8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

1/16

Todays Events

N E W S , V I E W S , A N D R E V I E W S F R O M 2 0 0 8 V I S I O N EV E N T S

By Andrew R. Hickey

Hot. Fresh. Now. Those were the buz-

zwords around RetailVision 2008 as

seven emerging vendors showed off

their latest gadgets to tech-craving retail-ers looking for the next killer gizmo.

Spearheaded by Fred Brown and

Ray Robidoux of Sightline Group,

Tuesdays Fresh showcase featured a

host of products ready for retail.

SpeechGear highlighted intelligent

language translation software that runs

on a PDA. CEO Robert Palmquist said

the software takes anything written,

typed or spoken and translates it. Say

good-bye to your dictionary, Palmquist

said after a video showing the softwares

use in China, translating English intoMandarin Chinese to help visitors find

a good restaurant or a bottle of water.

The system is ready now.

And for a productivity

boost, KeyScan debuted the

KS810, a keyboard integrat-

ing a scanner that can drop scanned

images into any applicationbe it e-

mail, a document or PDF, said CEO

Dov Aharonson. It can scan up to 600

dpi and comes with software to usethe images in several ways. The

combo is available now for $159.

If a scanner-keyboard hybrid

isnt enough, Lifeworks Technology

Group showed off its keyboard

with a built-in iPod dock, which

offers touch-sensitive keys to up vol-

ume and manipulate iPod controls.

Amin Adjmi, Lifeworks vice presi-

dent, also showed off a notebook

stand with an integrated iPod dock

and speakers, which comes bundled

with keyboard and mouse. Thoseshould hit in first-quarter 2009.

Innotech Systems dropped its Accen-

da Voice Control for iPod, a product that

enables the Apple music player to be

manipulated with voice commands.

Innotech application engineer Chris

Griswold said users plug earbuds into the

gadget, which sits at chest level, and plug

the device into an iPod. Tell your iPod

what to do without lifting a finger, he

said. The device is expected to be avail-

able in September for $99.95.

Those looking to play big brother

need look no further than Gilsson Tech-

nologies, which unveiled what it calls the

worlds smallest GPS tracking device.

About the size of a small pager, the

AlwaysFind Mini Personal GPS Track-

ing System weighs 2 ounces and runs on

a cell phone battery. Ming Ho, sales

director, said its for folks who want to

track anythinga car, person or a fat

bag of cash. Just activate the device, place

it wherever and the system feeds

coordinates to a mobile devic

can be used to pinpoint the

using Google Maps. The devi

for $395 with up to a 50 percen

sale discount.

Keeping with the big brothe

DMTechs vice president of s

marketing, Kevin Gabriel, un

spherical golf-ball-size camera

record video and audio or broad

footage. The wireless camera, w

record up to six hours of video,

a motion sensor, has a microSD

expandable memory and conn

computer though USB for pla

Forget your cell phone

Michelle Rush, vice president of

ing for Medis Technologies,

strated the 24-7 Power Pack, a

to charge portable devices. Just

strip and squeeze the box to activ

charger lasts up to three months

a preactivation shelf life of ye

$39.99 retailers can stock a st

with cable, charger tips and a

After that, fuel cell chargers are

Emerging Vendors Get FreshThese seven products making their RetailVision debuts could be the next killer gizmos

Day

SHOW DAI

Wednesday, August 27,Manchester Grand Hya

San Dieg

THE OFFICIAL SHOW DAILY

Craving Tech?Medis Michelle Rush can charge up a cell phone with a fuel cell;

SpeechGears Robert Palmquist says translation software means you can lose the

dictionary; Innotechs Chris Griswold manipulates an iPod with voice commands.

Scan Away: KeyScans Dov Aharonson

demonstrates new keyboard/scanner com

PHOTOS:GENE

FEDELE

Insight: Warranty Dos& Donts8:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.Randle Ballroom CDE

Keynote: Vendor Of The Year12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.Randle Ballroom CDE

Keynote: Retailer Of The Year1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Randle Ballroom CDE

Insight: EmergingTechnologies3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.Randle Ballroom CDE

Everything Channel TestCenter Awards6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.Manchester Foyer

Best Of RetailVision AwardsGala8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.Randle Ballroom CDE

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

2/16

Visit us at booth 602.

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

3/16

By Stefanie Hoffman

Retailers should expect slowed growth, as con-

sumers tighten their budgets and numerous

electronic products reach a full penetration

point. That was part of the message from

Stephen Baker, vice president of industry anal-

ysis at The NPD Group, in a speech Tuesday at

RetailVision here.

In his keynote, Speak

Softly and Carry a Big

Screen: Opportunity and

Peril in the Holiday

Ahead, Baker highlightedtrends indicating the chal-

lenges retailers may face as

growth in electronic con-

sumer products slows. But

he also pointed out some

opportunities.

The weak economy and

other structural issues have

taken their toll on con-

sumer electronics spend-

ing, Baker said. What you

see is that growth curve

starting to come down,said Baker. We dont have

the growth opportunities

as we did in the past.

The slowing growth is not just the result of

a weak economy, according to Baker. It also has

to do with the fact that the consumer electron-

ics market is transitioning from first-time buy-

ers to replacement buyers in numerous product

categories.

The stagnant growth can also be attributed

to maturing technology, and lack of innovative

next big thing products, Baker added. Subse-

quently, the number of new buyers is reaching

its limit, and the growth in numerous electron-

ic product categories is reaching a plateau.

A lot of these key categories have high pene-

tration rates, said Baker. That really changes the

dynamic as to what you see in the marketplace.

And unlike years past, those replacement buy-

ers are not enticed by new enhanced features or

upgrades that would typically compel them to

purchase new products.

Baker said that consumers are considering

price as the determining factor for thei

tronics spending. Citing statistics gathe

The NPD Group, Baker said that two-th

those surveyed said the economy has im

them to the extent that they are ch

their shopping habits. Price is playing a

part in spending decisions, and consum

increasingly buying products on prom

and gravitating toward sales.

However, despite a lagging economy, s

growth curves and a possible recession, r

can still find opportunity, Baker said.

E-commerce sites have taken off, exp

ing 6 percent to 9 percent growth. Wh

retail sector has remained flat over the

months, retail.com sites have grown as con

have shifted their purchasing to the Web

is also opportunity in accessories and servi

addition, prices for high-end electronics,

LCD TVs, have tripled over the last three

as more customers desire larger screens.

Thats the kind of thing that is go

drive our market, said Baker. We reall

to aim for those big things, because tho

things are going to be the things that

people into the store and get them excited

electronics.

Words To Live By: SpeakSoftly, Carry A Big ScreenPointing out the pitfalls and the opportunities in a challenging econ

A Wide Net: E-commerce sites have achieved growth of 6 percent to

percent, says NPDs vice president of industry analysis, Stephen Bak

3

Wednesday, August 27, 2008S H O W D A I LY

The Consumer Channel

Robert C. DeMarzoSenior VP/Editorial Director, Everything Channel

s it the retail channel or the consumer channel?

Thats the question to debate here at Everything

Channels RetailVision. No, we dont intend to change the

name to ConsumerVision. But at this event, vendors and their

partners are discussing a much broader channel opportunity,

one that goes beyond the traditional definition of retail into a

community serving a broad consumer audience. Do small busi-

nesses buy from this channel? Sure, along

with individuals, the traditional SOHO demo-

graphic and even larger businesses that

shop for printers, monitors or PCs in con-

sumerlike fashion. This channel is made up

of todays leading retailers, along with small

or midsize VARs that have a brisk commer-cial business but dont discriminate when it

comes to who helps pay the bills. These VARs can serve an indi-

vidual consumer or meet the needs of a small-office owner who

is as comfortable shopping at Best Buy as Bills Local VAR.

As we know from the market-share data, the big-box retail-

ers and their smaller brethren do not own the entire consumer

market. Yes, they serve a large part of it, but many typical solu-

tion providers report a healthy percentage of their sales come

from what must be termed a consumer channel made up of indi-

viduals, SOHOs and small businesses. Just look at our 2008

State of the Market survey, which found that 40 percent of the

solution provider community (the data can be projected across

the entire channel) sells to companies with five or fewer work-

ers. As you would expect, VARs with revenue of $1 million or

less were most apt to serve these customers. But, it is not just

the small solution providers who serve SOHOs, it is larger VAR

organizations, too. VARs with revenue of $1 million to $5 million

said they serve SOHOs (27 percent) and at least one in 10 orga-

nizations with revenue of more than $20 million said they do as

well. So what you have is a rather fragmented market that has

well-known players and some not-so-obvious ones.

On one side you have big multibillion-dollar retailers who do

their best to serve this market and whose vendor partners must

create specific retail channel programs. Vendors often pour

huge dollars into this channel and understand it is a pay-to-play

game. In the middle are strong regional retailers such as Frys

or PC Richard & Sons. And then there are all those smaller VARs

and solution providers who can resell IT goods and services to

consumers and the SOHO market. If you consider there are as

many as 240,000 VAR organizations in the U.S., then 40 percent

of that populationwhich generates, on average, some $3.3 mil-

lion in annual salesis probably the most underappreciated and

misunderstood part of todays emerging consumer channel.

Reach Bob at rdemarzo@everythingchannel.com

I

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

4/16

4

RetailVision Live:Views of yesterdays events at the RetailVision conference and sessions

(Top three photos, l. to. r.): Fresh fun yesterday afternoon: Gilssons

Ming Ho gives an up-close look at the companys TrackStar GPSdevice; now you see it, now you dont as DMTechs Kevin Gabriel

holds up the companys tiny wireless camera; emcees extraordinaire

Fred Brown and Ray Robidoux of Sightline Group lead the show.

(Next group of photos): RetailVisions Suzie Wilson and Lisa Lovett

manage to manage the hectic schedule of Boardroom Appointments; a quick peek at

the PQI booth and its many wares; getting the details on E-Detail, Kim Geun Bae

(l.); circling around the SquareTrade Boardroom; all aboard as we pull in to the

mStation booth. (Next two photos): its show time for Mei Noguchi of Teledex as she

demos many of the companys products, including the mini digital theater.

Photography

by

Gene Fedele

Wednesday, August

S H O W D A I LY

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jane OVP/Design Director, Photography . . .GenArt & Production . . . . . . . . . . . Adeline CIT Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike

RetailVision Contacts:

VP/Everything Channel Events . .Nancy Ham

Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liz MSales . . .Mark Bianco (National Sales Mgr.)Unsworth, David Karp, Lou Becker (Account Ex

Marketing . . . .Diane Lehman (Sr. MarketinRecruiting . . . . . . . . . . Tom Beedy, Jonatha

Josh Auger (Account Executives)

Operations . . . .Rob Mear (Director of Ope

Karyn Bisson, Colleen Waters (Sr. Event Coord

Lisa Ferrante (Event Planner/Travel)

CEO/Everything Channel . . . . . . . .Robert

The RetailVision Show Dailyis a publicaEverything Channel, United Business M600 Community Drive, Manhasset, N.Y. Copyright 2008 All rights reserved.

S

D

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

5/16

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

6/16

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

7/16

MEDIA PARTNERS

3-5 November, 2008JW Marriott Hotel DubaiUnited Arab Emirates

RetailVision Middle East 2008

Central Dubai

Move over to the fast lane at

Accelerateyour sales success

Invited Retailers and Distributors:

Apple IMC

Aptec Holding Limited

Asbis Middle East

BDL Distribution

Best Buy

Carrefour

CompuME

EMPA Distribution

Gant

Golden Systems Electronics

Jarir Bookstore

Jumbo Electronics

Lulu Hypermarket

Plug-ins Electronix

RadioShack

Red Distribution

Redington Gulf FZE

Sharaf DG

Virgin Megastore

Metro Cash & Carry

Contact us today for more information.

Its the place where THE top Middle East Retailers, Distributors and

Vendors meet to do business.

Will yoube there?

RetailVision is the most efficient and cost-effective way to

build relationships, business contacts and channel partnerships

throughout the Middle East.

In the UK, contact:Niamh Hanlon, +44 (0) 207 560 4364,

nhanlon@everythingchannel.com

In the US, contact:Lilian Coram, +1 603 471 4231,

lcoram@everythingchannel.com

Dexter Boyce, +44 (0) 207 560 4372,

dboyce@everythingchannel.com

A Division of United Business Media

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

8/16

8

Day-to-Day Calendar of EventsAugust 25-27, 2008

The Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel

San Diego, CA

Monday, August 25

10:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . Vendor Registration

10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . The Meeting Place Vendor Setup

12:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . Retailer Registration

2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . The State of CE Retail

3:15 p.m. 4:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . Grand Opening - The Meeting Place

3:15 p.m. 4:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . Everything Channel Test Center

4:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . INTRO in The Meeting Place

6:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Industry Awards Ceremony8:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Welcome Reception

Tuesday, August 26

7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . . Retailer Breakfast & Orientation

7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . . Vendor Breakfast in The Meeting Pl

8:45 a.m. 9:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . . Insight: Fast Growth Retailers/E-ta

9:45 a.m. 4:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Service Provider Central (Vendors)

9:45 a.m. 11:10 a.m. . . . . . . . . . Private Boardroom Appointments

11:15 a.m. 12:15 p.m. . . . . . . . . . FRESH (Retailers)

12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Networking Luncheon

1:10 p.m. 1:40 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . Insight

1:45 p.m. 2:40 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . Private Boardroom Appointments

2:45 p.m. 3:20 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Vendor Showcase (Retailers)3:25 p.m. 4:25 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Insight: Keynote

4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . . The Meeting Place: One-on-Ones

7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Free Night

10:00 p.m. - Midnight . . . . . . . . . D&H Late Night Party

Wednesday, August 27

7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . . Retailer Breakfast & Announcement

7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . . Vendor Breakfast in The Meeting Pl

8:45 a.m. 9:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . . Insight: Warranty Dos and Donts

9:40 a.m. 4:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Service Provider Central (Vendors)

9:40 a.m. 11:55 a.m. . . . . . . . . Private Boardroom Appointments

12:00 p.m. 12:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . Keynote: Vendor Of The Year

12:30 p.m. 1:15 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Networking Luncheon1:30 p.m. 2:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Keynote: Retailer Of The Year

2:10 p.m. 3:40 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Private Boardroom Appointments

3:45 p.m. 4:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Insight: Emerging Technologies

4:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . The Meeting Place: One-on-Ones

6:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . CRN Test Center Awards

7:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Pre-Awards Cocktail Reception

8:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Best of Retailvision Awards Gala

9:30 p.m. Midnight . . . . . . . . . . Ingram Micro After Awards Party

RetailVision

Events Agenda

2008 RetailVision Events mission: To be the premierretail events company providing vendors and prequalified retail-ers with the unique opportunity to meet face-to-face, establishnew business partnerships and gain strategic insight throughcontent delivered byCRN, VARBusiness and IPED.

Key Benefits of RetailVision Events:

Partnering with the premier retail industry event. Growing your business with new and existing partners. Access to new technology and partner programs. Gaining market intelligence through educational seminars. Networking with key industry peers and editors.

XChange Latin AmericaSeptember 8-10, 2008Doral Resort HotelMiami, FL

VisionEvents MES West

September 14-17Gaylord Texan ResortGrapevine, TXFeaturing: Midsize EnterpriseInnovation Awards

CRN Fast GrowthOctober 15, 2008Intercontinental HotelChicago, IL

RetailVision Middle EastNovember 3-5, 2008JW MarriottDubai, United Arab Emirates

Healthcare Summit

November 16-19, 2008San Diego Sheraton HotelSan Diego, Calif.

XChange Tech InnovatorsNovember 17-19, 2008The Fairmont HotelSan Jose, Calif.Featuring: VARBusinessTechInnovators Awards

Photos:GeneFedele

Upcoming Everything Channel Events:

Wednesday, August S H O W D A I LY

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

9/16

CHANNEL EVENTS

IT CHANNELVISION: GOVERNMENT EDITION

December 7 9, 2008

Westin Diplomat Resort, Hollywood, Florida

itchannelvision.com/gov

RETAILVISION

North America and Latin America

August 25 28, 2008

The Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, California

retailvision.com

April 27 30, 2009

Boca Raton Resort, Boca Raton, Florida

Middle East

November 3 5, 2008

JW Marriott Hotel Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

retailvision.com/europe

Europe

May 18 20, 2009

Le Palais ds Congres de Paris, Paris, France

CRN FAST GROWTH

October 16, 2008

Chicago, Illinois

cmpxchange.com/crnfg

XCHANGE LATIN

September 8 10, 2008

Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, Florida

cmpxchange.com/xla08

XCHANGE SOLUTION PROVIDER

March 8 11, 2009Sheraton New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana

cmpxchange.com/xsp09

XCHANGE TECH INNOVATOR

November 17 19, 2008

Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, California

cmpxchange.com/xti08

ENDUSER EVENTS

HEALTHCARE SUMMIT

November 16 19, 2008

San Diego Sheraton Hotel and Marina

San Diego, California

healthcaresummit.com

MIDSIZE ENTERPRISE SUMMIT

midsizeenterprise.com

North America

WEST: September 14 17, 2008Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center

Grapevine, Texas

EAST: May 3 6, 2009

Doral Golf Resort & Spa

Miami, Florida

WEST: September 13 16, 2009

Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel

Los Angeles, CA

Europe

Oct. 20 22, 2009Citywest Hotel

Dublin, Ireland

PRINT & IMAGING SUMMIT

December 3 5, 2008

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, Florida

printimagingsummit.com

December 6 8, 2009

Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel

Los Angeles, California

PROJECT & PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SUMMITEurope

December 3 5, 2008

Austria Trend Event Hotel Pyramide

Vienna, Austria

ppmsummit.com

June 14 17, 2009

Location TBD

EVENTS CALENDAR 2008-2009

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

10/16

10

EVERYTHING CHANNEL: Dirk, youve

got to be an extremely busy guy

these days, so thanks for taking the

time to talk to us about your strat-

egy going forward as AMDs newCEO, and especially your ideas

about AMDs channel relationships.

Can you give us an overview of

your vision for the company and

specifically, the channels part in

that vision?

MEYER: Thank you. Ive never been

more excited about the opportunity

ahead for AMD and our customers.

We have a unique capacity to drive

innovation and deliver a better com-

puting experience by integrating com-

puting and graphics processors becausewe are the only company with both

x86 microprocessor and graphics tech-

nology expertise. Were executing to a

strong road map, and our passionate

and talented people believe in our

business as strongly as I do. But we

have to return to profitability, and

were going to do that by focusing on

our core businesses, continuing to

drive innovation, and consistently exe-

cuting. The channel is critical to

achieving that goal, something recog-

nized by the executive team and the

entire company. This is a key reason

that Gustavo Arenas, our chief sales

officer, is chartered with ensuring our

worldwide sales teams are working

collaboratively to meet the channels

needs in every region across the globe.

EVERYTHING CHANNEL: Channel con-

flict is always going to be an issue

at a company like AMD that has to

do business with both the biggest

OEMs around and with the small-

est individual whitebox builders

doing a tiny percentage of the big

computer makers volume. So thats

just an endless tight rope you have

to walk, but companies in your

position can either handle such

competing partner interests well

or poorly. How are you going to

balance the interests of different

partner channels at AMD? Are

there any other companies out

there that you feel set a good exam-

ple for managing channel conflict?

MEYER: The channel may be complex

but our path to meeting all of our

OEM customers and channel part-

ners needs isnt about conflict-resolu-

tion, its about enabling them to deliv-

er business value through differentiated

solutions based on AMD technology.

If you look at our business model, we

are at the core a channel-centric com-

pany. We are also uniquely positioned

to meet our customers and channel

partners needs because we are the

only company offering both CPU- and

GPU-based solutions, which allows

them to differentiate their AMD tech-

nology-based offerings. Our micropro-

cessor and graphics platforms provide

our channel partners with a onshop, and that gives real value to

panies big and small. We kno

channel partners and OEM cus

look to AMD for products tha

opportunities to increase profi

were responding by deliverin

forms aimed at profitable segm

the consumer and commerc

and graphics markets. Take

Game! for the mainstream PC g

market, for example, which is

form that is important to both

and solution providers. Wercommitted to ensuring that ou

keting programs and busines

cesses make it easy to work with

matter the size of the company.

ing success across the board

OEMs to solution providers is g

mean success for AMD.

EVERYTHING CHANNEL:AMD

hosting AMD Build Days a

the country, based around

three new desktop platforms,

Live!, AMD Game! and AMDness Class. The event we wen

San Jose was sold out and

whitebox builders seemed to

enjoy putting together those

nom and 7-series chipset-bas

tems. Are there any more

channel-based initiatives

AMD in the works?

MEYER: Im glad you were a

attend one of our build events

are proving to be a successful w

AMD to help system builder

more about our platform initiat

what we hope is an entertainin

informative environment.

scheduled these throughout

America, including a recent

Everything Channels XChange

We want to extend interactiv

riences like this into our day-

relationships with our cust

through programs like our Fiv

Partner Program that provides

AMDs Dirk Meyer: Quest For ProfitabilityNew leader lays out his vision for the chip maker, touting road-map execution and a drive to innovate as key

Path To Profit: Were responding by delivering platforms aimed at profitable

segments in the consumer and commercial PC and graphics markets, says Meyer.

Wednesday, August

S H O W D A I LY

Advanced Micro Devices financial struggles are well-documented and new boss Dirk Meyer faces

a crucial stretch of months ahead as he attempts to lead the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based chip maker

out of the red. Everything Channel caught up with Meyer via e-mail to find out how he thinks

AMDs partner channels can help make that happen, what asset smart means for AMDs core

PC and server businesses, and what AMD is doing to help system builders and VARs add total

solutions and services to their offerings.

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

11/16

11

ed training sessions as well as sales and

marketing tools through online por-

tals like AMD Market Builder. We

also have an extensive training pro-

gram with live metro training days

for our distribution partners across

regions, and similar programs that aretargeted to our OEM channel part-

ners as well.

EVERYTHING CHANNEL: Heres a news

flashhardware margins arent

what they used to be. Whats AMD

doing to help VARs go beyond just

reselling hardware to do the things

they need to do to thrive in todays

market, like putting together total

solutions and attaching services to

sales for recurring revenue?

MEYER:Weve put in place a range ofprograms to address this. First, we

enable our channel partners to deliv-

er differentiated solutions to their end

customers, increasing their ability to

achieve stronger margins. Our CPU-

and GPU-based platforms are target-

ed to profitable market segments. In

addition, were going to continue to

execute to mid- and long-term road

maps to aid in inventory planning

because we understand how crucial

that is to the channel. And were

responding to the channels need forassociated services with increased train-

ing and marketing support, like the

support services offered with AMD

Business Class.

EVERYTHING CHANNEL: We dont

know the full details of what asset

smart means, despite all the spec-

ulation by the media and analysts.

But it seems safe to say AMDs

plans are to get leaner and meaner,

whether in manufacturing or other

parts of the business. This raises an

interesting question for your tradi-

tional channelat the end of asset

smart, what does your core business

of PC and server products look

like? Is it leaner too? Or do some of

the non-core resources you want to

trim actually get added to the core

business to make it stronger?

MEYER: Our plans are first and fore-

most informed by the needs of our

customers. Weve been clear that we

are reshaping AMDs business model

and that means focusing on the core

technologies that differentiate AMD,

as well as consistently executing to our

mid- and long-term road maps. Ive

been working with our leadershipteam to accelerate this process and we

are making progress. And of course

Im continuing to work with [former

CEO] Hector [Ruiz], who is helping

to drive our asset smart strategy to

completion. At the end of the day,

these changes are designed to benefit

our customers as our main objective

is to position AMD as the micropro-

cessor company that you want to do

business with. We want to be your

supplier of choice.

EVERYTHING CHANNEL: System

builders want simple things. Good

product at good prices. The parts

they need, when they need them and

with reliable support. If they get

those things, theoretically theyre

not going to care if the supplier

takes an earnings mulligan every

quarter. You, of course, dont have

that luxury. On the other hand,

having a happy channel and a

healthy bottom line arent exactly

mutually exclusive, so to what extentdo you think the first thing is going

to help AMD achieve the second

thing?

MEYER: This comes back to what

you will see from AMD going for-

ward: a focus on our core CPU and

GPU businesses, consistent and reli-

able execution, and providing the

channel with platform solutions that

enable differentiation and deliver

business value. We havent been con-

sistently successful in delivering that

foundation, but I firmly believe we

are now on track and the channel is

already seeing us deliver the plat-

forms, the training and the tools that

they need to be successful. As you

point out, the fundamentals are

straightforward and AMD is commit-

ted to providing system builders with

the products and support they need.

And that in turn is going to deliver a

healthy bottom line for all of us.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

S H O W D A I LY

By Fred King

Most companies

have fuzzy ideas of

what makes cus-

tomer service great.

But companies that lead in their mar-

kets always differentiate themselves in

two ways: quality and customer expe-

rience. The best companies in the

world have a dedication to these two

attributes and look to measure them in

the most discrete manner possible.

Distinguishing customer service iscreating a delightful customer relation-

ship. Most customers call because of an

issue with a product purchased. It is the

exception to get a customer glowing

over a productcustomers really expect

technology to work.

Any service experience can be

reduced to two separate metrics: Net-

Promoter and Customer Satisfaction

(CSAT). Both are provided directly by

the user of the service and provide

clear metrics on an overall companys

ability to meet customer expectations.If these metrics are captured correctly,

they should correlate to the individual

customer service agent. Thus, these

metrics can contribute to critical deci-

sions such as promotion, compensation,

training and process improvements.

The end result is an ongoing improve-

ment in the support experience.

When customer care is coupled

with expert technical service, the com-

bination becomes a highly compelling

solution to challenging customer issues.

The traditional customer care process-

es, which include escalation to multiple

departments, can create frustration.

When a customer care agent is empow-

ered to perform the right services, and

has ready access to experts to perform

more challenging work, the customer

experience is significantly enhanced.

PlumChoice has been extremely

effective at creating an excellent cus-

tomer experience. Over the past four

years, we have measured and re

our NetPromoter and CSAT sc

a routine part of our business. W

tuned our technical teams, too

processes using these metrics. W

vide a clear promotion path fo

individuals who excel. We fo

getting problems resolved right t

time rather than focus on the t

resolve issues since customers

specifically value whether an iss

solved in four minutes vs. five m

Being able to achieve a 94 per

96 percent CSAT and NetProm

the 75 percent to 79 percent r

a hallmark for the PlumChoice

and has been so for more than

years. When these metrics are m

with our partners customer s

tion, significant benefits are re

When you look to enhanc

value to customers, customer se

an impactful method for del

them. Moving away from an ap

that only applies traditional call

metrics to one that includes m

derived from your customers

idea) will make all the difference

final assessment. A customer

experience free of frustration will

you to differentiate your busine

Fred King is vice president of sa

marketing at Plum Choice.

Distinguishing YourselfIn Customer Service

Quality and customer experience are the hallmarks

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

12/16

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

13/16

13

By Andrew R. Hickey

Retailers arent quick to say that 2008has been a rough year. But they arent

too quick to deny it either. With an

uncertain economic condition, the

housing market going belly up and fuel

prices bleeding consumers wallets dry,

people just arent as quick to spend as

they once were.

Despite those conditions, however,

many retailers at RetailVision 2008 are

looking to the ever-powerful fourth

quarter to break the economic slide.

While some say they are approaching

the fourth quarterwhich is typical-ly a retail boom because of holiday

spendingwith cautious optimism,

others immediately draw a line in the

sand, predicting one of the strongest

fourth quarters in years.

The fourth quarter is definitely

the biggest part of the year for online,

said Andrei Kibrik, director of merchan-

dising computers and electronics for

online retailer Overstock.com, adding

that Overstock is predicting fourth-

quarter growth of 20 percent to 35 per-

cent over the same time period last year.The only factor that could hinder, or

at least postpone, massive spending as

the holidays roll around is the election,which Kibrik said will have consumers

preoccupied. He expects, however, the

holiday rush to start, albeit delayed,

once a president is picked.

Mario Razmilovic, director of

audio/video at Overstock, agreed that

the fourth quarter is going to be a big

one. All signs are indicating the fourth

quarter isnt going to be that bad, he

said, noting that gas prices have started

to drop and the housing market is

poised for a turnaround. Razmilovic

said the industry will be pleasantly sur-prised once gadget-hungry holiday

shoppers start opening their wallets.

For Overstock, a solid mix of LCD

TVs, GPS systems and HD digital

video cameras are expected to be the

hot sellers as old Saint Nick prepares to

load up his sleigh.

Albert Liniado, president of DataVi-

sion Computer Video, agreed that

products like LCDs, GPS, mobile

phones, Bluetooth earpieces and mem-

ory equipment are going to be a catalyst

for a strong fourth quarter. Same goesfor sales of Apple products, which Lini-

ado said are already up 50 percent

from last year. And the Internet will

facilitate those sales more strongly.

Retail is now driving the Web, he

said. Were going to see a big fourth-

quarter increase on the Internet.

Liniado said consumers have been

pinching their pennies all year saving up

for the holidays. He said DataVision has

already started to see an increase in sales

over the past six to eight weeks.

Were excited about that, he said.

Liniado even made the bold predic-tion that this year will see the biggest

Black Friday ever.

Canadian retailers, too, are lto the fourth quarter to brin

back to a comfortable level.

We still have a positive ou

said Michael Yahn, MP3 and acc

merchant for Canadian consum

tronics chain Future Shop. W

lowed suit [with the U.S.]; peop

pulled back and are being mo

tious with their purchases, bu

retailer you have to adapt. I don

well struggle in the fourth quar

Steve Boone, sales and mar

director for Edmonton-based rMyMacDealer, agreed.

A lot of people will have

uncertainty, he said. Wev

some of the impact, but come

it will pick up. By no means w

fourth quarter be bad.

Whether the prediction

fourth quarter in retail is simp

bad or excellent, DataVisions

do summed up his favorable o

like this: Christmas is Chr

bottom line. People have to b

Christmas; even if they dont byear they have to spend at Chris

Retailers Predict A Very Merry Fourth QuarterMany RetailVision 2008 attendees believe gadget-hungry holiday shoppers will be opening their wallets big time

Heres what retailers are talking about at

RetailVision 2008:

It looks like the Christmas

season will be slow for IT

stuff, but it will be really

good for consumer goods.

Im seeing most of the pur-

chases being restricted

because of a third-quarter

slowdown due to the price

of energy, oil, that kind of stuff.

Robert Brown, E-Commerce Manager, Super Warehouse

I still think that it will be a year-to-year growth.

But it will not be as much as we have seen in

the past three to four years. Im just very, very

nervous about the whole

recession, and the cus-

tomer cutting back spend-

ing, and we see that so far

this year. And I think that it

will continue to the Q4.

Jason Wu, Tekserve

For us, weve been in the game for about a

year now, so we just launched Meijer.com last

September. And so last year we just put up

whatever we could. Wed find items from any

distributor that could get

their stuff live in time. We

put them up. We went at it.

And there were a few cate-

gories that did really well.

A lot of electronics, a lot of

toys, a lot of video games.

And we anticipate this year again that were

going to push video games really hard.

Nintendo and then a lot of PlayStation 3 is

going to start catching up this year. Were lo

ing forward to it. We hope it goes a little bit

smoother than last year and a lot more sale

Justin Stricklen, Meijer.com

I think that were expecting a

real strong Q4 this year. Its

always our strongest quarter.

Some of the things that were

highlighting obviously are

great gift items like GPS or

iPod accessories. Or in the

camera division, thats really

strong.

Laurie Prinzi, Vendor Marketing Manager,

PCMall

The Buzz At RetailVision

PHOTOS:GENE

FEDELE

&

KIM

KULISH

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

S H O W D A I LY

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

14/16

14

By Craig ZarleyWhats the secret for fast growth in the

rough-and-tumble world of retail elec-

tronics? Lots of hard work and keep-

ing customers happy.

Thats the message fast-growing

retailers gave during Tuesdays Industry

Insight panel. Albert Liniado, president

and co-founder of DataVision, a New

York City retailer thats seen 29 percent

growth from 2005 through 2007, said

a hands-on approach to all aspects of

the business is crucial. We are on the

floor. We are in accounts receivable.Were in accounts payable. Were in the

warehouse. Were in shipping. We are all

over the place, Liniado said.

That visibility means management

knows instantly whats going right

and whats going wrong and can act

appropriately.If the customer is

upset, the owners know, he said.

Bernard Luthi, vice president of

merchandising at Newegg.com, a City

of Industry, Calif., e-tailer thats grown

46 percent over the past two years,

added that superior logistics and a will-ingness to bend over backward to sat-

isfy customers is key. We make sure we

get products quickly to customers, usu-ally within two days, he said. And on

the back end, if anything goes wrong,

we are going to take the product back.

Gary Stern, president and CEO of

Boca Raton, Fla. -based PC Universe,

said customer satisfaction was crucial to

his 37 percent growth over the past two

years. We are a VAR and we moved

our business over to an

e-tailer, and a lot of

our focus was on cus-

tomer sat, he said.

And thats what droveus to the next level.

Our secret sauce is

the people working for

the company, said

Michael Carioti, man-

ager of marketing

development at ProVantage, a North

Canton, Ohio, e-tailer with 45 percent

growth from 2005 through 2007.

He noted that many of ProVan-

tages top executives have been with the

company for more than 15 years.

Weve ridden the pre- and post-Inter-net waves up and down, and now were

back again, he said.

Carioti also said the company val-

ues its relationships with its vendor

partners and instead of just dumping

any product on the site, ProVantage

carefully evaluates products and the

vendors that sell them.Fred Lerner, president and CEO of

Ritz Interactive, an Irvine, Calif., e-tail-

er thats seen annual revenue grow from

$21 million in 2005 to $34 million in

2007, said, The secret to fast growth is

that there is no secret at all. Instead,

Lerner said its about execution. One

thing all of us in this room share is that

we have beautifully written business

plans, he said. The question is how

well we execute on these business plans.

Lerner noted that Ritz Interactive

has no warehouses or inventory and

instead relies on its distribution part-

ners to drop-ship products to cus-

tomers. As such, he said Ritz Interac-

tive is a marketing company. And

much of the companys marketing

energy is devoted to search engine mar-

keting, or SEM. He said the company

has 12 marketing people and that he

plans to spend $6 million on market-

ing this year. All of it will be spent on

SEM, he said. Its a constant

to stay on top [of major

engines]. This year Google is

everyones lunch.

Stern agreed that search engin

mization is vital, but he remaintious about using third-party

engine companies. Weve al

burned by paid search compani

said. We take a look at each ind

al paid search and make sure th

return on investment.

Panelists also said they strugg

Internet sales taxes imposed haph

ly by state governments. Luth

Newegg stopped selling in New

after new taxes on Internet sale

imposed on June 30. He said th

pany is now in compliance an

resumed tax-free sales to New

And DataVisions Liniado said h

sidered building a warehouse i

Jersey, but decided to locate it i

York to avoid paying sales ta

products sold in New Jersey.

This sales tax issue will ulti

wind up in the Supreme Court b

its an interstate commerce battl

Ritz Interactives Lerner.

Psst Heres The Secret To Fast GrowthPanelists divulge how theyve been able to achieve meteoric revenue growth rates. Hint: It takes a lot of hard work

All Hands On Deck:Moderated by Everything Channels Steve B

Fast Growth panelists covered a range of topics, including visibil

into all aspects of the business, search engines and Internet sales t

Wednesday, August

S H O W D A I LY

Fashion Statement:Jeffrey Thompson (l.) of New York City-based

icon/Motion Systems, showcases the companys line of computer laptop bags.

Standing by are the Test Centers Brian Sheinberg and Samara Lynn.

Test Center: Taking IT On The Road

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

15/16

8/8/2019 Rv08 Day2 Web

16/16

THE DISTRIBUTO

Mobile

Entertainment

SOHO

Electronics

Now Showing:Join us for a Late Night Party

www.dandh.com/tv Late Night Party!

This web-based, video training toolsimultaneously saves time while increasingyour scope of product knowledge.Watching them, you will discover in-depthproduct features and benefits, key sellingpoints, why-to-buy data, tips on sellingsuccessfully and add-on opportunities.

Learn about three exciting newproducts; what is unique and how toposition them to your customers.

New Electronics fromLogitech, Nokia & Samsung

800.340.1007 | www.dandh.com/retailvision

Tuesday August 26th

10pm to MidnightRandle Ballroom C Visit us at RetailVision Booth #