Marketplaces: Holy Grail of Retail E-Commerce - Your Silver Bullet for Rapid Growth

We offer you a unique look at the largest multi-channel e-commerce opportunity to come along since the birth of the Internet.  Retail E-Commerce Marketplaces (REMs) have been called the “Holy Grail of Retail”. 

And now, you can have a Branded REM SuperCyberCenter^© – your “Silver Bullet” for rapid growth.

Overview of REMs:

Retail E-Commerce Marketplaces (REMs) are the online equivalent of large Regional Malls with multiple Third Party Stores joining together to benefit from the enormous amount of consumer traffic (shoppers) generated by the Mall layout, location and cross-marketing.  Typically, Regional Mall Third Party Stores pay a minimum base rent and a percentage of sales over the base rent to the Mall owner/manager based on traffic and location.

REMs have become a major driver of new business for online merchants and Regional Mall owners that leverage REMs as channels for increased sales. REMs are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce.

Consumer transactions are processed by the REM owner/manager, functioning as the merchant of record, and are fulfilled, then delivered by Third Party Stores/Sellers.  REMs offer a wide variety of products and provide consumers with the convenience of purchasing such products from a single location then having everything delivered.  REMs generally provide better prices, greater selection and higher levels of availability than traditional online retailers. 

Proof that REMS are the “Holy Grail of Retail”:

The largest REMs are:

• Amazon, one of the fastest growing retailers today with 40% of sales ($16 Billion annually) through its REM;

• eBay with its announced $2.4 billion purchase of GSI Commerce (one of the first and largest REMs); and

• Walmart, through the recent creation of its “Project Titan” REM.

Delivery is by FedEx, UPS and USPS usually within 3 to 10 days.  However, both Walmart and Amazon are trying to speed up delivery with Next Day service.

REMs are the newest major retail sales channel enabling smaller retailers to become online e-commerce Third Party Sellers, while an early few of the top national well-branded retailers will become successful long-term REM owner/managers.  (Not all major retailers can support their own REM due to lack of Brand dominance, experience and current market positioning.)  Large, well established Regional Malls will also eventually become successful long-term REMs duplicating their existing malls.

Like all new sales and marketing channels, the early visionaries have the best chance of success in this powerful but highly selective new arena.

Pros Of REMs:

1. REMs can increase owner/manager’s sales 35% to 50% (see Amazon above) and profits 50% to 100%REMs instantly broaden owner/manager’s products and marketplace

2. REMs increase traffic to owner/manager’s e-commerce websites and Bricks & Mortar locations that could not be done without a REM

3. REMs enable cross-marketing online and in-store with Third Party Sellers

Cons Of REMs:

1. REM owner/managers must have sufficient initial traffic to attract enough Third Party Sellers

2. REM owner/managers need specialized experience to run and succeed with a REM

3. REM owner/managers need strong branded national presence for rapid consumer acceptance

4. REM owner/managers need a unique marketing differentiator to attract sufficient Third Party Sellers

Branded REM SuperCyberCenters^© – Your “Silver Bullet” For Rapid Growth

As the main function of retail e-commerce is DELIVERY Of Products, major differentiators include: speed of delivery, efficiency, hours of service, payment & collection and quality control features of delivery.

Major Differentiators of Your Branded REM SuperCyberCenter versus Walmart, Amazon & eBay REMs:

·         Rapid Online Order Fulfillment (ROOF) Program – 100% Turnkey, Patented

o   1-Hour, 24 / 7 / 365 order assembly and local delivery from your stores and your Third Party Sellers’ instead of 3 to 10 Days delivery by FedEx, UPS & USPS

o   Product payment to store cashier by ROOF CyberValet Shoppers before leaving

o   Personal Customer service at-their-door with product inspection prior to transfer and payment

o   Returns processing to store where product purchased

·         Virtual contact center for consumer inquiries, order processing oversight, tech support

·         National sales team that recruits, coordinates and manages your SuperCyberCenter’s Third Party Sellers

·         National transport team experts recruit, train and supervise CyberValet Shoppers

Why Partner With Us:

We have over 30 years REM experience internationally in Rapid Fulfillment of Time-Sensitive Commodities (Groceries, Retail, Pharmacy, Restaurant & Fast Food).  Frankly, nobody else anywhere has anything close to our combined experience and/or abilities.

Our competitive advantages also include our REM patent, proprietary technology, various trademarks, Smithsonian Computerworld Award and our prior success in creating numerous industry-changing patented products and services now ubiquitous worldwide.

Please contact us today to review how your company can qualify for a Branded REM SuperCyberCenter owned by you and operated for you by The Now Mall and our affiliates.

As there is room for only a limited number of major REM retailers in local communities, please call us now while your preferred areas remain available.  We look forward to working with you.

Thank you,

Gail

Why The Web Has Won

Rachel Ryan, Director of Finance at the National Retail Federation (NRF) has a terrific posting on Retail's BIG Blog. Here is an excerpt:

"In the past decade there have been two winners in the retail space -- warehouse clubs and Web-based stores, according to Patti Freeman Evans, research director at Forrester Research. Why has the Web superseded other channels? Evans shares three reasons for the success of the Web, as well as what changes retailers need to make to compete.

So, why has the web won?

The web has created a new competitive market in which geography is no longer the driving force. Companies cite Amazon, eBay, and small online shops as their competition, in addition to traditional players. The web has created a border-less world in which much broader and global markets exist. Successful retailers must have conversations about how best to manage that marketplace.

The web has empowered brands allowing companies to enforce their brand image and message. 57% of U.S. respondents agreed with the statement, “When I find a brand I like, I stick to it.” It is therefore up to retailers to ensure that the consumer experience with their brand is consistent. For example, store associates should have access to the web to educate themselves and sell product – thereby having access to the same information that the consumer has access to.

Channel sales are getting blurred. In the next two years, over half of U.S. retail sales will be influenced or impacted by the web. Nike refers to this new world as “bricks and mobile” and internally stresses the importance of watching what is happening online, both at digital interfaces such as Facebook and competitors’ websites."

TheNowMall.com provides "bricks and mortar" retailers another channel to sell locally via our 1-Hour Personal Shopping & Delivery program.  This 100% turnkey Rapid Online Order Fulfillment (ROOF) program increases customer loyalty and store sales while reducing the usual e-commerce return rates (normally 30%) by getting products into the customer's hands within the hour rather than in days.

The ROOF program is currently offered at Aventura Mall, FL with over 300 retailers and restaurants.  Customers browse and order online (or by phone) via TheNowMall.com Network whose CyberValet Shoppers go to the store, purchase the items and deliver them to the customer usually within the hour.

National rollout of the ROOF program is in conjunction with other regional malls.

Happy Shopping !

Gail

Shopping Centers Can Offset Double-Dip Recession With ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment)

Here's how Shopping Centers can offset the Double-Dip recession with ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment)....

We continually mention the effect on mall sales by the rapidly growing number of “Internet-Savvy” Shoppers (76.3% of the population) because they are such an obvious problem (12.6% mall sales loss in 2010; growing to 32.6% by 2020), while ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment) is such an obvious solution (25% mall sales gain - 100% guaranteed). 

Offering your customers our turnkey ROOF service with 1-Hour in-store shopping and delivery from any retailer and restaurant in your mall is a major competitive advantage to attract time-starved, convenience-oriented, cost-conscious consumers.  Especially when you distribute the ROOF FREE Delivery passes throughout your malls.

HOWEVER:

We have 4 other major constituents beyond “Internet-Savvy” Shoppers who comprise the full 25% sales gain, including: “Mobility Challenged” Shoppers (60% of population); “Convenience” Shoppers (80% of population); “Bulky Item” Shoppers (almost everyone) and “Extended Reach” Shoppers (everyone outside your normal trading areas).

Our concern, due to this economy, is we may not have emphasized the value of these other constituents enough – particularly “Extended Reach” Shoppers.

The current general anxiety about a possible “Double-Dip” Recession would, beyond the obvious immediate negative effect on mall sales, also extensively lengthen the recovery period.

Therefore, we reach into our “Kit-Bag” and pull out the “Extended Reach” Shoppers as a strong solution to this problem for Regional Shopping Centers.

A well-documented strategy to increase sales in a recession is to aggressively steal sales from your competitors. (Article)

ROOF is the Regional Mall's “Secret Weapon” allowing you to easily reach beyond your regular trading areas to attract customers and sales from competing regional malls and their tenants who now use “distance” to shield them from you.

It’s a wide open “Turkey-Shoot” for you, a marketing match-up that Regional Mall management can’t lose.

The other 4 ROOF shopper groups listed above also offer unique marketing and growth opportunities; most importantly, “Extensive Community Goodwill”.

With all these new constituents, there is a lot we can do together.

Given we start now, based on 3 to 4 weeks to prepare for your first mall's ROOF launch, we would be ready for "Back To School" shoppers.  Then, we would open your second round of malls before Thanksgiving to take advantage of the huge year-end holiday shopping season.

Looking forward to working with you and your Team.

Gail

Shopping Mall Retailers' New Offensive Sales Strategy - Sales Soared 400% - OUT of The Malls

Retail Stores' New Offensive Sales Strategy: Divert in-mall sales off-premises with in-store kiosks. (See Article) Mall owners lose and retailers win.

Shopping Mall Owners’ New Defensive Sales Strategy: Recapture these lost sales quickly + attract an entirely new and growing customer base for your malls….with a 100% guaranteed solution that’s so unique, it is patented.

HERE’S THE CURRENT SITUATION FOR REGIONAL MALL DEVELOPERS: (Click for Article)

“Time-starved consumers are finding it more convenient to browse items online instead of driving to the mall. But growth has been rapid, with online sales soaring nearly 400% since 2000.”

“As e-commerce continues to grow at robust rates — the sector posted a 10% year-over-year sales increase in the first quarter, according to market research firm ComScore Inc. — experts have predicted that online sales could grow to as much as 30% of total retail sales over the next few decades.”

"The entire retail industry, in one way or another, is becoming driven by digital, and the days of just going to the store and shopping are really declining" said ComScore. “We’re really at the tip of this iceberg."

DANGER: To continue to ignore evidence of the massive sales shift to the Internet is a perilous strategy. Sure, malls can try raising base rents to offset reduced overage but with mall sales p.s.f. declining, so go base rents. See Article

GOOD NEWS ! ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment) is the 100% Guaranteed turnkey patented solution to recapture these lost sales + gain 5 new customer groups. ROOF immediately puts the Internet into mall properties as the highest form of Customer Loyalty and Social Media program. EVERYTHING: Delivered In A Flash®

1. ATTRACT FIVE (5) NEW CUSTOMER GROUPS: ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment) is needed and desired by all time-starved, convenience-oriented, cost-conscious consumers, including:

a. “Internet Savvy” Shoppers (76% of population): ROOF provides 1 Hour service (in-store shopping and delivery) from shopping malls so customers don’t have to wait 3 to 10 days for online orders from afar.

b. “Mobility Challenged” Shoppers: Can’t easily get to malls: Seniors (12% of population); Caregivers (29% of population); Disabled (19% of population); plus Busy Families and Offices.

c. “Convenience First” Shoppers (80% of population): Local shoppers who prefer strip malls instead of large regional malls due to easier parking, less traffic, less walking, proximity to their homes.

d. “Extended Reach” Shoppers (25% of new local population): Currently outside local malls’ normal trading area (buying from other malls elsewhere).

e. “Bulky Items” Shoppers: They visit the malls often and purchase in its stores – but only what they can carry. They see what else they want, go home to order bulky items online – elsewhere.

2. GUARANTEED to Increase Mall Sales by 25% and Profits by 50% (or more).

3. GUARANTEED No Set-Up Cost Risk: 100% guaranteed refund of the one-time nominal ROOF set-up fee over 12 months from our ongoing 15% Rebate program.

4. ENORMOUS GOODWILL from Tenants and Community: Increase Customer Loyalty + in-store inventory turns + virtually eliminate the normal 30% return rate of online orders.

We’re seasoned professionals ready to work with you to install ROOF quickly and successfully in your malls. Various performance testimonials and references are available upon request.

Click Here for the entire brief ROOF for Shopping Centers slide presentation. Insure your properties against ongoing Internet losses with ROOF. And, gain a new customer base you’ve never been able to attract before.

The Problem is Clear. The Opportunity is Clear. To Start is Easy. Call or email us today !

Gail

P.S. We’re delighted to report that 8 of the Top 100 Shopping Center developers are in various stages of joining the Regional Mall ‘Internet Revolution’ with ROOF – the “Holy Grail” of Local Search & Shopping.

As our e-Newsletters can only provide a brief overview, we suggest you at least start your due diligence now…get that part behind you so you can see the other advantages we bring you prior to your making a ‘go-ahead’ decision. Please contact us for an in-depth analysis and strategy for your malls.

Gail W. Nichols - Vice Chair