Consumers will spend more, shop more places, expect more, shop online more … and FedEx has hired 20,000 additional seasonal workers. Want more? Check out the Nation Retail Federations Retail Big Blog.
Business
Archived Posts from this Category
November 23, 2011
Top 10 retail holiday trends for 2011
Posted by Mark under Business, Consumer research, Economy, retail, Retail TrendsLeave a Comment
November 23, 2011
ROSEBURG, Ore., Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — Rio Networks, Oregon’s locally owned and operated voice and data provider, announced the launch of its newest product the Rio Freedom Suite, a cloud based communications platform that allows Oregon business owners to eliminate technology start-up and expansion costs while reducing operating expenses. To receive a free demonstration of the Rio Freedom Suite, visit Cloud Communication Services Oregon
The biggest challenge most companies face is raising capital to upgrade start-up or expand operations. A big part of capital expenditure is allocated to voice and data service, hardware and software for business operations. Phone, email, fax, video conferencing and mobile device integration are essential but can be costly as well as those ongoing expenses can be unexpected and hard to predict. Also, remaining competitive requires businesses to constantly upgrade to the latest hardware and software technology. Due to the economy and other factors, leading edge technologies have not been an option for most small to medium sized businesses due to the capital investment required to obtain it. The promise of cloud computing has always been to shift these infrastructure costs to an outside service provider, allowing the business to pay an affordable fixed monthly fee for access to the latest technology, without having to build it, maintain it or manage it in-house. Reference: Top 10 Challenges Companies Face
Networks has embraced this Communications-As-A-Service model and created a next generation cloud communications network for small and medium sized businesses in Oregon. They are the only local on-net provider offing these services and they come to you on Oregon’s newest network. The Rio Freedom Suite provides business phone handsets, fully featured phone service, mobile configuration (PBX Manager), e-fax, enterprise email, spam filtering, smart phone integration and HD video conferencing for a single monthly fee per seat. There is no upfront investment required for hardware or software and all technology upgrades are included and free installation plans are available as well.
“As Rio Networks has completed large investments in Oregon voice and data infrastructure, we are now poised to offer game-changing new products and services that our national competitors can’t match. Being local has put us in touch with what Oregon business owners really need to compete. They said we want something affordable, scalable, feature rich and from a single supplier. We simply listened and responded with the Rio Freedom Suite”, states Mark Bilton-Smith President of Rio Networks. “Rio Freedom Suite is a cloud computing communications platform that reduces maintenance cost, eliminates the need for technology upgrades and avoids large upfront capital investments and expansion costs for any business. It’s truly going to be a competitive advantage for Oregon based businesses”.
To learn more about the Rio Freedom Suite, visit Rio Networks Freedom Suite and sign up for a free in-house demonstration.
Rio Networks is an Oregon owned and operated provider of managed cloud services including phone, email, data and internet. Coverage areas include Portland, Hillsboro, Oregon City, Woodburn, Salem, Albany, Corvallis, Eugene, Springfield, Redmond, Bend, La Pine, Roseburg, Grants Pass Ashland and growing. Rio Networks services the business communities of Oregon with a 96% customer satisfaction score. Contact Rio Networks to learn how your business can benefit from a next generation network and cloud based technologies. You can find Rio Networks online at RioNetworks.com or call 866-746-7253.
November 19, 2011
Huge increase in Black Friday Weekend shoppers predicted
Posted by Mark under Business, Consumer research, Economy, retailLeave a Comment
For Immediate Release
Kathy Grannis (202)783-7971 or grannisk@nrf.com
www.nrf.com/holidays
Up to 152 Million Shoppers Expected to Visit Stores, Websites Black Friday Weekend,
According to NRF Survey
-Number of People “Definitely” Shopping Jumps from 27% in 2010 to 33%-
Washington, November 17, 2011 – Though there are already plenty of great deals on everything from e-readers and smartphones to apparel and toys, Americans know there is only one Black Friday – and the best is yet to come. According to a preliminary Black Friday shopping survey, conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch, up to 152 million people plan to shop Black Friday weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), higher than the 138 million people who planned to do so last year. According to the survey, 74 million people say they will definitely hit the stores and another 77 million are waiting to see if the bargains are worth braving the cold and the crowds.
“Though many retailers are already touting select Black Friday ads, there’s no doubt we’ll all be blown away by what retailers still have in their bag of tricks for shoppers,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “We fully expect to see excited shoppers as early as midnight at stores around the country, as many holiday shoppers would rather stay up all night to take advantage of retailers’ Black Friday deals rather than set their alarm to wake up the next morning.”
For the first time, NRF asked shoppers how they plan to keep track of retailers’ holiday sales and promotions announcements. Half (50.5%) will keep up with advertising circulars throughout the holiday season and nearly one-third (31.7%) said they will tune in to watch retailers’ holiday commercials. Additionally, nearly one-quarter (23.1%) will seek out coupon websites like RetailMeNot.com and FatWallet.com, and 32.3 percent will specifically keep track of the email coupons they receive from retailers.
“Social media will play a big role in how shoppers follow company sales announcements this holiday season,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “From Facebook to Twitter and even group buying sites, ‘social’ retailers may be rewarded this season in terms of additional holiday sales.”
The survey found 17.3 percent will monitor retailers’ Facebook pages and 11.3 percent will check out group-buying sites like Groupon and LivingSocial. Of those who own tablet devices and who plan to shop for or research holiday items this year, one in five (21.3%) will seek out group buying sites and 31.2 percent will check out retailers’ Facebook pages.
View NRF’s Black Friday Shopping Tips.
Retailers Ramping Up Social Media, Email Campaigns to Boost Store Traffic This Black Friday
As retailers prep their stores for the biggest shopping weekend of the year, they are also ramping up their activity online. This Black Friday, retailers will harness the power of social media and the Internet to bring shoppers into stores. According to the Shop.org eHoliday Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, eight in 10 (84.2%) retailers will send an email to their customers about Black Friday deals, up from 80.0 percent last year. A marked increase from last year, nearly three-quarters (73.7%) will use their Facebook page to reach out to shoppers, up from 57.1 percent last year. Additionally, many retailers will utilize their website’s home page (50.0%) and Twitter (57.9%) to announce and promote Black Friday deals.
CyberMonday.com Announces Black Friday Deals of the Hour
Black Friday is no longer just about offering eager holiday shoppers great deals in their stores; retailers are also preparing special e-Commerce deals for online shoppers that day. Shop.org’s CyberMonday.com, which features promotions and deals from hundreds of retailers, will feature a Deal of the Hour on Black Friday from more than 20 different retailers. Retailers participating in the Black Friday Deal of the Hour include Sears.com, homedepot.com, Barnes & Noble.com, eBags.com, Macys.com, BestBuy.com. Lowes.com, Kmart.com and many more. (Click here for the full list of companies and times.) Offers will include free shipping specials, dollars off, percentages off, and free gifts with purchase. Retailers will also use CyberMonday.com to promote their special Cyber Monday Deal of the Hour. (CyberMonday.com Deal of the Hour information will be announced Sunday, November 27, 2011.)
Black Friday Contact Information and Additional Details
NRF will release the results of its Black Friday weekend survey by 1:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 28 and will hold a special media briefing at 2 p.m. EST. Information will include what time people started shopping on Black Friday, where they shopped, how much they spent, and what they purchased. NRF will also be releasing findings from a new survey on the number of people expected to shop on Cyber Monday.
NRF’s offices will be closed on Black Friday and throughout the weekend, so please use the communications team’s direct lines to set up print and broadcast interviews with NRF spokespeople. (This is the only way to contact the PR team over the holiday weekend):
- Kathy Grannis: (202) 626-8189 or cell (202) 821-7513 or grannisk@nrf.com
- Ellen Davis: (202) 626-8127 or cell (703) 474-3446 davise@nrf.com
- Kara Goehring (202) 661-3055 or cell (318) 918-8830 or goehringk@nrf.com
About the Survey
The NRF 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. The survey polled 8,502 consumers (more…)
November 17, 2011
So, you’re a bit worried about your new software vendor?
Posted by Mark under Business, FunLeave a Comment
There is much that looks familiar in this very funny video
November 17, 2011
Small business Saturday, the day after Black Friday
Posted by Mark under Business, Economy, Marketing, retail[2] Comments
November 8, 2011
Roseburg, DC, economic update deadline is Nov. 9
Posted by Mark under Business, Economy, Local EventsLeave a Comment
You have until end of day Wednesday, November 9 to register for Economic Forecast.
Five speakers will bring a wide range of information and knowledge to this half-day event. Speakers are: Fred Dickson, economist and senior VP at D.A. Davidson & CO.; Raymond P. Davis, president & CEO of Umpqua Holdings Corporation; Paul Owen, president of Vanport International; John H. Brown, partner of Evans, Elder & Brown Real Estate Brokerage; and Graham Slater, Oregon Employment Department’s Director of Research.
The cost of the program is $35 for members, $30 for three or more members and $40 for non-members with continental breakfast included. Register online at http://www.roseburgareachamber.org/chamber/events.php, or call 541-672-2648, ext. 22.
Sponsors include: Avista Utilities, C&D Lumber Company, Douglas Timber Operators, Oregon Pacific Bank, Seven Feathers Casino Resort, Slight, Klimowicz & Friel, CPA, Umpqua Insurance Agency, Umpqua Training & Employment and Watkinson, Laird, Rubenstein, Baldwin & Burgess, PC.
REMEMBER THE ECONOMIC FORECAST IS HELD AT:
Douglas County Fairgrounds, 7:45 a.m. to noon
November 7, 2011
Local businesses featured at Nov. 8 mini-conference
Posted by Mark under Business, Business education, Local EventsLeave a Comment
The public is invited to “Snapshots of Success,” 11:30 AM to 3 PM, Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at the Roseburg Country Club.
This mini-conference is intended to provide insights useful to local investors, entrepreneurs, business executives, and students of business. The conference identifies contributions to success among businesses in the Umpqua and explores prospects for businesses in the near future.
Speakers include representatives of Orenco Systems, Con-Vey, Pyrenees, FCC Commercial and represent a wide variety of business enterprises. Each speaker will summarize some key elements that contributed to the success of that business here in the Land of Umpqua, Douglas County. The panel will then explore with each other and with the audience how those elements of success may apply to businesses in the near future.
The conference is sponsored by Lunch Bunch. It’s theme this year focuses on the Big Es: Economy, Employment, Education, Energy, Encouragement. The event is being co-sponsored by NeighborWorks Umpqua, the SBDC at Umpqua Community College, The Partnership for Economic Development in Douglas County, and the Young Entrepreneurs Society of Umpqua Valley.
For the community conference November 8, two registration options are available: By November 1, pre-register for buffet lunch and program ($20); for program only pay $5 at the door. Fees are payable to NUView. Buffet lunch is at 11:30; program starts at noon. For more information and to pre-register, contact Jim Long, jblong@dcwisp.net; 541.673.3713.
A flyer with more detail on speakers and a schedule is available at:
http://www.uedpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Nov-8-Snapshots-of-Success.pdf
October 14, 2011
Harry and David has been a Southern Oregon success story for many years and its recent travails are worthy of consideration. This Bloomberg piece by Anthony Effinger lays out a tale of a large employer in a small town losing its soul and its future to greedy investors.
September 14, 2011
The “average American” – facts you didn’t know
Posted by Mark under Business, Consumer research, Demographics, EconomyLeave a Comment
By Cheryl Russell, editorial director, New Strategist Publications
To see this newsletter in your browser, click here.
To see Cheryl Russell’s Demo Memo blog, click here.
(Mark’s note: Cheryl is one smart lady and I appreciate her letting me use some of her material. I’d suggest subscribing to her blog using the link above to see all of her free information.)
It is painfully clear that the nation’s politicians and business leaders are not demographers. If they were, they would not be so far off the mark in their positions and policies, products and promotions. Simply put, they do not have a feel for the average American.
Like most of the public, politicians and business leaders get the bulk of their information about the population from television shows and news stories–a frightening thought since both grossly distort the characteristics of the average American. From reading business stories in the news, for example, you might think the average American actually owns stock (wrong) or runs a business rather than works for one.
There is no single source of information on the average American. To know him (or her), you have to follow the demographics. To that end, here is a sampling of just a few of the characteristics of the average American (adult) or household.
1. The average American makes $735/week.
2. The average American has $34 in his/her wallet.
Survey of Consumer Payment Choice
3. The average American spends $69 a day.
4. The average American has a job (58%).
5. The average American thinks hard work is the way to get ahead (70%).
6. The average American thinks the government’s number-one priority should be to help keep and create jobs in America (51%).
7. The average American has employer-provided health insurance (56%).
8. The average American household spends $3,126 a year out-of-pocket on health care.
9. The average American has a landline telephone (70%).
National Health Interview Survey
10. The average American has a cell phone (87%), but does not own a smart phone (only 35% own one).
National Health Interview Survey, Pew Research Center
11. The average American says the economy/jobs will be the top issue in the 2012 election (60%).
12. The average American has less than $100,000 in savings (54%).
13. The average American does not directly own any stock. (Only 19% of households own stock directly.)
14. The average American household is $75,600 in debt (including the mortgage).
15. The average American has been to college (56%), but does not have a college degree.
16. The average American owns a desktop (59%) and/or laptop computer (52%).
Pew Internet & American Life Project
17. The average American used the Internet today (59%).
Pew Internet & American Life Project
18. The average American says he/she is in very good or excellent health (56%).
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
19. The average American is overweight (63%).
National Health Interview Survey
20. The average American eats at least two snacks a day (65%).
21. The average American drinks alcohol regularly (52%).
National Health Interview Survey
22. The average American goes to the doctor at least twice a year (65%).
National Health Interview Survey
23. The average American is taking at least one prescription drug.
24. The average American sometimes or often has trouble sleeping (55%).
25. The average American is currently married (51%).
Families and Living Arrangements
26. The average American has never divorced (only 21% have ever divorced).
Survey of Income and Program Participation
27. The average American lives in one of the top 50 metropolitan areas (54%).
28. The average American is a homeowner (65%).
29. The average American lives in an 1,800 square foot house.
30. The average American lives in a house built before 1975.
31. The average American believes the effects of global warming have already begun or soon will (53%).
32. The average American household is air-conditioned (87%).
33. The average American watches 2 hours and 49 minutes of television a day.
34. The average American has two or more children (57%).
35. The average American favors spanking children, if necessary (69%).
36. The average American was born in-state (52%).
37. The average American’s parents were born in the United States (78%)
38. The average American’s grandparents (all four) were born in the United States (59%).
39. The average American household owns two vehicles.
40. The average American household owns at least one pet (62%).
American Pet Products Association
41. The average American pays his/her credit card bill in full each month (54%).
National Bureau of Economic Research
42. The average American household has a net worth of $96,000.
43. The average American believes in God without a doubt (59%).
44. The average American believes in evolution (56%).
45. The average American favors the death penalty (68%).
46. The average American often or always recycles (64%).
47. The average American wants the government to spend more on education (74%), health care (60%), and the environment (60%).
National Opinion Research Center
48. The average American is worried about being able to maintain his/her standard of living (58%).
49. The average American believes the honesty and ethical standards of Congress are low (57%).
Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
50. The average American does not know which political party controls the House of Representatives (62%).
By Cheryl Russell, editorial director, New Strategist Publications. For more about the the average American, see the 10th edition of The American Marketplace: Demographics and Spending Patterns , available in hardcopy or as a PDF download with links to Excel files of each data table. If you have questions or comments about the above editorial, contact demographics@newstrategist.com.
September 14, 2011
DOUGLAS COUNTY – Some numbers
|
July 2011 |
July 2010 |
July 2009 |
|
| Civilian Labor Force |
46,362 |
47,026 |
47,250 |
| Employed |
40,557 |
40,509 |
40,152 |
| Unemployed |
5,805 |
6,517 |
7,098 |
| County
Unemployment Rate |
Seasonally Adjusted: 13.4% |
Seasonally Adjusted: 14.9% |
Seasonally Adjusted: 15.9% |
| State
Unemployment Rate |
Seasonally Adjusted: 9.5% |
Seasonally Adjusted: 10.7% |
Seasonally Adjusted: 11.5% |
|
|
|
|
|
| Population – 2010
Census |
Census 2010 107,667
21.4 people/square mile |
Census 2000 100,399 Unincorporated: ~ 54.7% 19.9 people/square mile |
2000-2010 change +7,268 (7.2%) |
| Average Pay per Job: |
Douglas 2010 $33,341 |
Oregon 2010 $41,667 |
Douglas 2009 $32,742 |
|
July Gains and Losses: (these are preliminary estimates and will be revised)
For additional information: http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/BIC or The Douglas County Labor Trends publication: http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/PubReader?itemid=00000046
Oregon Labor Trends (statewide) : http://www.qualityinfo.org/olmisj/PubReader?itemid=00000051
If you would like to regularly receive this monthly update, please drop me an e-mail or phone!
Annette.I.Shelton-Tiderman@state.or.us Workforce Analyst, Oregon Employment Dept.; 541-530-0605 (cell) |
|||
