This Week's Herman Trend Alert Demand-Driven Workforce Development

The Herman Trend Alert December 13, 2006 Digitization of Black Friday In the U.S., the Friday following Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday", because that holiday is widely considered the point at which retailers go from losing money (being "in the red") to turning a profit (being "in the black"). Black Friday shopping is the epitome of consumerism. Anticipating great deals, many shoppers camp out in tents or lawn chairs to await store openings. Often, the earliest shoppers literally run into stores as doors are unlocked. Recently, however, the Internet has played an increasingly strong role for Black Friday shoppers. Frustrated by fighting crowds only to find that stores are sold out of their most sought-after items, many are hoping that the Internet can help forge a new Black Friday experience. According to Richard Feinberg, a researcher with the Purdue Retail Institute, "Internet sales are expected to be 6 percent---$12 billion to $13 billion---of the $220 billion of holiday sales." Not surprisingly, shoppers are also going online to hunt for bargains. In the week before Thanksgiving, "Black Friday" was the third most popular search term. What’s more, the share of searches conducted using this term was up 462 percent from 2005 levels; an unprecedented increase. Expect further acceleration in online sales next year. The growth of online retailing has had at least one negative consequence within the broader workforce. An estimated 60 percent of Internet shopping is done from the workplace. The result is a drop in productivity, particularly during prime holiday shopping periods. Another emerging trend is "multichannel retailing". Savvy retailers are coordinating on- and off-line activities to better serve Net-savvy consumers. One example is Circuit City. Hoping to shorten lines at retail locations, the store took orders online and invited shoppers to pick up orders at their chosen store. The retailer promised shoppers gift certificates of $24 for orders not filled and waiting within 24 minutes. As Internet adoption continues to advance, watch for more integration between traditional and online shopping. While some will shift shopping and fulfillment to an online model, others will follow Circuit City’s lead and establish hybrid models that meet specific retail goals. © Copyright 1998-2008 by The Herman Group, Inc. -- reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From "The Herman Trend Alert," by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists. (800) 227-3566 or http://www.hermangroup.com. The Herman Trend Alert is a trademark of The Herman Group, Inc." DON'T BE LEFT BEHIND! If you've been thinking about attending our valuable Employee Retention Specialist Certificate Program, don't delay--only three spaces remain. With the employment market heating up, many positions are literally impossible to fill. Attend this course and you will learn dozens of low-/no-cost valuable strategies to attract and retain the talent you need. Recertification credit from HRCI. Next program: May 22-23, Charleston, SC. Call Carol at 336-282-9370 or visit http://www.employeeretentionspecialist.com. GET INSIDE THE MINDS OF YOUR EMPLOYEES Find out what's really going on inside the hearts and minds of your employees. Our InnerViews interviewing service uses SPHRs and PHRs, certified human resource professionals to probe for the information you really need to know. Exit and Stay Interviews, as well as Why-Didn't-You-Take-Our-Offer Interviews. Call Rosalie Catalano at 937-648-1918 or read more at: http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/exit_interviews.html. NEW BABY BONUS Book Joyce to speak on the West Coast in 2008 and receive 100 of her books of your choosing. There is a new baby in the family, Spencer Jay, and Joyce would appreciate more opportunities to watch him grow. For more about Joyce, visit http://www.hermangroup.com/joyce.html or call Joyce at 336-210-3548. Herman Trend Alerts are produced by the Herman Group, strategic business futurists, Certified Management Consultants, authors, and professional speakers. New subscribers are welcome. There is no charge for this public service. The Herman Trend Alert is received by over 30,000 subscribers in 78 countries, in addition to other websites and printed magazines. Do you enjoy receiving this weekly e-mail update? Contact us about our co-branded Trend Alert service. Click here to sign up for the Herman Trend Alert. Subscribe or Unsubscribe to weekly Herman Trend Alert View this week's Herman Trend Alert Archived Weekly Herman Trend Alerts

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