TekGems Blog

We proudly use StoneEdge Order Manager for multi-channel integration with our web store (AmeriCart/CartServer), eBay (eBay Blackthorne), and Amazon.



Taking Stock of Inventory Management - BusinessWeek: "To track his inventory, Carroll uses software from Stone Edge Technologies that tells employees the location of any item in his warehouse. When an item is picked off the shelves, the software produces purchase orders. Shipping tags and pick lists are also generated automatically. Says Carroll: 'I no longer sit on inventory I don't need, and this system helps my cash flow.' Later this year, Carroll will upgrade to Stone Edge's premium product, which should let his workers use handheld bar code readers to send inventory information to Carroll's database for near-simultaneous updates. He says he'll then be able to count items in certain sections of his warehouse without doing any data entry. Customers will be automatically notified when an item is back-ordered and told when they can expect it to be delivered."

This is pretty exciting news that XBOX 360 owners can now stream HD movies from Netflix if they have a subscription. Netflix is already a very cool service and they are making an excellent leap into downloadable movies. My only concern is the movie quality they will be able to stream and if Netflix can consistently deliver enough bandwidth to keep up with the stream. YouTube has a difficult time of managing their bandwidth during peak-times and so I would think Netflix would have similar issues. Using a cloud service like Amazon S3 would be a good solution but also a conflict of interest.



E-Commerce News: Media Convergence: Netflix Brings Xbox Streaming Deal Into Higher Definition: "Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) Latest News about Netflix subscribers who also happen to own an Xbox 360 Latest News about Xbox 360 -- and have an Xbox Live membership -- learned last summer they'd be able to access streaming video via the gaming console, but what they didn't know until recently is that some of those titles will be available in high definition. Users of the Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Latest News about Microsoft gaming machine will see the feature when the console's 'New Xbox Experience' launches Nov. 19."

I like to call this the "Elmo Effect". This will be a good opportunity for eBay to get "hot items" to the site by giving sellers incentives (discounted listing fees and/or Final Value Fee [FVF]). To make comparisons with Amazon, this would be the same as being able to source and stock hot selling items. eBay will have a lower profit on these type of items, but eBay needs is a critical mass of shopping traffic which it has not had in a long time. If every day could garner shopping traffic like a "free listing day" would, eBay will be creating a truely "vibrant marketplace".





Introducing eBay In Demand » eBay Ink: "eBay In Demand is a new program that provides timely information to sellers about specific inventory that is in high demand and low supply on eBay.com. Essentially, by providing inventory that buyers want, participating sellers have the opportunity to increase conversion rates and sales while helping fill eBay’s inventory gaps."

Shoppers that want to maximize their dollars will look buy online this holiday for better value. The web has always been a source of low prices, but as customers expect better service and convenience as well - it will be a battle of offering low prices (not necessarily the lowest) with good service that customers want no matter where they buy.

Forrester: Economy to Significantly Slow US Online Holiday Sales: "About the study: This year’s annual holiday forecast was a collaboration between Forrester Research and JupiterResearch, now a Forrester Research company. Two surveys were conducted to measure the attitudes and expectations of online consumers during the upcoming holiday shopping season, defined as the months of November and December. The first survey was fielded in September 2008 and received 2,153 individual responses. The second survey was fielded in early October 2008 and received 1,042 individual responses."

I know many of our customers like to modify their XBOX 360 with new DVD-ROM drives, or replace their broken ones with a working drive. Those that like to tinker, probably like to enhance their boxes to also become a useful media center box.



Featured Windows Download: PlayOn Adds Hulu and Others to Your Xbox 360, PS3: "Windows only: PlayOn streams online video from the likes of Hulu, YouTube, and Netflix to your Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or HP MediaSmart TV. I've only tested the application on my Xbox 360 (it shows up as a source in the media blade of the dashboard), and for the most part it's worked really well."

Unless you are a traveler, I don't see the point in mapping out where your local movie theaters are. You will most likely know already. For me movies.yahoo.com is still the best in terms of speed and usability. Yahoo! may be behind in search, but Yahoo! does well in building usable products.

Movies: Map Local Movie Times: "Like to see your cinema options geographically? This mashup of Google Maps and movie showtimes plots your local theaters and their screenings, and lets you look up to a week in advance."

Google Checkout shopping cart has made a few improvements in other systems I've seen. Adding a cart bring up a shopping cart in the upper right corner. Changing the quantity automatically updates the shopping cart information. If you do not view the cart for a time, it will automatically minimize.

Official Google Checkout Blog: Button up your website with the Google Checkout shopping cart: "With the Google Checkout shopping cart, your buyers can add multiple items to their shopping cart, change item quantities, and remove items -- all without leaving your site."

InternetRetailer.com - Daily News for Tuesday, October 28, 2008: "The term “ebay” was searched for more than 16 million times in September, leaving “target” at 2.9 million and “amazon” at 2.7 million in the dust."

I never understood why web surfers do not enter ebay.com directly into their browsers, or type ebay then ctrl-enter in the address bar. I suppose this is revealing that shoppers on eBay are not as tech savvy as one would think...

No need to brag about the most pages indexed on the web, when you have unique off web content like Books that you can index and search. I think Amazon has a better plan because I think they will leverage their book reader and, at some point, sell digitized books via their Reader instead of purchasing hard copy books.

E-Commerce News: Publishing: Google Settles Book Search Suits for a Song: "'They've got to get the pages up and see what kind of page views and revenue it generates,' he said. 'It won't be on the scale of paid search or anything like that. This is old, historical content. It's a niche play. It's a completeness-of-the-index play.'"

Makes sense right? Buying locally reduces your cost of inbound shipping as well as minimizing pollution when you buy locally instead of 3,000 miles away.

E-Commerce News: SCM: The Green Supply Chain: Cutting Out Weak Links

For many companies, the supply chain is a target of increased scrutiny as enterprises search for ways to save money. Companies are finding that moving toward a supply chain with a smaller carbon footprint also leaves a smaller mark on the bottom line.

Endicia started offering high-speed thermal printing today! We print shipping labels individually (using StoneEdge Order Manager), so this new feature would not help us that much.

Below is the e-mail I received:

We are pleased to announce that DAZzle version 8.1.08 provides high-speed printing on Zebra EPL printers to Professional and Platinum service plan customers. Download DAZzle 8.1.08 now and experience the difference.

Additional information about high-speed printing with Zebra EPL printers:

Most DAZzle-compatible Zebra printers use EPL, but if you would like to check if EPL is the programming language used by your printer, please visit the Zebra Web site.

To print in high-speed mode, you will need:
• A Professional or Platinum Shipper account
• Zebra or ZDesigner printer drivers
• Use a 4”x6” label
• An updated version of DAZzle (8.1.08 or later).
o To determine which version you are currently running, select “About” from the Help menu in DAZzle.
o To update your version of DAZzle, please visit our FAQ.

To access the high-speed printing function:
• Open DAZzle.
• Select a Zebra layout.
• Go to “Printer Setup”.
• If you already have a Zebra printer selected, you can select “High Speed” in the lower right hand corner.
• Print your layout as you would normally.
• If you would like the layout you are using to always print in high-speed mode, be sure to “Save layout”.

Thank you for using Endicia.

The Endicia Team

Labels: endicia, shipping

This guy makes some good points about being aware of the medium you use when delivering your message.

Always be reactivating: "Matching the offer and medium drives marketing ROI. A large telco increased conversion rates 300% using text messaging to sell text messaging. ABN AMRO has seen 32% conversion rates on targeted cross-selling of short-term insurance at ATMs. Sports Authority used voice mail to create, deliver, and measure campaigns in just a few days. Road Runner Sports increased revenue per email 300% using email to reactivate first-time buyers. The good news is that there are lots of media with different costs to pick from, but the bad news is that, like most interventions, customers get used to them and their effectiveness decrease over time."

Labels: marketing, medium, message, roi