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NATIONWIDE DSNRT REPORT - Since the storied dot-com implosion that wrought havoc on both the technology sector and the overall U.S. economy, retailers have been sifting through the dust in search of a silver lining. Now, after more than a year of watching e-commerce limp back to shape-albeit as a shadow of its former selfretailers are gleaning valuable lessons from the e-world, including the realization that the technology responsible for putting e-commerce on the map is now finding practical applications in the world of bricks and mortar.
The genesis of this discovery dates back to the pioneering days of e-commerce, when all industries benefited from the era's rapid advances in technology. For bricks-andmortar retailers, it forced them to keep cutting-edge technologies on their radar screens and, more important, rethink the way they integrate operations across all channels. It was the beginning of a new age of customer relationship management.
The need to link catalog, Web and store fueled retailer interest in building a dedicated telecommunications network connecting each store in the chain to corporate headquarters. "In the last two to three years, telecommunications has become a real hotbutton issue with retailers," said John Hoeller Jr., senior manager of the consumer markets retail group for KPMG Consulting Inc.
Now that retailers have dimmed the spotlight on ecommerce and adopted a more integrated approach, several technology companies have followed suit by bringing their online CRM solutions to the store via point-of-sale systems and...