http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091022006577/en
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ExpertSource:
TOPIC:
If you see the perfect holiday gift, grab it. It might not be there when you
come back. Many retailers are opting to keep inventories lean to handle lower
consumer spending.
As highlighted in a recent Boston Globe article, reduced inventory is one of the
ways merchants are managing the current retail climate.
Last year saw a need for deep discounts to move excess merchandise, leading to
disappointing results.
"If I had to err, I`d rather have too little inventory than too much. You might
miss opportunities, but the risk is getting stuck with huge quantities of
product," said Steve Sadove, chief executive of Saks Fifth Avenue.
Nordstrom, an upscale department store chain, is highlighting their website to
handle additional inventory.
"If a customer can`t find what she`s looking for in the store, we`re able to
utilize our online inventory more fully to get her the merchandise she`s looking
for," said Colin Johnson, a Nordstrom spokesman.
http://bizwire.pr/GBmWM
EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on
this story:
Mr.PrasadPutta , Checkpoint Systems
Prasad is an expert in the concept of merchandise visibility, in which retailers
gain visibility into their operations, from point of manufacture through point
of sale. By tagging merchandise at the source, retailers understand in real-time
where in the supply chain their inventory is, and what their inventory position
is in each store, whether in the back room or out on the selling floor. A
co-founder of OATSystems, a division of Checkpoint, Prasad was instrumental in
establishing the company`s initial vision and served in a leadership role in
growing the company to over 100 customers worldwide and a dominant position in
the RFID industry. Prior to co-founding OAT in 2001, Prasad started Auripay, a
company that provided secure, flexible e-commerce payment solutions. Auripay was
sold to Cyota in 2001. Previously, he worked at i2 Technologies, innovating and
implementing supply chain solutions. Prasad holds a masters degree in mechanical
engineering from MIT, and an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of
Technology in Madras.
Contact Information
Name: Mr. Prasad Putta
Title: VP of Merchandise Visibility
Email: prasad@oatsystems.com
Telephone: 781-907-6100
Dr.BillHardgrave, University of Arkansas
Dr. Bill Hardgrave holds the Edwin & Karlee Bradberry Chair in Information
Systems in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, and
serves as the Executive Director of the Information Technology Research
Institute, which he established in 1999. He also founded and directs the RFID
Research Center. Dr. Hardgrave has published several books and more than 75
articles primarily on the topic of software development and RFID. He has worked
extensively on an assortment of RFID projects with companies from the retail,
manufacturing, transportation, and information industries. His research efforts
in this area include: data analytics, business case / ROI, and technology
deployment. In the area of data analytics, Dr. Hardgrave`s team has been heavily
involved in analyzing RFID-generated data. He is also conducting a series of
business case projects that look at the efficiencies of RFID for various
distribution and store processes, including, but not limited to, an extensive
look at how RFID improves inventory accuracy. In 2008, RFID Journal tabbed Dr.
Hardgrave as "one to watch" in 2009 for his impact on the field of RFID and in
2009, he received the Ted Williams Award from AIM Global as the most influential
researcher in the field of RFID.
Name: Dr. Bill Hardgrave
Title: Executive Dir., Information Technology Research
Email: bhardgrave@walton.uark.edu
Telephone: 479-575-6099
MarshalCohen, The NPD Group
Marshal Cohen chief industry analyst of The NPD Group, Inc., is a nationally
known expert on consumer behavior and the retail industry. He has followed
retail trends for more than thirty years, at NPD as the head of leading fashion
and apparel as well as major retailers. As part of his work at NPD, Marshal
leads many top firms in long range and strategic planning sessions. He often
utilizes motivational presentations to help launch corporate goals and kick-off
meetings. Marshal`s second book, Buy Me! How to Get Customers to Choose Your
Products and Ignore the Rest, is scheduled for publication in January 2010. In
addition to his duties at NPD, Marshal is currently a guest professor at North
Carolina State University, School of Textiles. There he is introducing students
and faculty to techniques for analyzing and applying data. Recently, Marshal has
been a guest lecturer at the Fashion Institute of Technology and at the Wharton
School of Business.
PR Contact: Beth Boyle
Title: Sr. Public Relations Manager
Email: beth_boyle@npd.com
Telephone: 516-625-4603
Harry J.Friedman, The Friedman Group
Harry J. Friedman has been called, outrageous, revolutionary, inventive and
invigorating, and one of retail's true visionaries. A former owner of several
retail operations, his 25+ years of consulting with and learning from large and
small retailers worldwide, has resulted in his developing the most widely used
sales and management training systems in retail. Clients such as Cartier, Neiman
Marcus, Godiva Chocolatier, Wynn Las Vegas, Ashley Furniture and thousands more
worldwide have made Mr. Friedman the most sought-after retail consultant,
speaker and trainer. His best selling book "No Thanks, I'm Just Looking!" is now
in it's ninth printing, his articles have been published in industry
publications over 500 times, and his store and sales management seminars,
training products and services have been used to train well over 500,000
retailers around the world. Founder and CEO of The Friedman Group, with
locations in 10 countries and growing, Mr. Friedman is known as retail's best
resource for developing high performance retail stores. In addition, the media
relies on his experience, wit and wisdom, and his dynamic, edgy, quote-a-minute
observations and easy-going candor, for colorful and memorable interviews.
Research and Publications: Mr. Friedman is the author of retail's best selling
"No Thanks, I'm Just Looking!" book, keynote speaker for hundreds of trade
shows, manufacturers, retailers, trade associations and Fortune 500 company
events. He is the creator of the most widely used retail-specific sales training
system in the world, with a just-released updated program called Gold Star
Selling!, as well as the Retail Book of Selling Games & Contests, Retail
Policies Manual, Retail Productivity Series and more. His retail seminar series
on store management has been attended by retailers representing over 100,000
stores and his Project Gold Star program has been called a blueprint for
developing a sales and service driven retail organization. Not one to rest on
his laurels, Mr. Friedman has delivered his message in over 40 countries and
continues to research and test his comprehensive sales, customer service,
management and operations systems on sales floors of all sizes and industries.
PR Contact: Jon Dickens
Title: Vice President
Email: jdickens@thefriedmangroup.com
Telephone: 310-590-1248, ext. 121
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