The New TRILLION Dollar Retail Market – Instant Gratification

The New TRILLION Dollar Retail Market – Instant Gratification

A brand new space age Trillion Dollar Retail Market is upon us.

It’s a new way of living – EVERYTHING – Delivered In a Flash®.

Instant Gratification: The Holy Grail of Retail

Virtually everyone wants Instant Gratification, and always has.

In addition to those who want Instant Gratification, many people need it (e.g. Mobility-Challenged: Seniors 50+, People with Disabilities (temporary or permanent), Caregivers, Busy Families and Office Workers – collectively 50% of the population).

And some desperately require it (e.g. those with serious short or longer term illnesses).

A few Big Box retailers will lead the way in capturing a large portion of this new Trillion Dollar Market based on their unique market presence and their need for new sales, new markets and much higher incremental profits.

These visionary Big Box leaders will become the dominant retailer in their industry, the same as Walmart did 30 years ago with their unique store presence and Amazon did 15 years ago with their unique online presence. Both have continued to dominate these markets with their innovative vision ever since.

Other less visionary Big Box retailers who were innovators initially (which is why they grew so well then) are now becoming virtually irrelevant because of inertia or myopia. They will continue to fade away, while denying the reality of each part of this new market with every excuse in the book – until it’s too late, because Amazon and Walmart – their arch enemies – are already aggressively trying to own this ENTIRE new TRILLION dollar market before any retail executive even acknowledges its existence and/or importance.

The first step in gaining access to this huge new market is to understand it – which, by their own admission (shown below), only a few retail executives currently do, other than Walmart and, of course, Jeff Bezos (CEO Amazon).

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Let us walk you through this Trillion Dollar Market, exploring the beginning stages, long term effects and its various constituents including the consumer.

Chart 1 (below) is the U.S. Government’s look at Amazon’s e-commerce “Killing Field” that, over the last 15 years, has caused Bricks & Mortar retailers’ sales to falter and, in many cases, to fail.

And the worst is yet to come.

Over the next 15 years, if left unchecked, Amazon’s Killing Field will decimate Bricks & Mortar stores as we know them today – putting thousands of your local area neighbors out of work. It’s that serious.

The reason is simple: As the price for gas, groceries and other commodities continues to rise exponentially, including school tuitions, health care costs and taxes, more and more people need a second job just to stay even, leaving less time for in-store shopping, hence the compounding convenience of e-commerce and its continuing explosive growth as shown in the next 3 charts below.

Let’s look carefully at this NEW Trillion Dollar Market.

And a typical Big Box retailer’s potential to become a dominant player in it.

BUT FAIR WARNING – This is not for the faint of heart – very few retail executives will have the vision or the courage to tackle something this large – other than Jeff Bezos.

I’m sure you’ve noticed what he’s doing lately – Same-Day Delivery (not 2 to 10 day UPS/FedEx) in certain major cities where, at a cost of MULTI-BILLIONS, he’s building fully automated fulfillment centers – like the 150 others he’s now building nationwide – you see, he’s determined to OWN this huge new market – before most retail executives even realize or acknowledge it’s there !

The Amazon juggernaut is just picking up steam – it will take Bricks & Mortar retailers a lot more than conventional retail strategies to entice people into their stores or regular marketing tools to offset Amazon, let alone beat them. Instant Gratification (i.e. “one-hour” order fulfillment) easily beats more expensive “same-day” order fulfillment with lots of room to spare. And, with orders being fulfilled within an hour from store inventory rather than remote distribution centers, stores are effectively generating more traffic and sales to local customers. Then add our SuperCyberCenter© Network featuring local stores and lower prices and wider choices and the competitive scene is reversed on Amazon and Walmart. Here’s how.

The New Retail Trillion Dollar Market

That Amazon Is Spending $Billions To Own – Virtually Unchallenged – Even By Walmart.

In chart 4 below, compare the tiny green stats for the Trillion Dollar Instant Gratification Market in the 2012 column (red outlined). Then look at the tiny blue stats for e-Commerce in 1999 – 14 years ago, when Jeff Bezos was just getting started. Surprise – initially they are the same size. Very few foresaw the meteoric rise of e-Commerce then – and the same thing is happening now with a wide open opportunity in the Trillion Dollar Instant Gratification Market for farsighted retailers – while Amazon and Walmart are struggling to dominate this market.

This new “Instant Gratification” market has always been “The Holy Grail of Retail”; strong enough to save the very existence of visionary Bricks & Mortar retailers – look at year 2026 (but they can’t wait until then to act).

This Elusive Dream comprises:

(1) 1-Hour Online Order Fulfillment – usually in 30 – 45 minutes;

(2) Same or Lower Prices Than In-Store;

(3) Free Delivery;

(4) Payment At Your Door by Cash or Credit Card (Note: We pay the store before leaving with the order);

(5) PRE-PAYMENT ORDER INSPECTION;

(6) Consumers Choose Their Favorite Shoppers / Drivers;

(7) Advantage Member Discounts.

However, this Dream is Reality, as we’ve been doing it for years.

Here’s a Look at a Big Box Retailer’s Portion of This Market

CAUTION – Big Thinking Zone – very few retail executives will have the vision or the courage to tackle something this huge – other than Jeff Bezos.

HERE’S WHY WE CAN SAY THIS SO BOLDLY:

Recently, we were once again told by a Big Box retailer:

“Your concept is clearly different in its approach and perhaps one day, many people will shop this way. I have discussed this with my leaders. For now though, we are going to pass.”

This is somewhat surprising based on:

(1) The financial mess this Big Box retailer is in stemming from Amazon and Walmart, that everyone else seems to know about,

(2) Over the last 2 years since Amazon first emerged as a serious threat, they used every marketing weapon conceivable to no avail.

(3) The huge number of people already “shopping this way” as shown in charts 1, 2 & 3 above,

(4) Amazon’s continuing growth as shown in chart 2 above – nothing “perhaps” about it;

(5) The fact that we offer Big Box retailers an opportunity to test the program against our prior results (similar to chart 5 below) in 3 progressively larger cities with a 3 month ROI before rolling out nationwide !

NOTE: The person saying this to us – after several one-hour phone meetings (and months of emailed information) asked our team to attend a 4 hour meeting in their headquarters with him and 2 of his team members, after which he stated their company needed to at least try our program and that he was going directly to his “leader” with this recommendation. He was very knowledgeable, dedicated and open about the seriousness of their current needs. We believe he was sincere in everything he said to us and to everyone else in the meeting.

Although this long term, battlefield-tested team knew what was needed, they couldn’t convince their leaders to proceed with the program. This was partly because their executives were focused on getting customers to visit their stores by using free delivery for in-store pickup as a tactic to increase traffic, which does not offset Amazon (or Walmart) in the slightest. AND this was despite the significant new profits the SuperCyberCenter program provided, which they acknowledged were realistic (albeit seemingly preposterous…..similar to chart 5 below). Our experience is the average online “Instant Gratification” orders we bring are double the value of average regular in-store orders!

Therefore, these “leaders” lost their final battle against Amazon (and Walmart), without even knowing it – regardless of their reason(s). (see “Options” below.)

But this not-uncommon attitude by retail executives clearly shows that once again a major market (as shown in detail in charts 4 & 5) will slip from their grasp simply because of inertia, fear, myopia and/or apathy (i.e. The Four Horsemen of the Retail Apocalypse) that we’ve been fighting for years.

Instant Gratification, like all new major “game-changers” that change the status quo, meets with strong resistance from executives. As accomplished entrepreneurs, we’ve seen this repeatedly before (see chart 8 below).

We’ve often heard the old phrase “It’s Too Good To Be True – So It Must Not Be True”. However, to think that 30 to 60 minute “Instant Gratification” that 83% of consumers either want or need, will not arrive in due course is, well, ridiculous. It’s just a matter of vision and leadership and a very small amount of time.

To gain their portion of this Trillion Dollar “Instant Gratification” Market, there are FOUR major Tasks that Big Box retailers must first accomplish – all essentially at the same time.

Task 1 – Win The Fight Against: Inertia, Fear, Myopia and Apathy.

Retail leaders need internal Champions to overcome the usual “can’t do” reaction of those who are already scoffing at all the above, as many others will do and have done… it’s what always happens with any new game-changing innovation. Otherwise, they will miss their significant portion of this new Trillion Dollar “Instant Gratification” Market. It’s a defining moment with far-reaching consequences.

Task 2 – Offer CONVENIENCE: The Number One Consumer Choice.

By now, any retail executive worth their salt knows Jeff Bezos is doing Same Day fulfillment based on the numerous articles published recently. Sometimes common sense is revolutionary.

A few retail executives are doing some make-shift form of same-day service (e.g. store staff assembles orders for local same-day courier to deliver). Many retailers have tried this and all have failed for myriad reasons they never understood (see “Rules Of The Game” below). eBay NOW is currently trying this in San Francisco but, without radical adjustments, it faces the same dismal results as both Simon Malls and General Growth Property Malls experienced while they were attempting to provide a similar service, resulting in $50+ million loss each.

However – offering Same-Day service to compete with Jeff Bezos is simply being a copy-cat and he has all the other power weapons (price & choice) to continue his slaughter – Unabated.

Copy-cats won’t match, let alone beat, Amazon. True Instant Gratification will.

Instant Gratification (The Holy Grail of Retail) includes 1-Hour Order Fulfillment as an integral component of SuperCyberCenters© – locally focused online marketplaces featuring physical neighborhood stores rather than web-only e-retailers. While it may seem impossible, outrageous or even inconceivable, this facility will soon be a household reality when even one senior retail Big Box executive starts to listen to their customers’ wishes (as we did – see chart 6 below – there have been numerous similar studies with similar results), thus fulfilling the consumer’s number one choice of “Convenience”.

The Good News: We can help retailers achieve this elusive Holy Grail of Retail. We uniquely have the experience, technology, ability and proven track record doing exactly that: Our patented system is 100% turnkey – Retailers and their staff need do nothing extra. Even their e-commerce website will not need any changes.

 

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Task 3 – Provide Low PRICE: Consumer’s Number Two Choice – in a Very Close Second Place


Warning: Retailers must not attempt Task 3 until they are 100% comfortable with Task 2, because Task 3 is entirely dependent on Task 2 – the critical parts of Task 2 are patent protected.

OK – the first thing to REALLY understand is: WE ARE NOT A DELIVERY SERVICE. Task 2 is Rapid Delivery but that is the store front – not the store.

We Are Amazon’s Equivalent – Working With The Retail Sector – Not Against It. A COMPETITIVE BUSINESS DECISION.

Our website describes all this: www.TheNOWmall.com (use zip code 33180 for our demo site – look around it, you’ll be amazed). It’s a SuperCyberCenter© offering ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment©). You will notice numerous top retailers listed as participating Third Party Sellers with their stores ALL located in close physical proximity to each featured Big Box store.

The Now Mall partners with major Big Box retailers to offer consumers Instant Gratification. The Now Mall is the Operating Partner and the Big Box retailer is the Marketing Partner.

Each participating Big Box site, in each local area nationwide, has their own respective SuperCyberCenter and is called, by example: “ABC SuperCyberCenter©”.

These Big Box stores’ sales will individually increase a minimum of 15% due to cross-marketing with their local “Third Party Stores” (TPS) all as per our detailed records.

TPS also form a critical role in the overall success of every SuperCyberCenter – see item 6 in “Rules of The Game” below.

THEN – the Big Box retailer (as Amazon has done for years) attracts even more consumers away from Amazon (and others), by using their new TPS “EVERGREEN” profits to further discount their products, thereby fulfilling the consumer’s number two choice of “Price”.

Look to the green stars in chart 5 to see the effect on both the Big Box significant sales and profits increase from this new Trillion Dollar “Instant Gratification” Market.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The Third Party Stores, mostly local “Mom & Pop” independent retailers, have also been hurt by Amazon and Walmart even more than the Big Boxes. Instant Gratification is also their salvation thanks to the leadership of their SuperCyberCenter Big Box marketing partner.

Task 4 – Offer Widest Possible Product CHOICE: Consumer’s Final Deciding Factor When Choosing Products & Stores

“The Enemies Of My Enemies Are My Friends”.

With other Big Box retailers similar to those in chart 3 above (with exceptions, but including major malls, grocers, pharmacies, restaurants, sporting goods outlets, pet supplies stores, etc), operating as non-competing, co-operating SuperCyberCenters, this gives the consumer a vastly wider choice than Amazon or Walmart COMBINED could ever offer. This fulfills the consumer’s fondest dreams of the highest form of Convenience, the best Price and the widest Choice. PLUS it provides a service level that will exceed their wildest dreams.

 

Remarkably, we are the only people in the world today with the necessary years of widely varied experience in all aspects of rapid fulfillment, technology and ability to beat Jeff Bezos at his own game, with a much improved e-commerce version as an Industry Game Changing Solution. Tom Monaghan, founder of Domino’s Pizza, is also one of our founders.

We developed these unique assets and strengths through years of providing Rapid Fulfillment of time-sensitive commodities with major companies like Price Club/Costco; Staples; McDonald’s, and others. Then, by conducting our own extensive field trials in numerous cities as entrepreneurs, we learned the importance of a joint venture team including both a Marketing Partner and the Operating Partner.

Now here is the Big Box retailers’ chance to get back in the ever expanding online game they’ve all been classically losing to date.

The Big Box Retailer Risk Taker’s Options are:

1. Let Amazon and Walmart take this market and hope they can get enough leftovers to survive chart 1.

2. Let another Big Box retailer go first and try to copy them later – OK so they’ll have a big head start.

3. Do it themselves because their team is much smarter than: Webvan; Borders; Kozmo.com; PublixDirect; Sears’ “MyGofer.com”; Simon Malls’ “YourSherpa.com”; GGP Malls’ “Mallibu.com” and, of course, McDonald's, and more recently you can add eBay NOW to the list – just to name a few in the long list of North American rapid delivery do-it-yourself failures.

4. Team up with a really smart courier company over whom the Big Box retailer has complete operating and profit control.

5. Use the Doubting Thomas approach – because they still don’t believe such a Trillion Dollar “Instant Gratification” Market exists (same as our example retailer) but to be sure, simply have their store staff do it with a local same-day courier and if it fails, so what ! And if there actually is a Trillion Dollar market, great - they’ll be ready. (Problem is using a same-day model, even if they could get it to work, will never show them the size of the real Instant Gratification market – and their cost per order will skyrocket as happened at McDonald’s.)

6. Team up with eBay NOW in San Francisco – OK so they don’t get any Third Party profits or the EVERGREEN plan to lower their prices against Amazon (see above).

7. Pay nothing to start, and get a lot of other freebees – join eBay NOW or become an Anchor Tenant in somebody else’s SuperCyberCenter.

The Big Box Retailer's Non Risk Taker’s Options are:

1. Work out a Risk Free Joint Venture Agreement with us.

2. Work out a Risk Free Charter Member Agreement with us if they are the first visionary Big Box retail executive – doubling the profits we show in chart 5.

We would be pleased to show the following to any objective Big Box retail executive:

1. Where all the numbers come from and how they get there based on our 35 years of detailed statistics and documented successes.

2. A detailed profit and loss including 5 ways to look at everything – then a look at the next 5 years based on actuals and confirmed by a prior major retail client.

3. A detailed Ramp-up of EACH store, order by order, dollar by dollar, month by month, showing every detail of exactly how it all happens and the costs based on our past statistical information.

4. A detailed Overview showing how the first SuperCyberCenters will achieve the results shown in chart 5 over the next 5 years (as impossible as this may appear).

OUR PREDICTION: this market leader will emerge in time for this Holiday Shopping Season and will permanently reap the highest rewards as did Walmart and Amazon in similar circumstances years ago.

We invite your participation in our venture and/or introduction to Big Box retailer executives as a possible fit for our program.

Sincerely,

Gail Nichols, Vice Chair



Who Wins? Juggernauts, Innovators, Caretakers or Undertakers: A Surprising Conclusion

AMAZING – Amazon’s Sales Growth Just Beat Walmart’s . . . But Here’s The Shocker !

In 2010, Amazon’s sales growth was $5.3 Billion, while Walmart’s sales growth was only $3.8 Billion !  10 years ago, Amazon barely existed.

In the 24 months ending 12/2010 and 01/2011 respectively, Amazon’s sales growth was $15 Billion and Walmart’s sales growth was $17.5 Billion.  TOTALING $32.5 Billion “NEW” SALES.

The Shocker is:  COLLECTIVELY they are tracking to reach $33.8 Billion  NEW GROWTH THIS YEAR ALONE (equaling the last 2 years).  That’s $66.3 Billion GROWTH in the last 3 years !!

Where did these Juggernauts’ incredible $66.3 Billion NEW sales growth come from during this sluggish economy ?  Let’s do a little exploring.

These sales came from other retailers (including mall tenants).  But, you may ask, which retailers lost this incredible amount of sales, and where will this year’s greater losses come from ?

Some innovative companies are still winning new sales against these Juggernauts (as well as from other retailers) as shown in the following graph.

HOWEVER, companies don’t win or lose – only their senior management teams do.

Let’s evaluate the following management team profiles to discover who the Winners & Losers are and who is most likely to win LONG TERM against these Juggernauts.

But first, take this simple test that allows you to DEBATE these remarkable conclusions from your senior management team’s unique perspective as a Winner or Loser.

OK, First let’s explore these interesting Profiles to discover Who will most likely be the LONG TERM Winner:

JUGGERNAUTS:  were first to discover a new “RADICAL Game-Changing System”, which they quickly exploited to the fullest before anyone else even knew it existed.  Then along came the “copycats” who tried knock-off copies that inevitably failed against the sheer power and knowledge of these Juggernauts, at great cost to the “copycat’s” brand and balance sheet as well as their time lost to find and implement more productive solutions.

INNOVATORS:  are ALWAYS open to new ideas and new challenges.  They take calculated risks that Caretakers would never consider.  They win more often than they lose.  So this team is always very busy with other great and challenging projects.  The problem is:  there is a huge waiting list for access to their time.  BUT, “radical game-changing” opportunities pass by in fleeting moments.

CARETAKERS:  are notorious for holding the line rigorously, doing nothing radically new (other than a few “Bells & Whistles”).  Any major radical change is a non-starter – too risky and anyway “we’ve been doing things this way successfully for years”.  They absolutely believe as long as they’re not losing ground, they must be winning !  They will give myriad reasons to their shareholders and analysts why none of the following options will work for them or their company, such as; “Our people explored the ecosystem and there’s no independent corroboration” – even as these solutions produce extremely positive results for their Juggernaut competitors !

UNDERTAKERS:  Here are 7 reasons this team SHOULD be the LONG TERM winner using a Winning Option outlined below.

1.     THEIR NEEDS ARE BY FAR THE GREATEST.  (Including virtually all regional mall owners whose tenants are losing to the Juggernauts).

2.       They know they have a problem, but can’t find the solution usually because their mid-level management team is looking in the wrong direction (they prefer Safety – nothing Radical – just more of the same old).

3.     They blame the economy for their current predicament hoping a solution will “mysteriously appear” BEFORE they become the next Borders or Circuit City.

4.      They tried all the new “Mods & Apps” but none changed their overall competitive position.

5.      They tried the “copycat” routine with stunning failure, so they are now “Gun-shy”.  (Why waste more time or money on “copycat” things that simply can’t get you out of the hole?)

6.      As only the senior management team is held to account, overall executive leadership must prevail to be the long term winner.

7.     Since they have KNOWINGLY been under fire so long (12 – 36 months), this leadership team is most likely to prevail considering the low risk and very high reward of the options below.

Winning Options: 3 New “Radical Game-Changers” to Catapult Juggernaut Challengers Ahead Of All Others– with ONE Major Winner:

1.     ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment^©) 100% Turnkey In-Store Shopping & Delivery usually within 30 to 45 minutes, 24 / 7 / 365, NATIONWIDE and it is patented.

Orders are assembled and paid for by us at your local store BEFORE we leave.  Delivered price can be the same as in-store price. We handle returns which are reduced to less than 5% from normal 20% - 30% online.

When You Just Can’t Get Out Or Have Other Things To Do®

If FedEx (or UPS) could deliver your online orders at less cost and in 30 to 45 minutes – there would be a line-up of customers on your website because NOBODY LIKES TO WAIT 3 to 10 days for online orders.

Walmart has been doing Next-Day delivery for years in other countries (not 3 to 10 day delivery) and just brought “Walmart-To-Go” to the USA.  Amazon is trying to do the same thing in Seattle as well as promoting AmazonLocal.com nationwide. ROOF enables you to significantly improve upon the Juggernaut’s Next-Day delivery – or even Same-Day.  (And ROOF strategically complements “Order Online with In-Store and/or Curbside Pick-up”.)

2.     SuperCyberCenter^© – The Online Marketplace For LOCAL Area Retailers & Restaurants

SuperCyberCenters: HYBRID – Patented – Online –  LOCAL AREA – Marketplaces –  uniquely including ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment) that no other Marketplace offers.

The Last Mile Of The Internet®

Ever wonder what was Amazon’s key growth factor?  Its Marketplace.  Third Party Sellers using Amazon’s trade name for higher traffic and higher sales are now 40% of Amazon’s ONLINE GROWTH and revenues.

Walmart.com also is a significant ONLINE Marketplace.   Many “Copycats” have tried in-house Marketplaces against these well-founded and powerful Juggernauts and colossally failed at a huge cost to their brand; such as Overstock.com simply because they had nothing truly unique to offer.  Our SuperCyberCenter with ROOF is so unique, it is patented.

EVERYTHING – Delivered In A Flash®  THE HIGHEST FORM OF CONVENIENCE & THE FUTURE

The bar has been raised to a NEW standard in customer service:  Choice, Price & Convenience are the three things all consumers want, need & desire.  The Juggernauts only have the first two – We have all three.  Convenience is overall the most important of these three consumer attractions putting the Juggernauts at a huge disadvantage.  Here’s your chance to greatly improve upon the Juggernauts’ overall programs with a powerful NEW patented customer service loyalty program the Juggernauts simply cannot match and cannot copy.

Walmart and Amazon cannot touch this SuperCyberCenter merged with ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment).

Your 3 SuperCyberCenter Winning Options with ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment):

A.    Your Brand Name Local SuperCyberCenter with ROOF

Ideal for major LOCAL area retailers, restaurants and/or regional malls.

With LOCAL AREA Stores & Restaurants as Third Party Sellers promoting your stores locally and cross-marketing with these major local retailers, with higher profit ratios than your local store.

B.    Your Brand Name Regional SuperCyberCenters with ROOF

Primarily for major REGIONAL retailers, restaurants and/or major regional mall owners.

With LOCAL AREA Stores & Restaurants as Third Party Sellers promoting your stores locally and cross-marketing with these major local retailers, with higher profit ratios than your local store.

C.     Be an Anchor or Regular Tenant in your LOCAL SuperCyberCenter with ROOF

Put your local stores ONLINE where your local customers can go to find local products and get immediate in-store shopping & delivery.

Use the power of well-respected major retailers to draw the premier customers in your LOCAL area to your store (as well as to your website) away from the Juggernauts who have been hurting your sales and profits for years.  Cross-market with other tenants and anchors for mutual recognition, growth and sales.

3.     Master SuperCyberCenter with ROOF INTERNATIONALLY for all SuperCyberCenters – The ONE Overall Long Term Winner.

Perfect choice for a major international company with significant global influence and an exceptional innovative executive management team.

The Ultimate Shopping Convenience®  

EVERYTHING – Delivered In A Flash®

Are you ready to Innovate to Win against Juggernauts with a truly new and fully proven RADICAL Game-Changing Network ?  If yes, please let me know your preferred ‘Winning Option” before September 15 and I will have the appropriate person contact you ASAP.  Your customized Earnings Analysis for your SuperCyberCenter with ROOF “Game-Changer” option is available upon request.

Thank you,

Gail

Gail W. Nichols  - Vice Chair

The Retail Market Is SHIFTING Again - Who Is Winning, Who Is Losing ?

What separates business winners from losers in today’s new e-commerce culture ?

A lot of pundits would say you need to be efficient, cost conscious and manage margins. Others would say you need to be really good (excellent) at something – much better than anyone else. Unfortunately, that sounds good but in our fast-paced, highly competitive world today those platitudes don’t really create winners.  Success has much more to do with the ability to shift.  And to create shift.  Quoted from “Winners Shift, Losers Don't” (see article).

As an example, Amazon’s current annualized sales are now $39 billion, rising 38% annually, of which 40% ($15.6 billion) came from Third Party Sellers in their Marketplace (see "Third Party Sellers” here). 

However, Amazon’s Marketplace of Third Part Sellers didn’t exist 10 years ago, thus demonstrating the undeniable power of e-commerce Market Shifting – taking the lead ahead of anyone else. 

Today, eBay, Walmart, Sears and others are all copying Amazon’s Third Party Seller program for competitive reasons.  However, these copycats are not Market Shifters as they didn’t change anything (other than perhaps their companies into a more competitive position).  The net-net of this Major Market Shift are a few early winners and many late-to-arrive losers.

Another terrific example of Market Shifting is by Walmart, who intends to become the world’s largest online retailer surpassing Amazon, with their “Project Titan’s Next-Day Delivery. (see MOST CURRENT Articles #1  and  #2 ). This improves on Amazon’s 3 to 10 day delivery and at lower delivery costs.  

Tommy Lasorda said: “There are three types of baseball players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happens.”

You can watch what happens with “The Battle Of The Titans” while trying to expand your market share, same as your competitors are doing (see GREAT article) – OR – make it happen by Market Shifting with new platforms to spike your growth as The Titans are doing.   

You certainly will not take market share from Walmart or Amazon doing the “Same-Old-Thing” – quite the opposite.  Even matching The Titans won’t cut it anymore.

Let Us Help You Create Your “SuperCyberCenter^©” – The Next Major E-Commerce Innovation Shift

For the Top 500 chain retailers, in-store retail sales are marginally up while online sales are now 10% to 30% of total sales.  (see article)

If your current sales are not at least equal to either of the above averages, you need a Market Shift:   maintaining your core business;  while shifting to new platforms with quickly changing consumer preferences.  "Times have changed forever.  Trends are NOT like the shadows of yesterday." (Quote by Robert Taylor)  It’s essential to shift to new platforms quickly with today’s trends or become irrelevant.

And forecasting future online sales over the average growth rate of 11.3% annually (see above article) is downright dangerous without making a significant Market Shift.

Here’s How To Market Shift with Your “SuperCyberCenter”:

ADD 15% to 20% of sales from other LOCAL retailers, restaurants, pharmacies & grocers (Third Party Sellers) to your existing in-store sales (as The Titans are doing) with a SuperCyberCenter = 40% additional sales & 79% added profits including your 15% ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment) in-store sales – WITH HIGHER PROFITS.

Shift your overall strategy to easier achieved platforms as many of these LOCAL retailers do not yet have e-commerce capability but know they need it.  Why struggle with underperforming e-commerce fulfillment platforms when easier, more profitable trends are right in front of you.

“Too often business leaders spend too much time thinking about what they do.  They think about costs, margins, the “business model” and execution.  But success really has less to do with those things than understanding trends, and capitalizing on those trends by shifting. You don’t have to be the lowest cost, or most efficient or even the most passionate.  What works a lot better is to go where the trends are favorable, and give customers solutions that align with the trends. And if you do this early, before anyone else, you’ll have a lot of time to figure out how to make money before competitors try to cut your margins!”

“Recognize that most “execution” is about preserving what happened in the past.  Trying to do things better, faster and cheaper.  But in a rapidly changing world, new competitors change the basis of competition.” 

“For investors, employees and suppliers you are better off to be with the company that shifts.  It has the ability to grow with the trends.  And the faster you get out of those companies which are stuck, locked-in to their old business model and practices in an effort to defend historical behaviors, the better off you’ll be.  Despite the P/E multiples, or other claims of “value investing,” to succeed you’re a lot better off with the company that’s finding and building on trends than the ones managing costs.”  Quoted from “Winners Shift, Losers Don't” (see article). 

Your new SuperCyberCenter sales are assembled, paid for as we leave the store and delivered by our professional CyberValet^® Shoppers from all your Third Party Sellers usually in less than 1-Hour  24 / 7 / 365 at the same (or less) price than in-store prices.  And delivery can be FREE.  Collectively, these are the reasons why the other LOCAL stores will participate with you, INSTEAD OF THE TITANS, as NONE of The Titans can offer them any of these significant SuperCyberCenter features, making SuperCyberCenters uniquely different than “Marketplaces”.  AND, your high profile nationally-branded stores are the “BEACON” to drive in local online consumers (bringing even more traffic to you from your Third Party Sellers’ myriad and loyal local customers.)

AND it’s 100% turnkey – We do it all.

Let your customers know about your SuperCyberCenter’s 1-Hour In-Store Shopping & Delivery program – they will be delighted to participate because their needs are so great and SuperCyberCenters uniquely offer other important local stores and restaurants “When You Just Can’t Get out, Or Have Better Things To Do ®”  Your LOCAL Third Party Sellers will willingly do the same promotions.

Neither Walmart nor Amazon can match, let alone beat, your SuperCyberCenter.  (It’s patented.)  And it complements & significantly enhances your current Online & In-Store platforms.

Your SuperCyberCenter is the difference between being relevant, or becoming irrelevant, in today’s new e-commerce culture.  However most staff members prefer the “Same-Old-Thing” because it’s job security – no risk – nothing unknown/new.  Only rising star staff members have the chutzpah to recommend such reasonable initiatives as Market Shifting and SuperCyberCenters.

If 40% sales increase with 79% higher profits is of interest, let’s discuss the feasibility of your company adding a SuperCyberCenter (or, in the least, joining one).

Thank you,

Gail

Walmart Just Beat Everyone Out Of The Gate AGAIN

IMPORTANT E-COMMERCE NEWS UPDATE

In our last blog post dated April 19 (below), Wal-Mart said their Next-Day Delivery Program was not yet approved, so we felt you had a 90+ day window to become prepared.  Well, thanks to their purposeful misinformation, we were wrong !

On Saturday, April 24, Wal-Mart opened “Walmart To Go” (see Article) starting with NEXT-DAY delivery of groceries in San Jose, California as part of their “Project Titan” (see Article); same as they have been doing in the UK, Mexico and Japan.

This is Super Bad News for Amazon, Safeway, Peapod and your local grocers.  BUT THAT’S JUST THE START OF THIS E-COMMERCE RETAIL REVOLUTION.  After all, Wal-Mart now needs to grow $14 BILLION every year just to stay relevant.  And their new market share has to come from someone else…. like you. 

Can you foresee when everything is delivered by Walmart from their local retail complex with no other local competing stores existing ?  Well, they can.

Wal-Mart has repeatedly stated that “Project Titan” is the beginning of Wal-Mart’s push to become the lead e-commerce retailer worldwide (see Article).  But when you look at the retail landscape objectively, Wal-Mart’s  “Pick Up Today”  and  “Walmart To Go”  offer high consumer convenience that not only increases Wal-Mart’s ONLINE business but takes customers away from competing local stores with Wal-Mart’s significantly lower prices and much higher service levels.  

Wal-Mart just eliminated the consumer’s need to navigate traffic, long cashier line-ups and miles of walking in stores: when they could be golfing, at the ball game or enjoying their family !  Smart People – Wal-Mart recognized and acted upon the obvious consumer needs and wants as well as offset the various problems people experience in shopping at Walmart stores.  And, Wal-Mart’s low in-store prices apply for delivery – approximately 27% less than regular supermarket prices.

NOW THAT’S TOUGH TO BEAT – And of course they planned it this way and are looking for as much lead time as they can get by telling you it’s only a test and only groceries.  BUT THEY ARE ALREADY DELIVERING THEIR ENTIRE RETAIL PRODUCT RANGE IN THE UK, MEXICO AND JAPAN.  So, Walmart To Go is no test and it’s not just groceries in the long run.

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS – While we had hoped you might beat Wal-Mart “Out-Of-The-Gate” and take the lead position with our patented Rapid Online Order Fulfillment (ROOF) program;  Wal-Mart has demonstrated the future of retail clearly is in Rapid Home Delivery as they did in the UK, Mexico, Japan and now the U.S. 

This Leads You To Two New Opportunities:

1.     Visionary retail leaders will seize the opportunity to improve on Project Titan’s initiatives and become the industry leaders by eclipsing Walmart’s Same-Day Pick Up and Next-Day Delivery with ROOF 1-Hour In-Store Shopping and Delivery, which even Wal-Mart cannot beat. And Wal-Mart probably won’t try to match ROOF for some time to come, thus allowing you to grasp the lead time they were counting on to establish market dominance.

Before Wal-mart opened the Rapid Home Delivery program door thus trouncing the current 3 – 10 day e-commerce common practice, retailers were content with the status quo.  And, as Wal-Mart hopes and expects, these retailers will ignore Walmart To-Go and Wal-Mart's Project Titan initiatives once again, until it is too late. 

2.      Implement a ROOF SuperCyberCenter^© (i.e. Virtual SuperCenter = Walmart and Virtual Marketplaces = Amazon and others).  This is a huge new way to leverage ALL your current assets – tangible and intangible - and earn additional profit from participating stores.  

For example, most local and regional grocery stores have completely ignored Home Delivery as Wal-Mart Supercenters began significantly stealing their in-store sales in the late 90’s.  Now, with “Walmart To Go”, they have a major incentive to join your ROOF SuperCyberCenter© – a competitive Rapid Online Order Fulfillment (ROOF) local area consortium in a SuperCyberCenter format, thereby further increasing your sales and profits both in your stores and through their online sales in your ROOF SuperCyberCenters, which are greater in consumer scope than Walmart’s Project Titan.

Due to the now proven importance to Wal-Mart’s future growth of their “Project Titan”, we hope we can start ROOF with you ASAP so as to steal Project Titan’s thunder in the Media.

Thank you,

Gail

Internet Titans Are Changing E-Commerce Rules

Wal-Mart, in order to become the world’s largest ONLINE retailer has started The Internet “Battle Of The Titans” against Amazon, eBay, Target and others. (See Article)

To do this quickly, Wal-Mart is changing the rules of the e-commerce industry by stepping up speed of delivery from 3 to 10 business days to “Same-Day and Next-Day” that none of Amazon, eBay nor Target (nor anyone else) can realistically match in order to gain overall market share. 

This leaves Bricks-N-Clicks retailers in a fight they can’t win if they continue to use their current, more expensive, e-commerce 3 to 10 Business-Day delivery, thus creating a new wave of “The Living Dead” similar to Borders, Circuit City, Blockbuster, Linens-n-Things  and Office Depot.

Wal-Mart plans to have their online “Pick Up Today” program in all their Supercenters nationwide within 90 days. (See Article)  Next, they “are considering” entering the “ONLINE Next-Day Delivery” arena with their “Project Titan” as they are already doing in the U.K., Mexico and Japan, (See Article) thus setting new industry standards everyone else must follow (if they can) or die. 

Competing with “Project Titan’s” massive number of local Wal-Mart stores, huge local inventories and purchasing power will require Bricks-N-Clicks retailers to immediately adopt a new Space Age strategy.

Unfortunately, their current e-commerce distribution systems cannot help Bricks-N-Clicks retailers in the “Same-Day and Next-Day” Battle of the Titans for control of the now powerful retail e-commerce industry, leaving them as the net loser, as these Titans have done many times before. 

Smaller players need to beware.  This is a new industry, with new rules of pricing and customer convenience, way outside the scope and experience of in-house experts or normal retail consultants. 

Single-line Bricks-N-Clicks retailers competing against these multi-line Supercenters and “Marketplace” Titans will no longer attract the traffic needed for significant future growth when consumer demands for further improved selection and convenience are considered.

Inevitably, the ranks of “The Living Dead” will increase for those who cannot adapt quickly.

BUT…There Is A Solution These Titans Cannot Match

ROOF (Rapid Online Order Fulfillment):  In-Store shopping and delivery usually in less than 1-Hour, 24 / 7 / 365 AT DELIVERED PRICES LESS THAN IN-STORE PRICES.  And, it’s 100% turnkey.  ROOF provides a much higher level of service than FedEx, UPS and USPS and is easier to use and at less cost WITH A FULL ARRAY OF TOP LOCAL RETAIL STORES, RESTAURANTS, PHARMACIES & GROCERS, thus outmaneuvering any Supercenter or Marketplace.

ROOF implementation is less costly, easier and more profitable than regular e-commerce methods.  PLUS, ROOF drives more retail sales through your local stores’ cash registers while increasing customer loyalty with Space Age Delivered In A Flash^® service.

Simply stated: As in-store sales across the board continue to falter and online sales sky-rocket, doing the “Same-Old-Thing” against “Project Titan” will lead to further decreasing online sales, more store closings and significant job losses.

There can be no question what the consumer wants and where “Project Titan” is trying to go. (See chart below)

None of these Titans have ROOF’s powerful and patented system and marketing tools.  Be there first to capture the consumers’ hearts and minds  – install your ROOF system now to prevent the Internet Titans from luring away your In-Store and Online customers with “Same-Day and Next-Day” service as they intend to do within the next few months. 

The only risk you have is in doing nothing.

Our brief online slide presentation can be viewed here.   (NOTE:  Our ROOF website is ‘live’ in zip 33180 for demonstration purposes and can be reconfigured to meet your requirements.)

Please let me know a convenient time to discuss your participation.

P.S.  For even greater increased revenue and sales, ask about joining our SuperCyberCenters^©.

Thank you,

Gail

Gail W. Nichols  - Vice Chair

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