UKNM: Most amusing

[Tim.Hayward]

This will probably reach you by viral means at some point. I've no idea who

it's

from but it gave me a chuckle.


Happy Rainy Friday


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New Business-to-Consumer Retail Craze


They're calling it shops or "S-Commerce" and it's being rolled out in cities

and towns nationwide.

"It's a real revelation," according to Malcolm Fosbury, a middleware

engineer from Hillingdon.  "You just walk into one of these shops and they

have all sorts of things for sale."

Fosbury was particular impressed by a clothes shop he discovered while

browsing in central London. "Shops seem to be the ideal medium for

transactions of this type.  I can actually try out a jacket and see if it

fits me.  Then I can visualize the way I would look if I was wearing the

clothing."  This is possible using a high definition 2D viewing system, or

"mirror" as it has become known.

Shops, which are frequently aggregated into shopping portals or "high

streets", are becoming increasingly popular with the cash-rich time-poor

generation of new consumers.  Often located in densely populated areas

people can find them extremely convenient.

And Malcolm is not alone in being impressed by shops.  "Some days I just

don't have the time to download huge Flash animations of rotating trainers

and then wait five days for them to be delivered in the hope that they will

actually fit," says Sandra Bailey, a systems analyst from Chelsea.  "This

way I can actually complete the transaction in real time and walk away with

the goods."

Being able see whether or not shoes and clothing fit has been a real bonus

for Bailey, "I used to spend my evenings boxing up gear to return.

Sometimes the clothes didn't fit, sometimes they just sent the wrong stuff."

Shops have a compelling commercial story to tell too, according to Gartner

Group retail analyst Carl Baker.

"There are massive efficiencies in the supply chain. By concentrating

distribution to a series of high volume outlets in urban centres-typically

close to where people live and work-businesses can make dramatic savings in

fulfillment costs.  Just compare this with the wasteful practise of

delivering items piecemeal to people's homes."

Furthermore, allowing consumers to receive goods when they actually want

them could mean an end to the frustration of returning home to find a

despatch notice telling you that your goods are waiting in a delivery depot

the other side of town.

But it's not just the convenience and time-saving that appeals to Fosbury,

"Visiting a shop is real relief for me. I mean as it is I spend all day in

front of a fucking computer."

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