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By Posted on Posted in 2020, Consumer, Consumer Behavior, Economy, Retail, Retail Distribution, Shoppers, Shopping, Supermarkets No Comments

Retailers + Brands and Consumers + Shoppers = it’s love, maybe a 1-sided love affair, but it is there since forever.

Retailers and Brands cannot live in a world where consumers and shoppers do not exist, thus they need to take good care of them and fall in love with them every day and grow this love just to keep them coming their way because they are their only raison-d’être to open their stores every morning.

The retailers BIG Data should consider in the overall perspective:
_ Forecast & Replenishment Demand
_ Historical Purchases
_ Seasonality of Products and Events
_ Local & National Events
_ National and International Holidays
_ Strikes (if any)
_ Promotions & Their Effect
_ Weather Effect

Then in the more personalized part of the love affair with its clientèle:
_ The Store Location
_ The Neighborhood
_ Its Customers & Shoppers Profiles
_ The Surrounding Competition
_ Some Other Specifics

Reading Recommendation
SMALL DATA by Martin Lindstrom

Hired by the world’s leading brands to find out what makes their customers tick, Martin Lindstrom spends three hundred nights a year overseas, closely observing people in their homes. His goal: to uncover their hidden desires and turn them into breakthrough products for the world’s leading brands. In a world besotted by the power of Big Data, he works like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, accumulating small clues to help solve a stunningly diverse array of challenges. Lindstrom connects the dots in this globe-trotting narrative that will fascinate not only marketers and brand managers, but anyone interested in the infinite variations of human behavior.

Small Data combines armchair travel with forensic psychology into an interlocking series of international clue-gathering detective stories. It presents a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to create global brands, and along the way, reveals surprising and counterintuitive truths about what connects us all as humans.

By Posted on Posted in Cyprus, Economy No Comments

Cyprus-map Cyprus, the beautiful Mediterranean island which is my all time favorite destination, for business and pleasure, is in deep trouble since 2 weeks. here is my opinion from a non-financial view and tryign to simplify it for the people who had no idea what is goign on in Cyprus.

Cyprus got stuck in this banks bailout with the Troika (European Central Bank (ECB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Eurozone partners) and a deadline to secure 7 billions out of the 17 billions they need which 10 billions will come from the EU.

The main problem started when Cyprus banks started buying Greek bonds because of the over extra cash they had on hand from the Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs and after the total failure of Greece these bonds became useless and had no real values anymore.

Now for those who think that the Russian will come helping Cyprus, this is another fictional theory which will never happen. Why will Russia come to save those who are trying to run away from paying taxes in the motherland and put all their fortunes in a tax-haven called Cyprus with super treatment and lots of advantages?

Cyprus has some opportunities in the newly discovered natural gas fields, but will the Russian win the bid of exploring it and the Europeans stay watching? This we have to wait and see as it needs some time to be cleared.

Did the Cypriots offer the Russian a deal over military bases in the Mediterranean in case something goes wrong in Tartouss, but what about the British bases on the island? Another theory.

I think the Orthodox Church of Cyprus can be the savior at one point in time, as a major stakeholder in Hellenic Bank, can the church come back to power as the old days of Archbishop Makarios?

If you need more news about the Cyprus financial crisis, please check the Cyprus Daily.

Cash only sign on Ledra Street in Nicosia on 24-03-2013
Cash only sign on Ledra Street in Nicosia on 24-03-2013

By Posted on Posted in Economy, Group Buying No Comments

The global recession that started back in 2008 is still on and things does not look bright to many economies worldwide, an endless roller-coaster ride from the US to Europe does not seem to slow down anytime soon. Meanwhile a new online phenomenon developed and later on was known as “group buying“.

Was the “questionable” success and business model of group buying sites built at the expense of the recession and consumers who are spending less every day and are trying to cut on their average basket?

Before consumers can resume spending as in their previous lives, many of them must reset their balance sheets. How can US consumers keep spending when are they consumed by the economic pressures and it will take an average of 30 years to payoff what they owe on credit cards?

What if the global economy recovers, will these group buying sites be doomed?
Already lots of consumers entered the daily deals fatigue mode and it doesn’t always work for retailers and businesses financially?

Lately 2 major players went out of deals, Facebook and Yelp left the battle field and Groupon, the biggest player is experiencing a 50% traffic decline.

The recession also pushed a new type of business for the food and restaurants industry and its first players started to appear and this phenomena is called Social Dinner, Group Dining or Social Meals.
Grub With Us is already up and running and Social Dine is launching soon.

On a separate note, a monthly survey, conducted by IGD, has found that 29% of consumers in the UK are planning to switch their food shopping from their usual supermarket to hard-discounters, in a bid to cut down on their shopping bills in the middle of escalating inflation.

By Posted on Posted in Companies, Economy No Comments Tagged with , , , , ,

ProLogis (NYSE: PLD) is the world’s largest owner, manager and developer of industrial distribution facilities. The company operates in 118 markets across North America, Asia and Europe, with more than 500,000,000 square feet (46,000,000 m2) owned, managed or under development. Its customer base includes manufacturers, retailers, distributors, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other companies with large-scale distribution needs.

ProLogis’ Common Shares are publicly held and are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PLD.” The company operates as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) for federal tax purposes and pays regular quarterly distributions to shareholders. In 2003, ProLogis was added to the S&P 500.

My story with Prologis stock is like all others stocks traders, after you sell and lose money, the symbol starts picking up high, so high … !!! the below chart is my real example.

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