part of the 40 central organizations represent a retail sales volume of 100 billion DM. Thus, the coverage of the sample amounted to 83 per cent. For methodological reasons the Aldi discount chain and the department stores were not included in the study (their purchasing patterns differ). The survey investigates trade/manufacturer relationships from the trade point of view and therefore gives every manufacturer important hints on how to organize their trade marketing so as to take account of the notions and wishes of the trade.
This paper presents the results of a representative survey conducted in 1985 with 40 chief buyers of the central organizations in German food retailing. The study was initiated by Hildmann, Simon, Rempen & Schmitz/SMS and conducted by GfK. The retail outlets that form part of the 40 central organizations represent a retail sales volume of 100 billion DM. Thus, the coverage of the sample amounted to 83 per cent. For methodological reasons the Aldi discount chain and the department stores were not included in the study (their purchasing patterns differ). The survey investigates trade/manufacturer relationships from the trade point of view and therefore gives every manufacturer important hints on how to organize their trade marketing so as to take account of the notions and wishes of the trade.
In recent years there has been much discussion about the globalisation of markets which has resulted from a number of developments in consumption patterns, in supply, in technical progress and the process of competition which greatly influences the international dimensions and relationships of business. This means that globalisation of innovation is an important issue for successful operation. One might wonder to what extent the international "marketeer" is really able to implement an innovative approach to products, services, manufacturing and marketing. An overall determining influence in the analysis of global innovation is that of the mission one uses, the objectives, the time span and the aggregation level. In our branch of the industry transnational thinking is necessary. Is the ultimate aim global brands, uniform products, uniform packaging, uniform sales and service? This has yet to be seen. Standardisation of working methods is undeniable increasing rapidly. It. cannot, be denied that the distribution channels differ considerably from country to country. A tendency to concentration is however applicable in the most important regional markets; similarities can be recognised from types of entrepreneurial behaviour at the level of trade throughout, countries. Trade is organising itself on a more international level. Nevertheless, this instrument is probably the most locally or regionally oriented in the chain of "global marketing". Some characteristics of the international innovation culture of our organisation are dealt with in the following and also some elements are given of the adaptation to local market and trade requirements by our world-wide network of national organisations. Finally, some aspects of the innovation of working methods in marketing are dealt, with.
Trade research is a collective term for a series of specially developed techniques serving the needs and objectives of marketing management at the various stages of the distribution network. Just as the elementary methods of consumer research have been adapted and improved to gear them more specifically to particular problems, so the basic techniques of research among the distributive trades have been refined from the original to meet current demands. This chapter deals with the basic techniques and illustrates a few of the applications and developments that have occurred. It makes no attempt to be comprehensive. Of all the expenditure on trade research, by far the most is spent on retail and wholesale audits; the remainder is probably divided evenly between distribution checks and ad hoc research at the point of sale, in particular surveys among the retail trade. Almost inevitably, therefore, the emphasis in this chapter will be upon trade audits.
The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) is a public organisation whose institutional tasks concern the promotion of the image of Italy and the development of foreign trade. At the time of the study the trade exchange between Italy and Japan was at extremely low levels. For that reason, ICE decided to try to formulate an integrated marketing strategy for promoting Italian products in Japan. To achieve this end, it was decided to launch a major research project in Japan, and ICE engaged PRAGMA to plan and coordinate the research. Traditionally, ICE has been mainly involved in sectorial promotions in the business community. The research and marketing approach in this case was to observe the total picture among not only the business community, but coordinating and integrating the views of Japanese consumers and Japanese opinion leaders as well.
The retail trade in Finland is very much centralized; the four major chains dominate the market. Mass marketing by making use of mass media and mass bargains has been very powerful in the past few years. Segmentation of the consumers by shop chains or by type of shop has occurred in a very small extent. Buying loyalty has decreased and people do shopping in several chains and and in several types of shops. Our survey shows that the customers of supermarkets in different chains differ very little from each other concerning sociodemographic and psychographic factors. Today and especially in the future it is more essential to study segmentation by benefits or situational segmentation. The choice of the shop can be effected by fast tepo special bargains and going over to an other type of shops happens easily. New shop groups that sell dry food stuff and non food-products have clearly taken customers from the traditional trade chains.