rv08_day1_p1 8/26/08 12:44 AM
THE OFFICIAL SHOW DAILY
NEWS, VIEWS,
Today’s Events
Insight: Fast Growth
Retailers/E-tailers
8:45 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Randle Ballroom CDE
Fresh: First Look At New
Technology
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Randle Ballroom CDE
Industry Insight, Stephen
Baker, The NPD Group
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Randle Ballroom CDE
RetailVision Gives Out The Gold: Steve Burke congratulates PC Universe’s Gary
PHOTOS: GENE FEDELE
Stern; Robert DeMarzo honors ProVantage’s Michael Carioti; Micro Center’s Kevin
Jones is all smiles after accepting his award; Nokia’s Robert Pignataro takes home his
trophy; Fred Lerner (inset) wins one with the Ritz Interactive team.
Page 1
AND REVIEWS FROM 2008 VISION EVENTS
And The Gold Medal Goes To …
Our retail excellence honorees prove innovation, ingenuity are Olympic-worthy hallmarks
By Andrew R. Hickey
At RetailVision here in San Diego,
retailers and vendors were honored
for their innovation and ingenuity,
some earning Fast Growth Awards for
retail excellence. The Monday night
ceremony was a veritable who’s who
list, highlighting everything from
brick-and-mortar to e-commerce retail-
ers and the vendors that serve them.
Taking home the award for Retailer
of the Year was Micro Center. Dubbed
by many “the little technology retailer
that could,” Hilliard, Ohio-based Micro
Center grew revenue nearly 150 percent
between 2005 and 2007, by industry
estimates.
Micro Center’s vice president of mer-
chandising, Kevin Jones, also took home
the award for Retail Executive
of the Year, a testament to his
drive to turn Micro Center
into a customer-service-
oriented standout.
SHOW DAILY
And, as many retailers will
tell you, they wouldn’t be where
they are today without the ven-
dors that deliver product.
Finnish mobile device manu-
facturer Nokia does retail like no
other. With more than 350,000
points of sale across the globe,
Nokia has transformed the
handset industry, packing fea-
tures and functions into devices
that could only be seen as myth-
ical just a few years ago.
Nokia, which nabbed the
award for Retail Vendor of the
Year, also strives to diversify its
offerings to give retailers other ways to
entice the customer. Though the rest of
the year, Nokia hopes its newest offering,
the N-Gage gaming platform,
and Ovi, a personal dashboard
that lets users share photos
and other media, will help it
continue on its path.
Robert Pignataro, Nokia’s
director of retail sales channels,
was also honored as the Retail Vendor
Executive of the Year.
Fast Growth retailer award winners
included:
New Egg, which has transformed
e-tailing with its massive offerings of
online hardware and software, IT brands
and a host of consumer electronics.
DataVision, which saw revenue
grow 29 percent between 2005 and
2007, started out as a basic Manhattan-
based mail-order company and quick-
ly ballooned into a massive retailer,
opening its flagship Fifth Avenue loca-
tion in 1998. Today, Data Vision is
Day One
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
San Diego, Calif.
High-Fives All Around:
Steve Burke with Data
Vision’s Albert Liniado; New
Egg’s Bernard Luthi (inset)
known through New York
City as one of the top com-
puter electronics retailers and has a
global Web presence.
PC Universe, which cemented its
retail roots through first being a VAR,
offers a host of services, manages more
than 1,000 corporate extranet pur-
chase relationships and offers retail
vendors the ability to target various sales
channels and customer segments.
North Canton, Ohio-based ProVan-
tage, which saw revenue grow 45 per-
cent between 2005 and 2007, has
catered to IT pros since it formed 24
years ago, and has broadened its focus
to include consumer electronics along
with IT products.
Ritz Interactive took just a handful of
years to achieve fast growth, skyrocket-
ing revenue 56 percent between 2005
and 2007. Now recognized as one of the
Web’s most successful retailers, Irvine,
Calif.-based Ritz Interactive boasts a
host of photography gear, consumer
electronics and even marine, boating and
fishing items through its Web properties.
RV08_ads 8/18/08 5:26 PM Page 1

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rv08_day1_p3 8/25/08 11:17 PM Page 3
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The View From RetailVision
Liz Madden
Managing Director, RetailVision, Everything Channel
A fter a 10-year hiatus, it is my great pleasure to return
to the event I co-founded at Vision Events. Supporting
Everything Channel’s drive to refresh and grow
RetailVision, I have the great honor of introducing to you the
new RetailVision, offering you greater market insight and
maximum opportunity to grow your business.
Enhancements have been made to keep the event highly
focused, interactive and, most importantly,
productive. We are offering Private
Boardroom Appointments in the morning
and afternoon and are presenting
“Showcase,” an opportunity for vendors to
present their products theater-style to the
entire retail audience. The “Fresh” program,
launched at the Spring event, returns to
RetailVision Fall by popular demand, introducing emerging ven-
dors and technologies to the retail market for the first time.
We are excited to offer compelling industry insight, educa-
tional and content sessions, and product evaluations by industry
experts including yesterday’s State of the Market Address pre-
sented by the Consumer Electronics Association, a Keynote
Industry Analysis Address from The NPD Group, Interactive
Panel Discussions and the Everything Channel’s Test Center fea-
turing hands-on demos/evaluations of vendor products.
The addition of the Everything Channel editorial team has
brought exciting new industry awards to RetailVision, recogniz-
ing vendors and retailers for their exceptional work. Expanding
our reach, the event is now covered in CRN, VARBusiness,
ChannelWeb.com, TWICE, Prensario and the new RetailVision
Show Daily, featuring event highlights and the latest breaking
news. We're also excited to launch RetailVision.com, providing
up-to-the-minute news and content year-round.
The new RetailVision offers new ways of doing business,
including our global expansion into the Middle East with
RetailVision Dubai in November 2008; our On-Line Community,
a business network for the retail market; and the RetailVision
Virtual Tradeshow, an opportunity for you to supplement your
face-to-face meetings and reduce time out of the office.
RetailVision is now positioned to become your greatest
advocate and daily resource in the IT/CE retail market. On behalf
of the entire team, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank
you to the vendors, retailers and partners that have supported
us over the years, and I look forward to reconnecting with many
old friends. We would also like to welcome the 65 new retailers
and are excited to see our audience grow. We are honored you
are taking the first step of this exciting journey with us. May
you have a productive and successful event!
Reach Liz at lmadden@everythingchannel.com
S H O W D A I LY
Gather Round For New Gear
Just a sampling of what you can see and hear about on the show floor
Battery-Biz: Powered Up And Ready To Go
Battery-Biz plans to generate quite a charge with
its Duracell Instant Power Charger. The Duracell
Instant Power Charger is a rechargeable lithium-
ion-based portable battery that provides up to 35
hours of power for USB-compatible devices. It can
simultaneously power and charge cell phones,
PDAs, iPods, music players and more. It is also
compatible with all Apple iPhones, including the
new 3G model. The charger is lightweight and
compact, making it ideal for traveling. It requires
no AC outlet, is compatible with most Motorola
and BlackBerry devices and has a three-year war-
ranty. It is available for $29.99 through Battery-Biz.
The vendor hopes to offer the charger through sev- Leading The Charge: Battery-Biz’s Jose Torres
eral retailers in the near future. demonstrates the vendor’s new compact device.
It’s In The Wisair
Wisair arrives at RetailVision with its Printer Wireless USB Adapter, Wire-
less USB Disk on Key and its External Hard Disk Wireless USB Adapter.
The Wireless USB adapter set brings wireless connectivity to existing
devices and enables new connectivity, such as printing wirelessly from a
laptop or PC without setting up a network; backing up data wirelessly
to a hard disk drive; transferring and viewing video and photos wireless-
ly from a notebook or PC to a TV, picture frame or gaming console; and
moving content wirelessly between PCs. The set runs $79 to $99. Elec-
tronics and PC peripheral, consumer electronics and online sellers can
obtain the set through ODMs for high volume and from Wisair direct
for low volumes.
Lifeworks: All Work And No Play? Not Anymore
Lifeworks Technology Group is reinventing work and play with the Multimedia Keyboard with iPod
Dock. The keyboard can charge and sync iPods with iTunes and features touch-sensitive media keys;
two rotating USB 2.0 ports; a rubberized wrist
rest; a 3.5mm headphone jack; and a universal
dock that fits all docking iPod mods. The dock-
ing keyboard is available for PCs and Macs with
a suggested retail price of $149.99. It is available
in black and white from Lifeworks or distributors.
Lifeworks is also showcasing its Notebook
Bundle, which features the Notebook Stand with
iPod Dock; the Wireless Keyboard; and the
Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse. The bundle lets
users charge and sync iPods with iTunes and fea-
tures high-quality speakers; touch-sensitive media
keys; two high-speed USB 2.0 ports; 2.4MHz
interference-free connectivity and more. The
bundle is available for PCs and Macs in black or Lively Bunch: Lifeworks’ Carol Spiegel, Amin
silver with a suggested price of $299.99. Adjmi, Aaron Zurder with slew of new products.
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rv08_day1_p4 8/26/08 1:08 AM Page 4

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

S H O W D A I LY

RetailVision Live:
Views of yesterday’s events at the RetailVision conference and sessions

Iogear’s Eric Lindblad is very plugged in to the Laptop Console

KVM; RetailVision’s Liz Madden makes her introductions to show
attendees; the opening session offers the opportunity to network and
make your point at the same time; smart moves from the Fellowes’
team, Kelli Krimmel and Shane Powell, and their Intellishred;
Qimonda’s Klaus Schwegler wants you to get in Xtune; can you hum
a few bars of woot!, woot! and CPG join forces?; looks like it’s paradise found for
CPG’s Cristina Carter; inquiring minds get together for the Meeting Place Intro; Fred
King of Plum Choice takes some time to monkey around; talking it up with Trend
Net; David Wu and Sandy Lugo of KDT USA get stylish with their designer DVDs.

Photography by
Gene Fedele

SHOW
DAILY
®

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jane O'Brien

VP/Design Director, Photography . . .Gene Fedele
Art & Production . . . . . . . . . . . .Adeline Cannone
IT Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Wroobel

RetailVision Contacts:
VP/Everything Channel Events . .Nancy Hammervik
Managing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Liz Madden
Sales Mark Bianco (National Sales Manager); Tanya
Unsworth, David Karp, Lou Becker (Account
Executives); Marketing Diane Lehman (Sr.
Marketing Manager; Recruiting Tom Beedy,
Jonathan Baron, Josh Auger (Account Executives);
Operations Rob Mear (Director of Operations);
Karyn Bisson, Colleen Waters (Sr. Event Coordinators);
Lisa Ferrante (Event Planner/Travel)

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

The RetailVision Show Daily is a publication of
Everything Channel, United Business Media LLC,
600 Community Drive, Manhasset, N.Y. 11030.
Copyright 2008 All rights reserved.

4
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rv08_day1_p6 8/22/08 3:07 PM Page 6

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

S H O W D A I LY

Dialed In: Palm Treo Pro Ready For Prime Time

Offers streamlined design and Palm shortcuts on top of Windows Mobile OS
By Andrew R. Hickey
Palm officially unveiled the Palm Treo Pro smartphone, the latest and thinnest iter-
ation of its flagship handset. The release comes as Palm stages a comeback of sorts
to battle Research In Motion’s BlackBerry and the Apple iPhone 3G. Palm’s Centro,
a device geared toward the first-time smartphone buyer with a price tag of just under
$100, has sold 2 million units in less than a year and, more recently, Palm and Sprint
Nextel unveiled the Treo 800 W, a leaner, meaner version of its signature handset.
According to Palm, the Treo Pro “balances sim- and simplified end-to-end experience that our cus-
plicity and productivity in a streamlined design for tomers expect from Palm.”
business professionals” and is “an effortlessly usable Windows Mobile also offers access to thousands
smartphone for businesses that want to of various business process applications.
simplify their IT infrastructures and lower And it takes a familiar Windows experi-
costs and for users who want to stay on top ence and makes it mobile, letting users Keeping You Connected: Palm Treo Pro features Wi-
of their professional and personal lives. browse the Web with built-in Internet Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and integrated GPS.
The key features of the Treo Pro are its Explorer mobile; open, view and edit
streamlined design and Palm shortcuts lay- Word and Excel files; review PowerPoint smart-phone management and access to informa-
ered on top of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile presentation and PDF files; and open tion on the corporate network, better enabling IT
6.1 operating system. ZIP files remotely. pros to manage large Treo Pro deployments.The
“Businesses want the control and savings The Treo Pro features Microsoft Direct handset enables access to corporate and personal
that Windows Mobile affords, in an innova- Push technology, which offers direct con- email accounts, Web access and the ability to stay
tive and elegant package that keeps their users nection to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or on top of appointments and contacts.
happy,” Palm President and CEO Ed Colligan said 2007 to give users up-to-date, realtime e-mail, con- The Treo Pro also features Wi-Fi connectivity,
in a statement. “That’s where Palm comes in. Every- tacts and calendars. It also features Microsoft Sys- Bluetooth 2.0 and integrated GPS for access to
thing about Treo Pro—from the hardware design to tem Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, which maps, turn-by-turn directions and points-of-inter-
the packaging and accessories—embodies the elegant lets the device deliver increased security, easier est searches.

Apple’s iPhone 3G Heading To Turkey

Turkcell inks pact to bring mobile device to the country’s prepaid, post-paid customers
By Michele Masterson
Turkey’s biggest mobile communica-
tions provider, Turkcell, has struck
a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone
3G to the country later this year to its
prepaid and post-paid customers.
“We’re very excited to be working
with Apple to bring the iPhone 3G to
APPLE CEO STEVE JOBS HAS SAID IPHONE 3G
WILL REACH 70 COUNTRIES BY YEAR-END.
Turkey,” said Lale Saral Develioglu,
Turkcell’s chief marketing officer, in a
statement. “iPhone 3G represents the
ultimate in mobile device technolo-
gies, and we can’t wait to offer this
innovative product to millions of
mobile customers.”
When Apple CEO and co-founder
Steve Jobs previewed the iPhone 3g at
the WWDC conference in June, he
said that the company would have the
phone simultaneously in 22 countries
and by the end of the year is expected
to reach 70 countries in total.
Turkcell, based in Istanbul, had
35.4 million postpaid and prepaid
customers at the end of this June, oper-
ating against two other market players,
and has a market share of approximate-
ly 56 percent in terms of subscribers,
as of the end of March, according to
The Telecommunications Authority.
In addition to wireless telephone
services, Turkcell offers General Pack-
et Radio Service (GPRS) and
Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolu-
tion (EDGE). Turkcell provides roam-
ing services with 587 operators in
200 countries as of July 2008. The
company reported $3.3 billion in rev-
enue for the six months as of June 30
and $6.3 billion in revenue as of Dec.
31, 2007.
The company also has financial
interests in international GSM opera-
tions in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Geor-
gia and Moldova with 11.6 million Can’t Wait: Turkcell says iPhone 3G is
subscribers as of March 2008. ‘ultimate in mobile device technologies.’

6
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In the UK, contact: In the US, contact:
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A Division of United Business Media

rv08_day1_p8 8/22/08 3:00 PM Page 8

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

S H O W D A I LY

RetailVision
Events Agenda

Day-to-Day Calendar of Events

August 25-27, 2008
The Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
San Diego, CA

Monday, August 25
10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . .
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. . . . . . . . .
12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . .
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . .
3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . . .
4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
Photos: Gene Fedele
Vendor Registration
The Meeting Place Vendor Setup
Retailer Registration
The State of CE Retail
Grand Opening - The Meeting Place
Everything Channel Test Center
“INTRO” in The Meeting Place
Industry Awards Ceremony

8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . Welcome Reception

2008 RetailVision Events’ mission: To be the premier
retail events company providing vendors and prequalified retail-
ers with the unique opportunity to meet face-to-face, establish
new business partnerships and gain strategic insight through
content delivered by CRN, 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.
Tuesday, August 26
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . .
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . .
8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . .
9:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
9:45 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. . . . . . . . . .
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
1:10 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. . . . . . . . . . .
1:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. . . . . . . . . . .
2:45 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
3:25 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . . .
7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
10:00 p.m. - Midnight . . . . . . . . .
Retailer Breakfast & Orientation
Vendor Breakfast in The Meeting Place
Insight: Fast Growth Retailers/E-tailers
Service Provider Central (Vendors)
Private Boardroom Appointments
“FRESH” (Retailers)
Networking Luncheon
Insight
Private Boardroom Appointments
Vendor Showcase (Retailers)
Insight: Keynote
The Meeting Place: One-on-Ones
Free Night
D&H Late Night Party

Upcoming Everything Channel Events: Wednesday, August 27

XChange Latin America
September 8-10, 2008
Doral Resort Hotel
Miami, FL
VisionEvents MES West
September 14-17
Gaylord Texan Resort
Grapevine, TX
Featuring: Midsize Enterprise
Innovation Awards
CRN Fast Growth
October 15, 2008
Intercontinental Hotel
Chicago, IL
RetailVision Middle East
November 3-5, 2008
JW Marriott
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Healthcare Summit
November 16-19, 2008
San Diego Sheraton Hotel
San Diego, Calif.
XChange Tech Innovators
November 17-19, 2008
The Fairmont Hotel
San Jose, Calif.
Featuring: VARBusiness Tech
Innovators Awards
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . .
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . .
8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. . . . . . . . . .
9:40 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
9:40 a.m. – 11:55 a.m. . . . . . . . .
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. . . . . . . . .
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
2:10 p.m. – 3:40 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
3:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. . . . . . . . . .
9:30 p.m. – Midnight . . . . . . . . . .
Retailer Breakfast & Announcements
Vendor Breakfast in The Meeting Place
Insight: Warranty Dos and Don’ts
Service Provider Central (Vendors)
Private Boardroom Appointments
Keynote: “Vendor Of The Year”
Networking Luncheon
Keynote: “Retailer Of The Year”
Private Boardroom Appointments
Insight: Emerging Technologies
The Meeting Place: One-on-Ones
CRN Test Center Awards
Pre-Awards Cocktail Reception
“Best of Retailvision” Awards Gala
Ingram Micro After Awards Party

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RV08_ads 8/18/08 5:24 PM Page 1

EVENTS CALENDAR 2008-2009

CHANNEL EVENTS END–USER EVENTS

IT CHANNELVISION: GOVERNMENT EDITION HEALTHCARE SUMMIT
December 7 – 9, 2008 November 16 – 19, 2008
Westin Diplomat Resort, Hollywood, Florida San Diego Sheraton Hotel and Marina
itchannelvision.com/gov San Diego, California
healthcaresummit.com
RETAILVISION
North America and Latin America MIDSIZE ENTERPRISE SUMMIT
August 25 – 28, 2008 midsizeenterprise.com
The Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, California North America
retailvision.com WEST: September 14 – 17, 2008
Gaylord Texan Resort & Conference Center
April 27– 30, 2009
Boca Raton Resort, Boca Raton, Florida Grapevine, Texas

Middle East EAST: May 3 – 6, 2009

November 3 – 5, 2008 Doral Golf Resort & Spa
JW Marriott® Hotel Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Miami, Florida
retailvision.com/europe WEST: September 13 –16, 2009
Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel
Europe
Los Angeles, CA
May 18 – 20, 2009
Le Palais dès Congres de Paris, Paris, France Europe
Oct. 20 – 22, 2009
CRN FAST GROWTH Citywest Hotel
October 16, 2008 Dublin, Ireland
Chicago, Illinois
cmpxchange.com/crnfg PRINT & IMAGING SUMMIT
December 3 – 5, 2008
XCHANGE LATIN Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, Bonita Springs, Florida
September 8 – 10, 2008 print–imagingsummit.com
Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, Florida
December 6 – 8, 2009
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Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel
XCHANGE SOLUTION PROVIDER Los Angeles, California
March 8 – 11, 2009 PROJECT & PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SUMMIT
Sheraton New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
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December 3 – 5, 2008
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rv08_day1_p10 8/22/08 3:28 PM Page 10
S H O W D A I LY
Environmentally Friendly Packaging: We All Win
With the rise in e-commerce sales, there’s no need for the traditional storefront’s hard-to-open thick blister packs
Christian Carroll/Amazon Services
Two issues facing
the retail industry
and, for that matter,
the world are the
environment and fuel costs. As con-
sumers have become more comfortable
with the security of e-commerce and
giving out their credit card informa-
tion, sales have risen dramatically at
pure-play e-tailers and brick-and-mor-
tars’ own Web sites. Because of the
high cost of gas, or simply because they
are more trusting of the content found
on e-commerce sites, consumers are
buying more on these sites and forego-
ing the traditional trip to the store.
This is causing opportunity to com-
bat the above-mentioned issues. A
product shipped by an e-tailer such as
Amazon, Buy.com or even
CircuitCity.com does not require the
larger, more secure and plastic-intense
packaging that is needed to sit on a
shelf. Because these products are not
Connecting Physical And Digital Worlds
Intel researcher gives a glimpse of the future: the development of sense-based technology
By Damon Poeter
Intel used “Day Zero” of the recent
Intel Developer Forum to showcase
research and development projects
and the chip giant’s vision for “bridg-
ing the digital world
with the virtual world.”
The morning’s media
briefings focused on
connected visual com-
puting, sensing models
for connecting physical
reality with accurate dig-
ital interpretation and
desired machine actions
referencing that real-
world data, and the increasingly small,
mobile devices that could deliver prac-
tical computing applications based on
such developments to on-the-go indi-
subject to shrink or theft that a tradi-
tional storefront endures, there is no
need for hard-to-open thick blister
pack packaging. And because all of the
branding and technical specs
will be found on the product’s
detail page of a Web site,
there is no need for a larger-
footprint package that makes
it stand out on a shelf.
What does all this mean
for e-tailers? For traditional
brick-and-mortar retailers?
For consumers? And even for
manufacturers of the prod-
uct? It means that products
can now be put into smaller,
easier-opening and recyclable
packaging that will not be sitting in a
landfill for the next 200 years.
If a manufacturer would put a
mouse, Webcam, hard drive or video
card into a much smaller package, they
would reap a lot of benefits. They
would increase the amount of their
viduals in the future.
Intel researcher Andrew Chien gave
a presentation on “Connecting the
Physical and Digital Worlds: Sensing.”
The director of Intel Research’s Corpo-
rate Technology Group
showcased a series of
projects involving sensor
technology and data
processing. The research
spans stem cell analysis
at the nanometer scale
through to Everyday
Sensing and Perception
(ESP) projects to devel-
op sensory technology
at the “human scale” of feet and meters,
and beyond, to “even higher-order lev-
els like emotion,” he said.
Intel’s research and collaboration
10
products that could fit into a shipping
container, reducing their transporta-
tion costs to the e-tailers. This, in turn,
would cut the amount of shipping costs
from e-tailers to customers, allowing the
manufacturer and retailer/e-tailer to
make more profit, all while passing on
that shipping savings to consumers.
By using little to no plastic, a man-
ufacturer will reduce its dependence on
petroleum products and rely more on
with various universities in developing
sense-based technology represents “per-
haps the largest change happening in
the interaction between the physical
and computing worlds,” Chien said.
Such work necessarily incorporates
a great many individual areas of
research at Intel and in the wider tech-
nology community, such as machine
learning, data-intensive computation,
imaging/vision, sensing, novel applica-
tions and human/computer interfaces,
he said.
For example, to develop a small
mobile device capable of delivering
practical, mainstream ESP applica-
tions that can interpret and act upon
visual data from one’s immediate sur-
roundings, challenges would include
building small, “egocentric” video sen-
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
recycled corrugate, or at least a recyclable
corrugate. And if manufacturers begin
buying packaging made from recycled
materials, then the cost of the materials
will drop considerably.
This is an additional win
for manufacturers, retailers
and consumers alike because
it is taking an industry that
produces so much packaging,
most of which cannot be
recycled, and making it
friendlier to the environment.
If cell phones and MP3 play-
ers and other electronic
devices can now be recycled
and kept from landfills, then
why not their packaging?
Making this switch is not only a sub-
stantial cost-savings and positive PR,
but also a stance by everyone toward
helping the environment.
Christian Carroll is senior buyer at
Amazon Services.
sors capable of 95 percent object recog-
nition accuracy over hundreds of
objects or dozens of human activities
over the course of hundreds of hours
in broadly variable physical locations
and surroundings.
Intel and its academic collaborators’
ambitious goal of building large-scale
datasets capable of delivering “90 per-
cent accuracy for 90 percent of your
day” with such realtime-tuned mobile
applications is doable, Chien said. This
can happen despite present realtime
event detection technology that requires
computational performance on the
order of 4 Teraflops, sucking up 10 kilo-
watts of power to get the job done.
That’s because “the history of com-
puting is on our side,” Chien insisted.
“If you take it as an order of mag-
nitude challenge, history says we can
get half of that from better algorithms
and half of that from better systems,”
he said.
rv08_day1_p11 8/22/08 3:27 PM Page 11
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Repair, Replacement, Accidental Service Plan With A Smile
Damage Plans: Retailers Can Help Extended plans can mean profit and consumer goodwill
Customers Choose The Right Fit
By Bruce Saulnier
Boot cut, straight leg
and low rise—find-
ing the right fit has
always been a chal-
lenge. It’s no different with extended ser-
vice plans. With new technologies like
plasma televisions and multifunctional
cell phones, more consumers are
inclined to purchase
an extended service
plan but are often
unsure of the right fit.
As a retailer, this cre-
ates an opportunity to
help customers select
the right plan, in turn
increasing customer
satisfaction and reten-
tion, translating into
increased revenue. Repair, replacement
and accidental damage—which is the
right plan?
Identifying customers’ need of the
product, along with the portability and
affordability of the product, will pro-
vide useful insight to guide them to the
right extended service plan.
Replacement plans become active
after the expiration of the manufac-
turer’s warranty and generally cover a
one-time replacement of the pur-
chased product. Replacement plans
are best suited for purchases such as
cell phones, digital cameras and
lower-cost consumer electronics, as
they are relatively inexpensive to
replace. Customers typically require
constant contact with these prod-
ucts, so once abuse or misuse of the
product is ruled out, a simple over-
the-counter or mail exchange for a
replacement finalizes the transaction.
Repair plans also become active
after the expiration of the manufactur-
This article was authored by Bruce Saulnier, president, AMT Warranty Corporation. AMT Warranty Corporation (AMT) provides a full suite of extended service plans, including replace-
ment programs; repair programs; and accidental protection, which can be tailored to suit each client’s individual footprint. AMT is a subsidiary of AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., a
multinational specialty property and casualty insurer. AmTrust Financial insurance carriers are rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company.
er’s warranty but generally cover unlim-
ited repairs through the duration of the
contract. LCD televisions and laptops
that depend on advanced technology
require pricey repairs, making them the
perfect fit for repair plans. Customers
are able to save money on repairs while
still maintaining use of the item, as
many repair plans offer complimenta-
ry loaner products.
On-site repair plans
are also available for
products that are not
easily portable, allow-
ing the customer to
have the product ser-
viced without hassle.
The advancement of
technology will only
increase the populari-
ty of repair plans as more customers
attempt to avoid hefty repair bills.
Accidental damage plans operate
in conjunction with the manufactur-
er’s warranty, starting on the date of
purchase. Products that are used on a
daily basis and are portable, such as
MP3 players, PDAs and laptops, are
perfect for accidental coverage. Unlike
repair plans, accidental damage plans
cover the accidents that happen in
everyday life. Almost everyone has
dropped their cell phone in water or
spilled a drink on their laptop. These
moments are what accidental damage
plans are for.
Finding the right extended service
plan requires some basic knowledge of
the customer’s need of the product, the
manufacturer’s warranty offerings,
along with the portability and afford-
ability of the product. Gaining this
information takes a bit of time and
effort but will get the customer in the
right fit.
11
S H O W D A I LY
By Bruce Saulnier devices, consumers may feel conflict-
Consumer electron- ed about their value.
ics sales exceeded Here is the real opportunity for
$145 billion in retailers. An extended service plan has
2006 and are pro- the power to enhance the customer
jected to jump to $155 billion in 2007, experience by supporting the products
according the Consumer Electronics retailers sell with unprecedented, unpar-
Association (CEA). The TV market is alleled protection. While customers
setting all-time revenue records as con- may initially hesitate about adding cost
sumers grab up flat-panel televisions as to their initial purchase, they can be
fast as they can be produced. convinced that a small investment at the
What does all of this mean for time of purchase can save them big
retailers? Opportunity. And we’re not headaches—and big expenses later.
just talking about product sales. Along The job of the retailer is to explain
with their products, many consumers that an extended service plan can pro-
will purchase extended service plans, vide peace of mind and added value for
which not only offer product protec- a relatively small price. Extended ser-
tion to the customer but also potential vice plans can offer important benefits
profits to the retailer. that manufacturer’s warranties do not.
In today’s digital age, electronics are Another benefit is that they save cus-
a common part of our day-to-day tomers time and hassle. Service plan
lives. A significant portion are
purchased for—and by—chil-
dren and teenagers, including
video game systems, digital
music players, cell phones, dig-
ital cameras, portable DVD
players, handheld video game
systems, as well as laptops and
desktop computers.
Most electronic products
come with a manufacturer’s
warranty that only covers
defects in workmanship and
materials. These warranties take
effect on the date of purchase More Than Toys: A number of electronic devices
and usually expire after one today are purchased for—and by—children.
year. In recent years, some man-
ufacturer’s warranties have been whit- holders can be put in direct contact with
tled down to only 90 days of coverage qualified technical experts or let the cus-
Anyone who has ever bought an tomer know exactly what to do or
appliance, computer or television is where to take the item if a problem aris-
aware that extended warranties or ser- es. All of this leads to an excellent cus-
vice plans are almost always offered at tomer experience within your retail
the time of sale. Purchasing one is def- chain. Moreover, because there is a
initely a good idea for big-ticket, com- commission on each contract sold,
plex items. But as prices continue to retailers make additional profit while
drop on many smaller electronic enhancing the consumer experience.
RV08_ads 8/18/08 5:28 PM Page 1

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rv08_day1_p13 8/25/08 10:42 PM Page 13

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

S H O W D A I LY

Trend Watch: Consumer Electronics Retail

The market is going in different directions simultaneously, and the winners will be those who can adapt to change
By Stefanie Hoffman
The consumer electronics retail market
is both growing and shrinking. And
those who are to survive will need to
become even more innovative as
purchasing habits change, price com-
petition intensifies, and products are
increasingly being distributed by non-
traditional vendors.
Kicking off Everything Channel’s
RetailVision event, Tim Herbert, senior
director of market research for the
Consumer Electronics Association, told
an audience of retailers and vendors that
key trends indicate the market is going
in different directions simultaneously.
“There are fewer channel options
and more channel options. There is
less service and support and there is
more service and support. There is a
diminishing revenue source and new
revenue sources,” said Herbert.
During his speech, Herbert dis-
cussed trends that will likely continue,
for better or worse.
One trend that will continue is that
the consumer electronics marketplace
will expand as more consumers are
willing to consider alternatives to buy-
ing electronics from nontraditional
retailers and other outlets.
“Consumers now are
looking for the convenience
of buying these products
wherever and whenever they
want to,” said Herbert,
adding that nontraditional
vendors, such as Toys ’R Us,
experienced an explosive $3 billion in
sales of electronics. “You see lots of dif-
ferent channels. Technology is finding
its way to a lot of different resellers.”
And there have never been so many
different options for consumers in the
electronics space. “We see more man-
ufacturers selling directly to the con-
sumer and we see retailers with their
own private-label goods selling to the
consumers,” he said.
In addition, while overall consumer
electronics shopping satisfaction rates
are very high, “the experience could be
improved,” Herbert said.
Areas that could be improved upon
include services such as in-home tech
support and in-store demos, which
users indicated were often lacking in
their consumer sales experiences.
Charting CE:
The CEA’s Tim
Herbert gives
attendees a look
into the future.
Like many markets, Herbert said,
consumer electronics are undergoing
intense pricing competitions—which
means that while some products have
dramatically increased in price due to
technological advances, others, such as
digital cameras, have actually decreased
in price as life cycles shorten and they
near end of their market potential.
Another trend that will certainly
continue to grow is the number of
consumers who will rely on the Inter-
net when making decisions to purchase
electronics, whether that’s to search,
compare, or actually buy the product.
Finally, Herbert said, consumers are
increasingly open to innovative
approaches for receiving marketing
and information regarding electronics.
“Innovate or die,” said Herbert,
speaking about trends for the next 10
years. “New approaches are essential
to ensure that whether you’re a retail-
er or manufacturer, you’re on the top
list in 2017.”
Turn the page for an on-the-scene Q&A
with Tim Herbert.

The Buzz At RetailVision
We asked several retailers what they hoped to
accomplish at RetailVision 2008. Here are
their answers:
“We really want differ-
entiated products. We
want something our
competitors don’t
necessarily have … and
to see what else is
going on in the retail
industry. We’re looking
PHOTOS: GENE FEDELE & KIM KULISH
“Certainly the big
thing is to meet new
vendors and source
new products. Our
store is a computer
store, so I’m focused
on computer and
computer-related
products.”
—Jeff Ellis, Computer Purchasing Supervisor,
UBC Bookstore, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada
“We look for something
to build a relationship with and to bring
their products into our stores across the
country.”
—Renata Rosiek, Manager of University of Toronto
Computer Shop, Campus Retail Canada, Fonthill,
Ontario
“Why I came to the
RetailVision show here
is to find out what
the vendors, the manu-
facturers, are doing in
the industry. I try to
absorb more about the

at peripherals, some of that the bulk of our industry. I come here

the consumer electronics stuff, accessories stores may want. more from a logistics
and notebook accessories.” We’re not after parts standpoint.”
—Shawn Wright, General Manager, Superior and components. We —Gary Stern, CEO, PC Universe,
Computers, London, Ontario try to find new vendors Boca Raton, Fla.

13
rv08_day1_p14 8/25/08 10:44 PM Page 14

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

S H O W D A I LY

What’s Hot, What’s Not For This Holiday Season

In an interview following his speech, the CEA’s Tim Herbert says we’re fortunate to have so many ‘amazing products’
Craig Zarley, Everything Channel’s Industry Editor, caught up
with Tim Herbert, the Consumer Electronics Association’s
Senior Director of Market Research, following his State of the
Market Address to talk about the outlook for consumer elec-
tronics sales for the upcoming holiday season and more.
EVERYTHING CHANNEL: What are the displays. To date, shipments are up
biggest challenges buyers face as almost 40 percent this year. There has
they prepare for the holiday season? been greater tension because of the
HERBERT: In some regards, deciding DTV transition, which will take place
what to buy is the biggest challenge. We Feb. 17, 2009. That has driven some
are in a very fortunate position in that store traffic. But what we are also see-
there are so many amazing products. ing is that consumers upgraded their
You go down the list from flat-panel dis- primary living room television years
plays, to GPS, to smartphones to video ago—now they are also ready to
game systems. Consumers really have a upgrade the television found in the bed- Making The Right Call: The transition to smartphones will drive consumers into
lot of options. This year there is quite a room, the family room and so forth. stores to think about new capabilities, new features, says the CEA’s Tim Herbert.
bit of economic uncertainty so con- That category will continue to do well.
sumers will have to be more budget-con- We see the transition from many tradi- PC category. And the transition that is EVERYTHING CHANNEL: What kind of
scious than they have been in the past, tional cell phones to smartphones. taking place now is the move from desk- growth are you seeing in services
and they will have to make some trade- There has been a lot of attention with tops to laptops. This year we will sell sales vs. straight product sales?
offs in terms of what types of products the iPhone, but a lot of other manufac- more laptops than desktops. HERBERT: For a couple of years several
they will be giving as gifts this year. turers as well have introduced products. retailers introduced different types of
This will drive consumers into the EVERYTHING CHANNEL: Let’s turn that installation, different types of mainte-
EVERYTHING CHANNEL: Where do you stores to think about what are the new around. Which product areas will be nance services. In the past couple of
see the biggest opportunities for capabilities, what are the new features, less attractive to consumers? months we’ve seen the number of retail-
growth? What are the hot products? and what are the new things that I want HERBERT: We have seen categories tied ers offering these services exploding. It’s
HERBERT: In terms of revenue growth, to be able to do with my mobile phone. to other categories that are experiencing even gone beyond retailers to other
the hottest categories include flat-panel And the third really big category is the slowdowns. Examples are products tied types of service providers. For example,
to housing—certain categories of in- AT&T is offering setup and mainte-
wall speakers, home systems. So far this nance of certain types of electronic
Test Center: It’s All Systems Go year they have been struggling a little products. The number of consumers
bit. Categories that are tied to vehicles that have utilized these services is still
are an example. We have seen slow- relatively low. Based on our research,
downs in certain categories of in-dash about 15 percent of households have
units. Partly, though, this is structural in used these types of services, but the
nature. It is not just the slowdown in expectation that they will use these ser-
vehicle sales, but it’s consumers wanting vices over the next 12 months is much
to integrate their own portable devices higher. We could approach 30 percent
into the car. Beyond that, other cate- of consumers at least considering to use
gories are beginning to reach their mar- these types of services. It’s a combina-
ket potential. A good example is digital tion that there are more services avail-
cameras. Household penetration stands able. These services have become more
at roughly three out of four consumers refined. Electronic products have
own a digital camera. We are reaching become more complex. Many involve a
the point where all the consumers that content component. Many are net-
want to buy one have already purchased worked. And many consumers feel that
PHOTOS: GENE FEDELE

Testing 1-2-3: Mike Hallett (l.), National Sales Manager with Vuzix, shares one. It’s a different selling proposition for a nominal fee, to have it installed
the RetailVision 2008 stage with the Test Center’s Brian Sheinberg. when you are selling a replacement or professionally or maintained profes-
upgrade vs. a first-time purchase. sionally, it’s completely worthwhile.

14
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