A core expertise of VSN Strategies lies in the realm of retailing and brand marketing of consumer products. Since 1996, VSN Principal James Tenser has devoted much of his effort and energy toward understanding and explaining the strategic and tactical requirements of the New Retailing that has emerged since the advent of the virtual store.

As virtual - or online - selling becomes further integrated into the fabric of the retailing enterprise, a cascade of implications emerges for retailers and brand marketers. While many born-for-the-Web, dot-com retailers are now failing, they collectively have had a significant and irreversible impact on the way traditional retailers interact with consumers.

This is best understood in terms of what some experts now call "multichannel" retailing - a business model in which a retail operator may interact with consumers through stores, catalogs, kiosks, and Web sites, and a host of other communications media. Managing this rich spectrum of consumer contacts is a non-trivial challenge, with implications for technology strategy, marketing tactics, pricing, loyalty programs - even trading partner relations.

We help retailers understand the wide-reaching implications of their consumer interactions over the Internet - whether they actually sell merchandise online or not. We help brand marketers understand how their channels of distribution and communications have been altered by Web-based business processes and communications, and how best to meet this new challenge.

Drawing upon two decades of close involvement in the field, VSN brings perspective to your strategic decision-making process with respect to the New Retailing. Following is a brief summary of services we provide in this area:

• Opportunity Analysis
  We examine your company business activities, map them, and develop a top-down view of your e-business opportunities from a fresh, knowledge-based perspective. We then apply a multi-dimensional analysis to assign priorities to each opportunity, based on strategic and economic considerations. Process includes detailed interviews with your senior management team and internal experts, interviews with your present clients, third-party research. Mid-way through the study, VSN facilitates an executive study session, during which your senior management tackles key decisions that will factor into the final recommendations.
• e-Business Strategy
  Often performed as a follow-up to the Opportunity Analysis, the e-Business Strategy study applies those learnings to the development of specific strategic plans for one or more of the most promising opportunities. We assemble technology, marketing, and creative experts as the project requires and present one or more strategic alternatives to your executive team. Mid-way through the study, VSN may facilitate an executive study session with your senior management.
• Consumer Relationship Strategy for the Retailer
  As retailers integrate multiple selling and consumer communications channels, they face new implications affecting their traditional business activities. We apply principles of RetailativitySM to develop an understanding of the implications for your business. We deliver points of view regarding technology strategy, loyalty programs, one-to-one and one-to-some marketing, cross-channel pricing and service policies, category management and trading partner relations - all with a focus on how these activities leverage and strengthen your consumer relationships.
• Consumer Relationship Strategy for the Brand Marketer
  The inherent characteristics of the Internet may allow brand marketers to economically establish and maintain direct value-added relationships with consumers. This activity may or may not include direct sale of merchandise. In many instances, the consumer information and insight gained is benefit enough from relationship management activity. We help brand marketers to synthesize a more complete understanding of their most loyal and most profitable consumers then segment them and target groups for communications. This activity will enhance co-marketing programs and inform category management efforts.
• Consumer Need State Analysis for the Brand Marketer
  We believe that most product manufacturers should be cautious about direct sales of their products to consumers from a Web site. Not only is this activity more complex than it may first appear, but it puts your retail channel relationships at extreme risk. We apply our proprietary Consumer Need States analytic methodology to examine whether your products are among the few which may lend themselves to successful direct sales on the Web.
• Seminar/Webinar Development
  VSN develops and facilitates an educational session(s) of high-perceived value, designed to advance your organization's knowledge leadership and enhance this perception among trading partners. We develop a theme, session plan, curriculum and faculty appropriate for the your message and target audience, in consultation with your marketing and sales leadership. Very important are the articulation of goals for this activity and measuring results against those goals subsequent to the event.
• Web Content Development
  We apply your branding, positioning, themes and principles to development of short and long copy for the corporate web site, working with your designers or ours.
• RFP Development
  We develop a request for proposal document for your technology or marketing project, and help research and identify the various consulting resources and application providers you might choose to invite to submit proposals. We design a scorecard for evaluating their presentations and facilitate the decision-making process, if required.