The world around us

Fabric and apparel manufacturer Raymond announced that it will be launching a line of lower priced apparel, and will create a new brand for this segment. Raymond already has several apparel brands although all of them are in the high end segment. It’s brands include Raymond, Color Plus, Park Avenue and Parx at present. One of the main reasons for this new low priced segment is the higher growth potential in the lower segment which is growing. The growth in the apparel market is at 34% compared to the premium segment which is at 24%.

Creating a unique and attractive website plays a huge role in determining the success of any product or service that is being promoted at the site. An even more important requirement is having an email form as well as a contact form on a site that will enable consumers to connect with the company. It’s the simplest thing to close a page simply because there is no way to contact a company, so no one should over look this feature. Forms4Free.com is providing exactly this service to webmasters, and using this software they will be able to create a free HTML form and download formmail. The company is one of the few to offer a formmail file, that can be downloaded for $19.95, which is a processing file that is uploaded to a website and processes the HTML form and email.

Amazon is launching a subscription service for its grocery customers which will allow them to sign up for replinishment of non-perishable items on a regular schedule. Amazon is also offering 15% discounts along with free shipping to customers who sign up for its Subscribe and Save offer.  Under this plan, customers will receive an automatic delivery of items on their shopping list every month or two months or six months, as you set your preferences. Customers do not need to have any minimum amount for purchase and can cancel orders.

The Amazon Grocery site emphasizes that it offers a wide variety of products, including all flavors of many brands, hard-to-find regional specialties, including Panda raspberry bars from Norway and Zatarain’s jambalaya mix, as well as an assortment of natural and organic products.

Retail professionals are in big demand and there have been several schools launching retail management courses lately. The Global Retail School announced it’s plans last week to teach students on retail management and today the Times Business Solutions announced that it will be tying up with Lady Irwin College to offer retail management classes in four modules. The main areas covered will be retail space, facilities, customer relationship and brand management. Inventory control and supply chain management are also high on the list of retailer’s wish list, but there aren’t too many courses for them as yet.