Arkansas retailers take different 'Net approaches.Arkansas' two largest retail companies are taking different and evolving approaches to the Internet and electronic commerce. Bentonville-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reworking its offerings on the World Wide Web, which are currently meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. alongside e-commerce giants like bookseller Amazon.com. Company officials and industry analysts say the new WalMart online Site will be "significantly" different from its current set-up. Meanwhile, Dillard's Inc. of Little Rock has not looked to the Internet as a major avenue for sales. The company does not currently allow online purchases, but the site - www.dillards.com - promises future access to the gift lists of couples using the store's wedding registry. Wal-Mart's Internet site, WalMart Online (www.wal-mart.com), debuted in 1996. It has grown to offer a selection ranging from books to computer equipment to toys, offered at the same price as in the stores - but with an added shipping charge. There are quite a few items available, but still a far cry from one of its retail stores or retail/grocery Supercenters. "We've listened to our customers since 1996, and we consider the Internet a significant opportunity for us," says Wal-Mart spokesman Melissa Brown Melissa Brown is an ophthalmologist from Flourtown, Pennsylvania who is a member of the Republican Party. She was also a three-time candidate for the US House of Representatives. . The new Wal-Mart site to be unveiled this fall, which Brown says will simply be called Wal-Mart (although an industry publication reports the revamped site will be called Wal-Mart Interactive), will beef up the merchandise available online. The Wal-Mart spokesman calls the future site "an extension of the stores." Wal-Mart also has moved to improve fulfillment ful·fill also ful·fil tr.v. ful·filled, ful·fill·ing, ful·fills also ful·fils 1. To bring into actuality; effect: fulfilled their promises. 2. of online orders by striking a deal with Federated Connected and treated as one. See federated database and federated directories. Department Stores This is a list of department stores. In the case of department store groups the location of the flagship store is given. This list does not include large specialist stores, which sometimes resemble department stores. to have its Fingerhut direct mail unit fill Internet orders. Another deal, with book retailer Books-A-Million, was struck last week for fulfilling online orders. Brown declined to give many details about the site upgrade. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. industry publication Discount Store News, the 'new e-commerce offering will include 40 product categories, from apparel to sporting goods Noun 1. sporting goods - sports equipment sold as a commodity commodity, trade good, good - articles of commerce sports equipment - equipment needed to participate in a particular sport to housewares house·wares pl.n. Cooking utensils, dishes, and other small articles used in a household, especially in the kitchen. . Consumables such as toilet paper, food and cosmetics cosmetics, preparations externally applied to change or enhance the beauty of skin, hair, nails, lips, and eyes. The use of body paint for ornamental and religious purposes has been common among primitive peoples from prehistoric times (see body-marking). will also be available, the publication reported. The company is said to be considering a drive-through/pick-up concept, which would allow customers to collect online orders immediately from their local Wal-Mart store. Brown did say that one aspect of the renewed online presence will be in-store kiosks linked to the Internet site. Discount Store News reported a detailed e-mail message about the site was sent to vendors June 9 by Bob Connolly, executive vice president of marketing, and Glenn Habern, senior vice president of new business development, that further hints about the company's Internet plans. "As Internet retailing is becoming increasingly popular, we are seeing a new customer base that perhaps our stores are not reaching," they said. "Wal-Mart Interactive is a great way not only to capture those customers shopping on the Internet but will also expand upon the selection of products and services that a customer can purchase from a typical Wal-Mart store." Wal-Mart won't reveal any numbers for online sales, but the major rethinking would seem to point to less than hoped. In a research essay about toy retailers online earlier this year in Discount Store News, Prudential Prudential is the name of two different companies and buildings named after them: Companies:
Meanwhile other retail competitors such as Target Stores of Minneapolis, Minn., and Kmart Corp. of Troy, Mich., are also re-examining their e-commerce offerings. Kmart has been testing a kiosk kiosk Originally, in Islamic architecture, an open circular pavilion consisting of a roof supported by pillars. The word has been applied to a Turkish summer garden pavilion and a type of early Persian mosque. concept and the company's web site recently created an online baby registry. "We're not focused on being a major e-commerce player," Brown says of Wal-Mart. "Our main focus is meeting the needs of the customer." Limited Dillard's Site The Dillard's site also includes information on Dillard's Ticketing Systems, its ticket agency for arts, entertainment and sports, which is only available in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). , Colorado and Nevada. There is also a link to Dillard's travel agency. However, the company reportedly is working on an entry into e-commerce. The extent of Dillard's online offerings is currently being worked out, possibly to be unveiled by mid-summer. Numerous calls to Dillard's about the site were not returned. |
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