The Retail Vantage

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December 2008

In This Issue:

Now More Than Ever

It's Time to Trade

Meet Our Staff

Free Shipping Motivates

$250 for 2 Minutes

Tech Tips

Shoppers Leaving the Plastic

Quick Links:

Now More Than Ever You Need an Online Store

With inflation the highest it has been in 17 years, foreclosures up 2% in October, more and more banks needing assistance or closing, and the unemployment rate reaching a 14 year high at 6.5% - it is not surprising that Americans are watching their pennies. The question for brick-and-mortar retailers who might be feeling the pinch this year is, "How will this affect me in 2009?"

According to recent statistics, 35.42% of retailers feel that online merchandising will become the biggest and most important issue for them in 2009.

If you don't sell online, and have not considered this, perhaps these statistics will change your mind:

1. Online sales in the U.S., excluding travel, likely will hit about $204 billion in 2008, up 17% from last year -- and Internet sales should account for 7% of total retail sales.

2. Online spending has continued to grow 18% in 2008- despite a slow economy.

Advanced Retail Management Systems sells the Microsoft RMS Point of Sale/Inventory Control solution that integrates with Nitrosell's Ecommerce engine. This allows you to interface your web store with your brick and mortar store. ARMS Microsoft RMS and NitroSell offer an off-the-shelf solution that allows small to medium sized retailers to manage multiple channels through a single point of interface. That means sales history, customer information, inventory, etc. are all managed and tracked in the same silo for web as well as in-store sales.

The benefits?
-          Schedule automated downloads of Web orders
-          Real time order tracking
-          Automatic uploads of all customer, shipping, and tax information
      to your store
-          Order processing done through Point-of-Sale system
-          Scheduled inventory updates between POS and Webstore
-          Integrated inventory control
-          Reporting
-          Customer tracking between store and website
-          Gift card support
...Plus many other great features!

Also - online sales are more profitable because the costs are lower.

Retailers that expand to include an online store not only increase their reach but also their revenue. The bottom line? Your bottom line!

Call today to discuss how we can help you increase your bottom line, no matter how big your store is.

ARMS also provides Point of Sale/Inventory Control solutions.

www.armsys.com

Andrea Ellerbrock
Sales and Account Manager
303-738-1800 XT 324
Andrea.Ellerbrock@armsys.com

It's Time to Trade in Your Point of Sale Equipment

If you have been waiting to replace your Point of Sale equipment* you can now trade in your equipment and receive 15% off each item you purchase by December 31st, 2008. Free shipping on all orders over $750

Contact Us Today

For more information contact your Sales Consultant or Susie Carmen at (800) 305-0461 Ext. 357 or E-mail her at Susie.Carmen@armsys.com.

* Point of Sale equipment includes receipt printers, scanners, cash drawers, pole displays, backup systems and touch screens. This offer is not valid on computers, system printers and network hardware.

Meet Our Staff

Andrea Ellerbrock, Senior Sales Consultant

Andrea is starting her fifth year with Advanced Retail Management Systems. In the first couple of years Andrea was a key player in ARMS' becoming a successful Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management Systems dealer. From Andrea's sales and the RMS training and support team's efforts ARMS has the distinction of reaching Microsoft's President's Club and becoming a Gold Certified Partner this year. Early last year Andrea also began selling Retail Pro and has duplicated her success again.

Andrea is a Colorado native and graduated from Colorado State University (Go Rams)!! She enjoys the outdoor lifestyle that Colorado offers and during her free time you will find her rollerblading, water/snow skiing, and kickboxing.

Andrea is a sales professional with 8 years experience in the telecom industry. She also has experience with E-Commerce marketing for small business and has also received her Paralegal certification. Her broad education and business experience give her the ability to relate to a variety of business needs. During her time selling Microsoft Dynamics RMS and Retail Pro Andrea has met a large variety of new clients, and she enjoys the challenges and rewards associated with providing them a Point of Sale/Inventory Control solution.

Free shipping motivates online holiday shoppers the most, study says

Internet Retailer

While half of U.S. online consumers say they shop online to find the best value during the holiday shopping season, more than three-quarters of online consumers say free shipping makes them more likely to buy from any particular online merchant, Forrester Research Inc. says in the report "Outlook for U.S. Online Holiday Sales, 2008."

The report, authored by Forrester Research principal retail analyst Sucharita Mulpuru with analysts Carrie Johnson and Peter Hult, also notes that shipping can be a detriment to online shopping. 58% of consumers say shipping prices often deter them from buying online, and 55% complain it's a hassle to return items ordered online.

The study also provides a look into consumers' expectations of shipping policies, and how well online retailers delivered during the holiday shopping season last year. It notes that 24% of survey respondents said they experienced late holiday deliveries last year, and that the largest group of respondents, or 67%, expect standard shipping to deliver within 3-5 days. 27% expect standard shipping to deliver within 6-7 days; 3% within two days. 1% of consumers expect standard shipping to deliver the day after placing an order, but another 1% expect delivery within 10 days.

See Article
http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=28523

$ 250 for 2 Minutes

Receive $250 credit on account or 2 Client Service hours every time you refer a new customer that purchases Microsoft Dynamics RMS.

Microsoft Dynamics RMS has grown to be the premier Inventory Control / POS software for small to mid-tier retailers. Whether you know a single store or a 100 store chain, Microsoft Dynamics RMS provides the technology for retailers to excel.

Call your sales person today at 800-305-0461 or click here to complete the form to refer another retailer and start earning valuable rewards!

Tech Tips

Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0 Service Pack 2 is now available

Microsoft is pleased to announce the release of Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Dynamics RMS 2.0. This service pack includes new features designed to help you comply with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard. You can download the service pack (login required) by going to the Customer Source page.

Shoppers leaving the plastic in their wallets Cash purchases are on the rise as consumers try to manage debt

MSNBC/The Associated Press

Even when the economy recovers and credit loosens up, analysts say Americans - shaped by what could be a deep and long-lasting recession - are likely to stick with buying only what they can afford just as their parents or grandparents did.

NEW YORK - Cash or credit? For more Americans, who have already maxed out their credit cards or are just trying to manage their spending better in the tough economy, the answer is increasingly the old-fashioned one.

Retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp. and J.C. Penney Co. are noticing a marked shift away from credit cards in favor of cash and debit cards. A big factor is less credit available as major card issuers cut spending limits and raise fees even for customers who pay their bills on time.

The shift ends Americans' long love affair with credit cards and is one of the changes in consumer behavior that has emerged since the financial meltdown that could depress consumer spending this holiday season and affect shoppers' habits long afterward.

Continue Reading
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27874826/

8100 Southpark Way # A-10, Littleton, CO 80120
303-738-1800 | Fax 303-738-9563
Denver - Chicago
www.armsys.com

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