All About B2B » Retail http://www.gxsblogs.com Strength in Information. All Things B2B e-Commerce Wed, 16 May 2012 13:02:20 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Joint Venture of SA2-1SYNC brings More Consolidation to the Data Pool Market http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2012/05/joint-venture-of-sa2-1sync-brings-more-consolidation-to-the-data-pool-market.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2012/05/joint-venture-of-sa2-1sync-brings-more-consolidation-to-the-data-pool-market.html#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 15:09:22 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=7392 On Tuesday, GS1 US and GS1 Germany announced that it was creating a joint venture between their data pool subsidiaries - 1SYNC and SA2.  SA2 and 1SYNC operate the two largest data pools in the world.  The combined entity will host more than 7 million items synchronized between 15,000 businesses.  This new joint venture is [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2012/05/joint-venture-of-sa2-1sync-brings-more-consolidation-to-the-data-pool-market.html/feed 0 World Super Powers Begin Herding Geese http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2012/03/world-super-powers-begin-herding-geese.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2012/03/world-super-powers-begin-herding-geese.html#comments Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:02:55 +0000 Mark Morley http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=7035 In January 2012, GXS’ VP of Global Marketing, Steve Keifer, had a meeting with a UK Government Minister at the Houses of Parliament in London. It was a very productive meeting where GXS’ Head of eInvoicing Nigel Taylor provided an update on why companies should think about moving away from paper based invoicing to eInvoicing. [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2012/03/world-super-powers-begin-herding-geese.html/feed 1 My New Book on B2B e-Commerce http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2012/03/my-new-book-on-b2b-e-commerce.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2012/03/my-new-book-on-b2b-e-commerce.html#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:39:31 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=7001 My new book on B2B e-commerce, Herding Geese – The Story of the Information Supply Chain, is now available on Amazon.com.  Wait…did I just say a book about B2B e-Commerce?  You might be thinking – who in their right mind is going to devote a few hours to read a 300-page book on B2B?  So [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2012/03/my-new-book-on-b2b-e-commerce.html/feed 5 2012′s Big Show delivers retail’s new rules with style http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2012/01/2012s-big-show-delivers-retails-new-rules-with-style.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2012/01/2012s-big-show-delivers-retails-new-rules-with-style.html#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:03:33 +0000 Melanie Nuce http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6693 Each January, I look forward to my pilgrimage to the Big Apple to attend the annual conference hosted by the National Retail Federation (NRF). It is a rare opportunity to hear from many of the industry’s best and brightest across a wide array of retail formats. The theme of this year BIG SHOW was “Retail’s [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2012/01/2012s-big-show-delivers-retails-new-rules-with-style.html/feed 0 Supply Chains to ensure that the Next Best Offer is not the Last Ever Offer http://www.gxsblogs.com/sampathp/2012/01/supply-chains-to-ensure-that-the-next-best-offer-is-not-the-last-ever-offer.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/sampathp/2012/01/supply-chains-to-ensure-that-the-next-best-offer-is-not-the-last-ever-offer.html#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:00:52 +0000 Pradheep Sampath http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6626 You might think that the top Internet retailers ranging from Amazon, Staples and Apple to daily-deal purveyors like Ideeli or Groupon  have turned Orwellian  as they serve up shoes, watches, printer ink, HDMI cables and restaurant offers as if they can read your minds. Well it is likely that they are just executing  a meticulously orchestrated Next [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/sampathp/2012/01/supply-chains-to-ensure-that-the-next-best-offer-is-not-the-last-ever-offer.html/feed 1 2012 will be the year of the cross-channel purchase order for retail http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/12/2012-will-be-the-year-of-the-cross-channel-purchase-order-for-retail.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/12/2012-will-be-the-year-of-the-cross-channel-purchase-order-for-retail.html#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:08:43 +0000 Melanie Nuce http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6556 In an effort to provide consumers opportunities to engage with retailers anytime and anywhere, companies are turning to creative methods for managing purchase orders to maximize their product offerings and availability, while continuing to manage the risk associated with carrying too much inventory. Retailers offer products through their web sites and mobile applications that cannot [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/12/2012-will-be-the-year-of-the-cross-channel-purchase-order-for-retail.html/feed 3 A community comes together to communicate about the conundrum of the cross-channel purchase order http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/12/a-community-comes-together-to-communicate-about-the-conundrum-of-the-cross-channel-purchase-order.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/12/a-community-comes-together-to-communicate-about-the-conundrum-of-the-cross-channel-purchase-order.html#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:58:40 +0000 Melanie Nuce http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6554 Over the past twenty-five years, the retail and consumer products industries have a proven track record of working well together to develop community-based standards to help improve business-to-business communications. From their broad adoption of EDI, data synchronization, carton labeling, and other best practices, I would argue that they serve as a terrific example of how [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/12/a-community-comes-together-to-communicate-about-the-conundrum-of-the-cross-channel-purchase-order.html/feed 1 2011 – The Year Cloud Computing Went Mainstream http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/12/2011-the-year-cloud-computing-went-mainstream.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/12/2011-the-year-cloud-computing-went-mainstream.html#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 09:33:16 +0000 Mark Morley http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6312 2011 will certainly be remembered as the year when cloud computing went mainstream.  It has got onto the agenda of nearly every CIO around the world and you have not been able to visit an IT related website or read a business related journal without some sort of reference to cloud computing. When you look [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/12/2011-the-year-cloud-computing-went-mainstream.html/feed 2 Top 5 Tips for Successfully Deploying ERP/B2B Integration Projects http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/12/top-5-tips-for-successfully-deploying-erpb2b-integration-projects.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/12/top-5-tips-for-successfully-deploying-erpb2b-integration-projects.html#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 07:41:55 +0000 Mark Morley http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6004 Today’s ERP environments are at the centre of many enterprise IT infrastructures, from managing employee or customer related information through to delivering information required to run complex production systems. Many people often regard an ERP system as being internally focused, however without reliable connections to outside trading partners, for example banks, suppliers or logistics partners, [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/12/top-5-tips-for-successfully-deploying-erpb2b-integration-projects.html/feed 1 Cyber Monday – How EDI increasingly powers Online Shopping http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/11/cyber-monday-how-edi-increasingly-powers-online-shopping.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/11/cyber-monday-how-edi-increasingly-powers-online-shopping.html#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:53:16 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6198 Cyber Monday is here!  Although Monday is the official kickoff of the online holiday shopping season it certainly did not stop many consumers from getting a head start on web purchases this past weekend.  Last year Forrester Research found that almost 49% of all consumers said that they shopped less in stores on Thanksgiving weekend, [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/11/cyber-monday-how-edi-increasingly-powers-online-shopping.html/feed 0 Black Friday – Who Will Die This Year? http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/11/black-friday-who-will-die-this-year.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/11/black-friday-who-will-die-this-year.html#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:57:09 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6163 Tomorrow is the biggest shopping day of the year in the US – Black Friday.  However, a more appropriate description of the day might be “Dark Friday” or “Red Friday” given the wave of violence that has emerged in recent years.  In fact, the first references to “Black Friday” were not very positive.  In 1966 [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/11/black-friday-who-will-die-this-year.html/feed 1 How do you go about expanding your B2B platform into a new market? – Part2 http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/11/how-do-you-go-about-expanding-your-b2b-platform-into-a-new-market-%e2%80%93-part2.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/11/how-do-you-go-about-expanding-your-b2b-platform-into-a-new-market-%e2%80%93-part2.html#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:00:15 +0000 Mark Morley http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=6055 In my previous blog entry I discussed some of the more general considerations for extending a B2B platform into a new or emerging market. In this blog I would like to continue by discussing some of the more technical considerations that have to be taken into account. From understanding the technical capabilities of your trading [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/11/how-do-you-go-about-expanding-your-b2b-platform-into-a-new-market-%e2%80%93-part2.html/feed 1 How do you go about expanding your B2B platform into a new market? – Part1 http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/11/how-do-you-go-about-expanding-your-b2b-platform-into-a-new-market-%e2%80%93-part1.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/11/how-do-you-go-about-expanding-your-b2b-platform-into-a-new-market-%e2%80%93-part1.html#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:08:35 +0000 Mark Morley http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=5922 Many companies have globalised their operations and one of the key challenges  to successfully entering a new market such as China or India is being able to expand or scale your B2B platform so that remote trading partners can exchange business documents electronically with you. But where do you start in terms of trying to [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/11/how-do-you-go-about-expanding-your-b2b-platform-into-a-new-market-%e2%80%93-part1.html/feed 2 The World Series and the Supply Chain http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/10/the-world-series-and-the-supply-chain.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/10/the-world-series-and-the-supply-chain.html#comments Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:16:15 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=5862 Last night’s World Series game between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals has to be one of the greatest games of all time. Both in the ninth and the tenth innings the Cardinals rallied after being down to their last strike. Although the series has yet to be decided with one game remaining, [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/10/the-world-series-and-the-supply-chain.html/feed 0 B2B Integration will play a critical role in the Second Economy http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/10/b2b-integration-will-play-a-critical-role-in-the-second-economy.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/10/b2b-integration-will-play-a-critical-role-in-the-second-economy.html#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:23:31 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=5729 Earlier this month W. Brian Arthur published an excellent article in the McKinsey Quarterly about “The Second Economy.”  By the Second Economy, Arthur is referring to how business processes that once took place among human beings are now being executed electronically.  Arther predicts that “In about two decades the digital economy will reach the same size [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/10/b2b-integration-will-play-a-critical-role-in-the-second-economy.html/feed 0 Do you want to win with the Advance Ship Notice (ASN)? Then follow these ten best practices! http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/09/do-you-want-to-win-with-the-advance-ship-notice-asn-then-follow-these-ten-best-practices.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/09/do-you-want-to-win-with-the-advance-ship-notice-asn-then-follow-these-ten-best-practices.html#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:28:24 +0000 Melanie Nuce http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=5638 The Advance Ship Notice (ASN) continues to get a bad rap within the B2B community. I agree that is a difficult document to implement, but largely because it is responsible for carrying some of the most critical event-based supply chain data. Buying organizations want and need to know all the specifics about product movement so they can [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/nucem/2011/09/do-you-want-to-win-with-the-advance-ship-notice-asn-then-follow-these-ten-best-practices.html/feed 0 Managing the Memorabilia Supply Chain of the Royal Wedding 2.0 http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/04/managing-the-memorabilia-supply-chain-of-the-royal-wedding-2-0.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/04/managing-the-memorabilia-supply-chain-of-the-royal-wedding-2-0.html#comments Wed, 27 Apr 2011 08:41:42 +0000 Mark Morley http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4766 Unless you have been living on a desert island in a remote part of the world for the past 24 months you will know that there is an important wedding taking place in the UK this week. Why Royal Wedding 2.0?, well many people perceive the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/morleym/2011/04/managing-the-memorabilia-supply-chain-of-the-royal-wedding-2-0.html/feed 0 Celebrating the Invention of the Barcode http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/03/celebrating-the-invention-of-the-barcode.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/03/celebrating-the-invention-of-the-barcode.html#comments Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:40:04 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4274 Later today Steve Sasson of Kodak, inventor of the first digital camera in 1975, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.  No offense to Mr. Sasson, but we in the B2B e-Commerce sector are more excited about another inventor, Norman Joseph Woodland, who also will be inducted today.  Woodland is one of [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/03/celebrating-the-invention-of-the-barcode.html/feed 0 GXS’ Edison to Compete on the Price is Right http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/gxs%e2%80%99-edison-to-compete-on-the-price-is-right.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/gxs%e2%80%99-edison-to-compete-on-the-price-is-right.html#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 02:39:14 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4205 The big news last week was the victory of IBM’s Watson over former champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter on Jeopardy.  While the rest of world is still trying to contemplate the significance of this triumph of machine over man, GXS has been busy planning a response.  Why?  Because since acquiring our archrival Sterling Commerce [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/gxs%e2%80%99-edison-to-compete-on-the-price-is-right.html/feed 2 What Zappos.com can teach us about the Supply Chain http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/what-zappos-com-can-teach-us-about-the-supply-chain.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/what-zappos-com-can-teach-us-about-the-supply-chain.html#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:00:59 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4086 Over the holidays I read Tony Hseih’s excellent book Delivering Happiness.  Tony, of course, is the CEO of the fast growing on-line footwear retailer Zappos.com.  The book has been widely read and discussed.  For most people the key takeaway is the lessons learned about Zappos strong corporate culture and excellence in customer service.  However, there [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/what-zappos-com-can-teach-us-about-the-supply-chain.html/feed 5 Will the Death of the CD end the Music Industry’s Relationship with EDI? http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/will-the-death-of-the-cd-end-the-music-industry%e2%80%99s-relationship-with-edi.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/will-the-death-of-the-cd-end-the-music-industry%e2%80%99s-relationship-with-edi.html#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 04:00:51 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4071 I visited a Costco this past Saturday, which proved to be a bad idea given that it was the Saturday before the SuperBowl “Big Game.”  Needless to say the store was mobbed.  One of the merchandising changes that I noticed had occurred since my last visit was to the packaged home entertainment section of the [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/will-the-death-of-the-cd-end-the-music-industry%e2%80%99s-relationship-with-edi.html/feed 0 When to Stop Invoicing Your Customers http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/when-to-stop-invoicing-your-customers.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/when-to-stop-invoicing-your-customers.html#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:31:19 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4066 Invoices are a major source of inefficiency in the supply chain, but not just because so many of these documents are exchanged in paper format.   The most costly source of inefficiencies are invoice inaccuracies and the associated disputes and deductions.  For example, suppliers to the general merchandise and department store segment lose an average of [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/02/when-to-stop-invoicing-your-customers.html/feed 0 Is the Digital Supply Chain simpler than the Physical Supply Chain? http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/is-the-digital-supply-chain-simpler-than-the-physical-supply-chain.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/is-the-digital-supply-chain-simpler-than-the-physical-supply-chain.html#comments Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:09:28 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4051 With the AppStore surpassing 10B downloads last weekend it is fair to say that the digital supply chain is booming.  By digital supply chain I am referring to the booming market for selling e-books, music, movies, software and video games online for use on a PC, tablet or mobile phone.  You may not think of [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/is-the-digital-supply-chain-simpler-than-the-physical-supply-chain.html/feed 1 Retail Sales – The Thirty Days after Christmas http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/retail-sales-the-thirty-days-after-christmas.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/retail-sales-the-thirty-days-after-christmas.html#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:52:08 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=4019 It used to be that the thirty days before Christmas were the most important time of the year for retailers and their suppliers.  Manufacturers would time major new product releases such as books, movies, music, video games and consumer electronics to hit the market in the 30 or 60 days before Christmas in order to [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/retail-sales-the-thirty-days-after-christmas.html/feed 0 How Groupon Could Further Increase Its Valuation Beyond $15B http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/how-groupon-could-further-increase-its-valuation-beyond-15b.html http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/how-groupon-could-further-increase-its-valuation-beyond-15b.html#comments Sun, 16 Jan 2011 22:26:14 +0000 Steve Keifer http://www.gxsblogs.com/?p=3861 The New York Times reported that last week Groupon raised nearly $1B in venture capital from large institutional investors including Fidelity, T. Rowe Price and Morgan Stanley.  Rumors that the company is on a fast-track for a potential $15B IPO are circulating as well.  There has been a frenzy of media coverage over Groupon lately [...]

(Read more...)

]]> http://www.gxsblogs.com/keifers/2011/01/how-groupon-could-further-increase-its-valuation-beyond-15b.html/feed 0