Toys"R"Us launches an enhanced version of www.Toysrus.com with new features and functionality including easy-to-use navigation and new applications such as 'gift finder,' 'online wish list' and 'want it today?' The new site also includes upgrades to current online tools, such as the online Baby Registry at www.Babiesrus.com.

As part of the site re-launch, the site has been updated with three new applications that are displayed prominently throughout the navigation process. These tools are designed to help customers select the right gifts with ease or quickly locate a store in their area that has stock of the in-demand toy or baby product they are seeking.

- Gift Finder - Online shoppers can filter gift options by answering a series of questions related to the age, interests and personality traits of the gift recipient. Shoppers receive a tailored list of gift ideas specific to the child they have in mind. And, when shopping for babies ages 12 months and younger, the site allows customers to choose gifts based on building desired skills, such as coordination and motor, creative play or nurturing.

- Online Wish List - Whether for holidays, birthdays or special occasions, the Toys"R"Us online Wish List lets parents and caregivers browse products with their kids to create and update a running list online of their most desired presents. Kids can generate as many Wish Lists as they'd like, tailoring them for specific occasions. To ensure they get the gifts they crave, kids can share their Wish Lists with family and friends via e-mail. Gift-givers can also print Wish Lists in-store at Guest Service stations.

- Want It Today? - By accessing the "Want It Today?" feature, online shoppers have the ability to check in-store availability of toys and juvenile merchandise from the website by entering their zip code into the "Want It Today?" box. The online system can check for inventory of preferred products at the five stores closest to the customer. Currently, the
"Want It Today?" feature is only available on select items in certain markets throughout the U.S. but will be expanded to other areas and items over time.

"At Toys"R"Us, we know our customers look to us for our expertise in the toy and baby product categories, and an increasing number of people are using our online store not only to make purchases but to conduct research on products and services available in our stores," says Michael Scharff, vice president, general manager, e-commerce, Toys"R"Us, U.S. "By simplifying and enhancing the look of our e-commerce site and adding helpful tools, it's easier than ever for online customers to select and purchase the perfect gifts for their loved ones, quickly locate in-store availability of a desired product, and determine what items they need to prepare for the arrival of a new baby. These advancements pro

 

 

 

Giant Eagle Adds Deal Management Software

Giant Eagle selects DemandTec's Deal Management software service and has extended its agreement to manage pricing with software services from DemandTec. The food retailer first deployed DemandTec's Everyday Price Optimization software service to help manage everyday retail pricing in 2005.

Prior to deploying DemandTec's pricing solution, price management at Giant Eagle was a manual operation, using libraries of spreadsheets, that required significant resources and provided little optimization. The retailer uses DemandTec technology to more quickly respond to competitive changes in the market, help ensure accurate prices across thousands of items and multiple markets, and streamline pricing business processes.

"DemandTec has helped us to plan and execute a pricing strategy that provides consistent everyday value to our customers and at the same time allows us to meet our objectives for company performance," says Stephanie White, vice president of sales systems and operations at Giant Eagle. "We have enjoyed our partnership with DemandTec and are looking forward to working together to further advance our pricing and promotions management".

DemandTec's Deal Management software service will replace Giant Eagle's manual process that has consumed significant resources, resulted in inaccurate deal submissions, and required the archival of paper deal sheets for seven years.

"The process for negotiating, submitting and executing deals has been very labor intensive, requiring a significant amount of non-value added work, and has also lacked built-in quality controls, leading to errors and omissions, time delays and team member frustration," says White. "With DemandTec, these problems are greatly reduced, so we expect our team to be more productive and better able to concentrate on delivering the best available programs to our shoppers."