Bob Johns

ARTICLES BY BOB JOHNS

• Saks Enterprise Transformation Focuses On Omni-Channel

  6/26/2013

  Oracle CrossTalk 2013 kicked off with a bang with Michael Rodgers, EVP, CIO, COO of Saks Fifth Avenue, giving a presentation on enterprise transformation. Saks has undertaken a complete transformation of the business to become a true omni-channel retailer. According to Rodgers, "Saks is creating a single view of our entire business. We now have a single view of the customer across all channels." What the company found is that the customer wants to interact with the brand, not the channel.

• How An LP Manager Convinced Northern Tool & Equipment To Go With IP Video

  6/24/2013

  This LP manager was able to convince this 80-store tool company to go chain-wide with IP video by proving its business benefits throughout the company.

• The Rapid Evolution Of The POS

  6/24/2013

  The stand-alone POS is evolving from just a checkout into a business data center that enables better customer service and increased sales.

• How A New POS Helped This SMR Increase Sales By 15%

  6/24/2013

  The Quilted Duck’s legally blind owner implemented a new POS to track inventory and drive sales even when he is not there.

• RFID Enables A New Way To Shop

  6/24/2013

  MainStreet America, the one-of-a-kind model home “town,” uses NFC (near field communication) and RFID to allow customers to choose their homes’ designs and furnishings.

• How To Avoid Self-Checkout Theft

  6/19/2013

  When it comes to loss prevention (LP), retailers approach it from many different directions. One of the fastest-growing ways has to do with analytics and video at the checkout. I recently had the chance to speak with Malay Kundu, founder and CEO of StopLift, to discuss a little of what is going on in the industry.

• Does Mobile POS Kill The Benefits Of Exception Reporting?

  6/14/2013

  Well, NRF-LP 2013 just wrapped up in San Diego, and it is interesting to see how things are changing in the world of retail. Analytics was again a huge topic for LP executives trying to secure budgets by showing the cross-operational benefits. Aside from analytics, the other major area of interest is mobility. From developing a strategy for BYOD to tracking purchases made via mobile POS (mPOS), mobility is a major concern for retailers.

• Workplace Tragedies — Are We Willing To Pay To Fix The Problems?

  5/31/2013

  Once again, apparel manufacturing workplace safety was in the news with a break-shelter collapse in Cambodia. Luckily no one was killed in this latest incident, however, 23 people were injured. Earlier in May, a Cambodian shoe factory had a ceiling collapse that killed two workers and injured another seven. Last September saw a fire in a Pakistani garment factory that killed 289 people.

• Fleet Management — Fueling Savings In-Store And Out

  5/23/2013

  Retailers know when it comes to replenishment, two of the largest costs are fuel and time, and new fleet management solutions are being designed to conquer these two challenges. For years, Verizon has been helping companies optimize their fleet management with 3^rd party solutions. However, Verizon recently released its own solution, called Networkfleet, this March. The solution was originally part of Hughes Telematics, which was acquired by Verizon early last year, and now has been optimized to work on Verizon Wireless’ CDMA network.  This is a departure for Verizon, which has never owned a fleet management solution before.

• Saks Fifth Avenue Fights Shrink With IP Cameras

  5/22/2013

  The luxury retailer leverages improved visibility and access with IP surveillance cameras to combat internal and external shrink.