November 24, 1998 Contact: Lew Harris, (615) 322-NEWS, [email protected]
To business editors: With the holiday season getting underway, here are three sources to consider when looking for a fresh "hook" for Christmas business stories. If you would like to interview one or more of these sources, please contact me at the above phone number or e-mail address.
She's making a list, checking it twice: Donna Hoffman likes the idea of doing her Christmas shopping without ever stepping inside a mall or store. She envisions doing all her Christmas shopping without leaving home. She plans to do her holiday shopping on-line this year.
"Every year since we first started studying the Internet as a commercial medium in 1994, we have tried to do our Christmas shopping on-line," said Hoffman, an Internet marketing expert who is an associate professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management. Her husband, Tom Novak, is also an Owen professor and Internet marketing expert.
"In '94 and '95, there was no way," she added. "By 1996 there were maybe a few things we could buy. But in 1997 people could actually do a little bit of shopping and could get a lot of information about things they wanted to buy but which couldn't be fulfilled on-line. This year we're going to be 100 percent successful."
Hoffman, who is widely quoted on electronic commerce issues, said that while on-line retailing is catching on quickly, it's still far from perfect for the consumer. She said many sites "do not do a very good job. It isn't so much a criticism as a state of the field. This is a new area."
Resolving the age-old toy supply dilemma: Will this be the holiday season that the toy industry finally wins its bet on which toys will be the hot must-haves and stocks enough to satisfy demand? Or will 1998 be a repeat of past years when the surge for hit toys wreaked havoc at the store, leaving parents in a cold-sweat frenzy trying to find the one and only item on their child's wish list? Why can't the toy industry, which has wrestled with this challenge for decades, resolve the age-old toy supply dilemma?
"The toy industry faces relentless change and an unpredictable buying public, which creates immense challenges in anticipating best sellers and predicting volume," says leading supply-chain expert Eric Johnson, a professor at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.
In addition to the above issues, Johnson is available to explore answers to the following questions:
-- How will the Asian financial crisis affect the Christmas toy supply?
-- Will people be buying toys off the Internet this Christmas? What are the hottest sites?
-- Why are "hot" toys so difficult to find and which toys will be popular this year.
Charities may benefit from corporate gift-giving: The old adage, "it's better to give than receive," takes on new meaning this holiday season as companies opt to abandon traditional gift giving in favor of gifts directed at charitable organizations.
But companies should proceed cautiously as they shift their holiday gift funds to non-profit groups. Otherwise, they may find that their goodwill gestures leave customers and clients feeling unappreciated, advises David L. Rados of Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.
"Although it's not yet a stampede, more and more companies seem inclined to make donations that have a positive impact on society," Rados said. "The gift lasts longer, affects a greater number of people and, most importantly, offers the benefactor a greater satisfaction from having made a difference."
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