IRCE 2008 Session Descriptions
Listed below is the individual session description. To view a speakers' bio simply click the links inside the session description.
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From Entrepreneur to an Enterprise—June 9
This Workshop is aimed at small to mid-sized retailers who are looking to advance to the next level and covers all aspects that growing retailers need to take into account, from choosing a platform to cost-effective fulfillment and distribution and how to choose a search engine company. |
9:00 - 10:00 a.m. You and the Third-Party Platforms Tom Funk,
VP, E-Commerce Client Services, Timberline Interactive Thomas Rath,
CEO, Rock Bottom Golf Ken Kikkawa,
CEO, eHobbies.com One of the most important basic decisions a retailer can make is about which e-commerce platform to utilize. The first challenge is determining which kind of platform—an all-in-one hosted platform or a go-it-alone platform—suits the retailer's goals best. This session will examine how a retailer decides whether to partner with an all-in-one platform, such as Yahoo Stores, eBay and eBay ProStores, and Amazon, or to go it alone entirely. Our speakers will walk retailers through how to analyze the offerings in each option, what questions to ask providers, and how to make sure that you can migrate to a more robust site when your growth warrants it. It will also look at how retailers make that decision to move to a bigger platform and examine whether it makes sense to be on more than one platform during and after a migration. Finally, it will look at instances when it makes most sense to stay with a third-party. Our speakers all have experience in dealing with all-in-one sites and managing a transition to independence and, in one case, moving back to the hosted environment. |