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Valentine's Day Retail
Forecast
From
Melody Vargas
Valentine's Spending to Reach $13.70
Billion in 2006
The average consumer will spend
$100.89 on Valentine's Day, up from $97.27 last year,
according to the National Retail Federation's 2006 Valentine's
Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by
BIGresearch. Almost 61 percent of consumers plan to celebrate
the holiday, and the NRF is forcasting total 2006 Valentine's
Day retail sales to reach $13.70 billion, up from $13.19
billion last year. Valentine's Day Average Spending
- The average male plans to
spend $135.67.
- The average female plans to
spend $68.64.
- Combined male and female
consumer spending is expected to average $100.89, $3.62 more
than last year.
- Consumers aged 45-54 plan to
spend more than any other age group, at $128.78 each, up
from $118.11 last year and $88.96 two years ago.
- Consumers aged 18-24 plan to
spend $81.89 this year, a decrease from $83.50 last year and
a dramatic drop from $154.65 two years ago.
For the remainder of the article,
please press
here.
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FREE Seminar and Workshop
BUILDING AN
EFFECTIVE TEAM 2007
" Overcoming the Challenges of Retail Staffing and
Training”
Advanced Retail Management Systems (ARMS) will be
conducting FREE Retail Pro Training Seminars in Denver, St.
Louis, Salt Lake City, and Chicago and additional locations to
be announced. As a current Retail Pro user, you
will not want to miss this opportunity. At the
seminar, presented by Jeana Thomas, Retail Systems Specialist
with ARMS, you will learn proven techniques for staffing and
training your personnel. You will meet other Retail Pro
users and participate in a Team Building Exercise designed to
help attendees develop effective communication and problem
solving skills as a group.
Plus a Special Retail Pro
Workshop
In addition to the seminar you will be partaking in a
workshop to learn how to manage your Inventory and Customers
with Retail Pro. Break out groups will be given
exercises and challenges to create Kits and Packages, setting
up a sale using the Price/Cost Manager, scheduling tasks to
run automatically through the Scheduler and creating a
marketing campaign using the Customer
Database.
Seating is liited so please RSVP by
February 1st. Click here to learn more and to register online for
an upcoming seminar in your area or E-mail us at marketing@armsys.com or call Susie Carmen at 800-305-0461
Ext 357. We look forward to seeing you there.
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It's Time to ReVisit ARMSYS.COM
In order to
communicate more efficiently and better serve your needs, we
have recently added numerous features to our website.
Kristina “Krissy” Gallagher has joined the ARMS staff and is
responsible for in-house web development (see Krissy’s profile
in this month’s Retail Edge). Please check our website,
http://www.armsys.com,
regularly as we continue to enhance the site.
Some of
the highlights of our updated site are:
·
Free
Seminars: Register online for our upcoming seminars in
a
city
near you
·
Training
catalogs: a complete list of our Retail Pro Training
Courses
·
Request
training: request a training appointment online
·
Referral
Program: register a referral online
·
Trade
Shows: review the various trade shows we will be attending
this
year
·
Retail
Pro, Microsoft RMS and CounterPoint are now represented on
the
site
·
Retail
Edge Archives: copies of past issues
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TECH
TIPS
Tip: Faster List View
Displays
In large data files, List View
will display fastest when record number is used as the sort
column (Item # in inventory,
document number in document areas, etc.). This is
because the records are stored in that order in the data files. When sorting by
other columns, the program must scan the entire file and
reorder the records
accordingly. It is recommended you normally sort by
record number, switching to another column only when needed to search for a specific
record.
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Microsoft Windows Vista
As you are aware, Windows
Vista, Microsoft’s new operating system, was released January
30th 2007. As in the past, with any new
operating system release, Retail Pro and all peripheral
hardware need to be tested and approved. Island Pacific
is currently evaluating and testing Windows Vista for
compatibility with Retail Pro Version 8 and will make any
necessary adjustments for this new release. We are also
testing Vista in house for compatibility with Retail Pro POS
peripherals and other devices. At this time we are
not currently supporting Microsoft Vista with Retail Pro and
will notify you when this operating system is officially
supported.
It is always prudent to
wait until a Service Pack is released for any new operating
system release. Many computer vendors, such as Dell, will be
offering Windows XP for many months and often include a
Windows Vista Upgrade at no additional charge. At this
time, if you are currently purchasing a new computer, you need
to specify Windows XP Professional. If you have any
questions please feel free to call your sales
consultant.
Retail SpotLight
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Where do you go for
the extra special gift of chocolates? Not just fancy
chocolate, but something very special. The answer is
easy, Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Vosges is the creation of
Katrina Markoff, an artistic/entrepreneur. Katrina
took her intense love of cooking that was passed to her by her
grandmother and ran with it. The stops along the way are
worldwide. First she graduated from Vanderbilt
University with a degree in chemistry and then it was one year
of study at Le Cordon Blue where she graduated with Le Grand
Diplome in Cuisine and Pastry as well as degrees in Basic and
Advanced Oenology. You would think that was enough
but Katrina was just getting started. From this point
she embarked on an 8-month trip around the world working and
studying from France, Spain, Italy, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam,
Singapore, China, Australia and Hawaii. The end result
is an exceptional line of “exotic truffles.”
Vosges has been an
ARMS client since 2004. They first opened their doors in
1997 and today have four stores, two in Chicago one in each in
Las Vegas and New York with a second New York store opening in
June of this year. Natalie Markoff, Director of Retail
Sales loves the way that Retail Pro is so intuitive. The
ability to learn and navigate the screens makes it easy to
use. ARMS not only appreciates having Vosges as a client
but we also have a love for their truffles. You can buy
Vosges products online at www.vosgeschocolate.com or call their catalog store at
888-301-9866. Vosges has one of the fines corporate and
personalized gifts services available. If it is a thank
you to your clients or a very special Valentines treat for a
loved one, Vosges can exceed your expectations. Vosges
is offering a 10% discount to all Retail Pro users through
February 14, 2007. When placing your order
please use source code 272VG1. Thank you Katrina and
Natalie.
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We Want Your Feedback
At Advanced Retail
Management Systems we are committed to offering the best
products and services in the industry. Your feedback is
very important to us in helping us deliver this promise.
Please E-mail us at customerservice@armsys.com with your comments and suggestions.
Your feedback will remain confidential. Thank you in
advance for your input.
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Meet Our
Staff
Kristina Gallagher, Web
Developer
Meet Krissy
Gallagher, Advanced Retail Management Systems new Web
Developer. Krissy joined ARMS in early December of 2006
as a part of the Development Services Department. In the
few short weeks she has been here, she has made a big impact
by updating our Web Site and is working on many more exciting
projects.
This New Hampshire
transplant and her newly wedded husband, Bill, came to Denver
in April of 2006 after a two-year stay in Pittsburgh. Krissy
has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from
Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire. While
in Pittsburgh she worked as a Digital Media Manager for a
large travel agency. Her talents have already won her the
respect of her peers here at ARMS. Krissy is an
equestrian with many years of experience showing her horse
“Budlite,” who made the move to Colorado as well. She competes
in Jumping, Hunt Seat, and Western Riding.
Keep your eyes open
for continuing changes in the ARMS web site and other media
activities. Welcome aboard
Krissy. | |
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Referral
Program
We have streamlined
our business referral program to make it attractive to
you and show our thanks for sending us new business. Here are
the Details of the new plan.
Advanced Retail Management
Systems Lead Referral Plan:
Receive $500 credit on account
or 4 Client Service hours every time you refer a new customer
that purchases Retail Pro®.
Retail Pro® 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, Retail Pro® provides the
technology for retailers to excel.
Call your
sales person today or click here below
to refer another retailer and start earning valuable
rewards! | |
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8100 Southpark Way # A-10,
Littleton, CO 80120
303-738-1800 | Fax
303-738-9563
Denver - Chicago
www.armsys.com
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