Retail Story at Oracle OpenWorld
Next week I will be attending the first two days of Oracle OpenWord. Most of my two days will be spend at the Palace Hotel where the retail sessions are. So if you plan on being at OOW and at any of the sessions or events listed below please feel free to come by and say hi. Monday Oct 12 10-11        Client Meetings 11-12:30   International Expansion Strategies 1-3:30       Retail General Session 4-5:30       Crisis to Opportunity 7-10          Retail Reception Tuesday Oct 13 7-8:30      Breakfast Meeting  9-11         Client Meetings 11-12:30 

NRF’s View of Holiday 2009…and Mine
Today the NRF released the below forecast for Holiday 2009 2009 holiday forecast, projecting holiday retail industry sales to decline one percent this year to $437.6 billion.* While this number falls significantly below the ten-year average of 3.39 percent holiday season growth, the decline is not expected to be as dramatic as last year’s 3.4 percent drop in holiday retail sales nor as severe as the 3.0 percent decline in annual retail industry sales expected for all of 2009.** I had the chance to sit in on the NRF’s press and analyst’s briefing.  To say the tone was somber would be an understatement.  The positive points in the eco

Mobile Commerce: Has Its Time Finally Arrived?
Yes it’s been awhile since my last blog.  I have spent to much of my blog time exploring Twitter and other social media, but that’s another post.  In the retail world 2009 has turned out to be the year of cost containment and a borderline bunker mentality. The one glorious exception has been retailer’s embrace of social media and increasingly mobile commerce.  A recent blog “Starbucks reveals iPhone apps, heralds mobile e-commerce caught my attention.  I’ve been doing this job over 10 years now and have listened to m commerce pitches for most of that time.  Virtually all were very interesting b