Insight-Driven Retailing Blog

iPhone Application Recipe

By David Dorf on October 20, 2009 8:30 AM

RetailWire ran articles yesterday and today on the success of iPhone applications for the retail industry. Apps from Amazon, Target, Gap, and Whole Foods seem to be getting traction, but all of them had shortcomings. Here's my list for what...

Comments (0)

Universal Wish List

By David Dorf on August 29, 2009 8:41 AM

I like to keep a backlog of items I want in my Amazon wishlist, then when I go to buy something and I'm just short of the free shipping, I have a few items I can add. They are usually...

Comments (0)

Mrs. Brady Loaned Me Alice

By David Dorf on June 30, 2009 8:04 AM

Did Carol Brady really have it that bad? She had no job, yet she had a full-time live-in housekeeper, Alice. I wish we had an "Alice" that would keep the pantry full. I once complained to my wife that we...

Comments (1)

Retail: This is more than a correction...

By David Dorf on May 19, 2009 8:37 AM

After writing the previous post Retail Has Changed Forever, I came across Jim Crawford's account of a presentation given by Jim Stengel, former CMO of Proctor & Gamble. Mr. Stengel started by saying This is more than a correction... this...

Comments (1)

The Power to Predict

By David Dorf on February 23, 2009 2:03 PM

When you call CapitalOne, they identify the caller (using CallerID) then determine the most likely reason for the call. For example, if you were just assessed a late fee, chances are you're calling to complain about the fee. This prepares...

Comments (1)

Amazon's Competitive Edge

By David Dorf on January 30, 2009 10:32 AM

While commenting on a story over at RetailWire, I started thinking about the story of Amazon. Its no secret their competitive edge is innovation. When I think of innovation in retail, Amazon is always high on the list. They constantly...

Comments (1)

Best Buy Goes Social

By David Dorf on January 26, 2009 6:31 PM

Realizing that the Web is becoming more social, Best Buy made a great move by exposing their on-line product catalog to developers on the Web. Now website developers can include pictures, prices, searches, and reviews from www.BestBuy.com in their own...

Comments (3)

Circuit City Liquidates

By David Dorf on January 16, 2009 10:11 AM

As a former Circuit City employee, I was saddened to hear that CC will be liquidating after not securing a buyer interested in preserving the retail chain. All remaining 567 stores will be liquidated in order to settle its substantial...

Comments (7)

'Tis the Season for Returns

By David Dorf on December 30, 2008 9:54 AM

Now's a good time to return that pink bunny suit (aka the Pink Nightmare) your aunt bought you so that you can instead buy the Red Ryder you've always wanted. Now is the time when the gifts gone wrong are...

Comments (2)

The Social Side of Retail

By David Dorf on December 17, 2008 12:10 PM

I have two favorite stores, both of which are online, that I visit daily: Amazon and Newegg. Both provide excellent product information that includes customer reviews, photos of products, and related product suggestions. I recently discovered that both have customer...

Comments (0)

Shopping on the iPhone

By David Dorf on December 8, 2008 9:45 AM

I've had my iPhone for a while now, and my favorite non-Apple applications are Facebook, Evernote, and More Cowbell. But its not all fun and games. In a previous post I discussed some of the research we were doing with...

Comments (1)

Web 2.0 Honeycomb

By David Dorf on December 4, 2008 10:00 AM

If you caught my article in RIS News entitled Web 2.0 Shapes the Next Generation of Enterprise Retail Software, then you have some idea of Oracle Retail's direction for user interface design. But here's a little more detail for those...

Comments (0)

Does Mobile Commerce Really Work?

By David Dorf on November 19, 2008 6:13 PM

A few months back I was shopping for a Wii Fit at Amazon.com, but they were out of stock just like every other retailer. But I noticed they offered a Text Alert, which sends me a SMS message when the...

Comments (0)