Category Archives: Competitive Tracking

Pros, Cons & Pricing Considerations Of Selling On Third Party Marketplaces

Did you know that 49% of daily searches on the web are for information on products or services? Did you know that when searching on Google and other search engines, about 25% (and growing) of listings on the first page turn out to be Third Party Marketplace listings? Did you know that over a quarter (27%) of online retail sales are coming from Thi...
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12 Profitmaking Benefits Of Retail Assortment Optimization

The Internet and retail support services are brimming with information on how to harness big data; how to conquer the heart of the customer; how to have an effective web presence; third-party marketplaces; showrooming;  how to conquer the heart of the customer through socials; how to conquer customers through outstanding customer service; how to price fo...
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7 Dynamic Considerations For Choosing The Best Pricing Intelligence Solution Vendor

As we know, today’s retailers face all kinds of challenges and competition from many directions and channels. In my previous blog post (10 Powerful Guidelines For Choosing The Best Retail Pricing Intelligence Software), I talked about what competitive pricing intelligence software should do. Today, I’ll discuss what to look for from your competitiv...
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Decisionmakers Cite 9 Key Reasons Business Intelligence & Analytics Critical To Operations

Every day, there are more and more-sophisticated business intelligence and analytics tools available to optimize pricing for thousands of products, help spot possibilities to reduce prices and increase sales, analyze data, determine ideal product mix, and increase overall profitability. And the competition grows more keen with every moment. In Nov...
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What Competitor Price Monitoring & Sun Tzu’s Art Of War Have In Common

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Sun Tzu, Art of War.

The quote, above, is my short reply to a couple of ques...
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5 Ways Retailers Can Make More Profit By Reducing Product Assortment & Managing Websales Like Costco Does

Costco and Product Proliferation: In my book, Competing in Tough Times (New York: Financial Times Press, 2011), I discussed a number of issues relating to product proliferation, which reflects on the whole subject of product assortment, assortment planning, and assortment management. There are two major reasons why retailers offer their consumers ...
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Over 60% of Smartphone & Tablet Owners Plan To Price-Compare Among All Retailers While Holiday Shopping

A recent Prosper Mobile Insights Online Survey by SSI (Survey Sampling International) found that 55.3% of mobile device owners completing a survey via their mobile devices said they plan to use a smartphone or tablet for holiday shopping this year… to research, compare prices, purchase, locate stores, or assist with other shopping tasks. 66.0% sai...
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10 Ways Framing Pricing Right Gives Retailers Greater Profit: Jon Manning, Pricing Prophets Video

Manning’s back! In Ten Better Ways To Frame Your Pricing, Jon Manning, Founder & Managing Director of Pricing Prophets, says that finding better ways to frame or position your pricing could mean the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful product, winning or losing the business, or profit and loss. Jon is also Upstream Commerce’s Reside...
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8 Ways Targeted Promotions Can Garner More Profit & Influence Buying Behavior This Holiday Season

How can retailers determine the best price-off deal to offer in the Holiday Season? How can retailers use competitor price monitoring to highlight their price advantages? How can retailers best use data-mining to target buyers? What’s more important, price or value? This holiday season retailers will spend billions and billions of dollars on promo...
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3 Essential Ways Best Buy & Other Retailers Can Regain Lost Business: Competitor Price Monitoring Is One

The first half of this blog post title is: “3 Essential Ways Best Buy & Other Retailers Can Regain Lost Business.” The second half is: (Best Buy & Other Retailers Can Regain Their Lost Business by): 1. Monitoring  Competitors’ Prices; 2. Adjusting Product Assortment; and 3. Synergizing Store & Website.” In late October, Best Buy acknowledged ...
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7 Ways Competitive Intelligence Helps Retailers Leverage Products, Pricing & Profits

With burgeoning technology, increasing competition, active, connected consumers, greater transparency and availability of information — eCommerce merchants more than ever need to seriously tend to their assortments, prices, and marketing in order to grow the biggest profits. To do this, you have to know what’s going on in the market, identify the ...
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5 Ways Online Retailers Can Confront Amazon’s Decision To Collect Sales Taxes

For years, retailers complained that they had to compete on a tilted playing field against Internet retailers who did not charge sales tax. States trying to attract online businesses didn’t press the issue, especially after Amazon promptly ended relationships with marketing affiliates in Colorado after the state threatened to collect sales taxes fr...
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6 MAJOR Reasons To Track Your Competitors’ Prices Every Day

“How often do you/your company track your competitors’ moves and pricing?” That was our recent poll question to our 1,858 members — primarily retail executives – on my LinkedIn group, Competitive Pricing for Online Retail.  Take a look at the results of the poll, below, plus a number of interesting responses from group members, followed by 6 MA...
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