Stop fearing the future and start driving it!

There is an old adage that ‘fortune favors the brave’ and never more so than at present, when, despite the temptation to regress, strategic investment in IT and ecommerce projects may help businesses weather the storm and emerge stronger, leaner and ahead of their competitors.

As the harsh realities of the fast gathering and global economic downturn hit home, I hear the sounds of systems hatches being battened down all around. Prudence so

IT spend in retail is normally between 0.9 and 1.9 percent of turnover per annum, so taking 1.6 percent as an average would mean £1.6 million for a £100 million turnover business. The problem comes when sales drop and turnover falls. In a pre-credit crunch world, many retailers would have considered themselves well placed against a benchmark of ‘only’ 1.6 percent – but now find their own costs reach or even significantly exceed that 1.6 percent figure. Given this scenario, wouldn’t it

Presenting A United Front

Increasing consumer sophistication has led to a corresponding increased demand for improved service. Buyers want a single face from the retailer: one brand, one product offering and preferably one point of contact. In effect, a unified shopping experience.

Customers should be able to order online and pick up in - or return to - store; call one phone number or email one address for an answer to any query; and know that, whichever channel they use to make

Working against the scam artist