Blockbuster teams up with ChoiceStream to deliver billions of personalized recommendations to users of Blockbuster's online subscription service. The same technology is leveraged to personalize interactions across customer touchpoints, potentially including email communications and, in the future, in-store digital kiosks.

Since 2005, Blockbuster has employed ChoiceStream's personalization solutions for the one-to-one merchandising of Blockbuster's broad catalog of DVD titles to millions of by-mail subscribers. With the expansion of its relationship with ChoiceStream, Blockbuster can now utilize ChoiceStream's unique targeting capability to power movie recommendations delivered through email and, in the future, in-store digital kiosks.

"ChoiceStream's recommendation technology enables us to provide an improved movie discovery process, helping us connect people with the movies they love," said Keith Morrow, Chief Information Officer, Blockbuster Inc. "With this agreement, we can extend ChoiceStream's personalization service across multiple channels for a consistent user experience."

InkStop, implements JDA's Advanced Store Replenishment by E3 solution. InkStop, which operates 129 stores in 15 major metropolitan markets, opened its first store in January 2006 with a core product offering consisting of ink and toner cartridges, CD/DVD media and storage, flash memory for digital cameras and USB storage devices, as well as a selection of digital cameras, printers, shredders, monitors, and drives. Today, its in-store assortment consists of approximately 1200 SKUs. InkStop will launch its e-commerce site this summer, which will offer an expanded assortment of over 30,000 SKUs. The company is on schedule to have a total of 170 stores open by the end of the year with another 100 more stores planned to open in 2009.

"As fast as we are expanding, we really needed a system with advanced capabilities to support continuing and future growth," said Dawn Callahan, co-founder and vice president merchandising, InkStop.

InkStop carefully reviewed all of the system alternatives and decided on JDA's Advanced Store Replenishment and Advanced Warehouse Replenishment by E3 solutions. "We were familiar with JDA since we are utilizing its Merchandise Management System-I as our core merchandising solution. The advanced replenishment package met our essential business requirements and gave us the necessary flexibility to have customized forecasting and inventory optimization by store based off of demand generation. It was the right fit for us at the right time," said Callahan.

Advanced Store Replenishment was implemented before Advanced Warehouse Replenishment because of InkStop's need for tailored replenishment, forecasting and inventory management at the store level. Advanced Warehouse Replenishment is scheduled to go live in mid-2008. Within the first 30 days of utilizing Advanced Store Replenishment, InkStop was able to recognize a measurable reduction in inventory.  The system also helped to increase inventory turns by optimizing safety stock, creating accurate order quantities, and integrating promotional buying.

"Advanced Store Replenishment has really allowed us to fine tune the inventory and replenishment by store. It has also allowed us to make key adjustments by store with regards to stocking levels to ensure that the stores are being supplied with the optimal amount of inventory.  Early results show that we have been able to reduce our inventory by 18 percent.  We are confident that the system will continue to help us reduce inventory, increase our turns, and assist us with promotional planning and proper allocation of merchandise," Callahan added.

Barnes & Noble.com Launches B&N Mobile

Barnes & Noble announces that Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com) has launched B&N Mobile (www.bn.com/mobile), an e-commerce site accessible via a smartphone, BlackBerry, and any mobile device with a web browser.

The www.bn.com website has been optimized for use on a smartphone and BlackBerry, giving access on these devices to the more than one million books, DVDs, and CDs available for purchase on BN.com. In addition to placing orders, customers can browse lists such as bestselling books and locate their nearest Barnes & Noble store. B&N Mobile will work from any device with a mobile browser, and it has been specially optimized for iPhone and Windows Mobile users.

“Our goal is to serve our customers from wherever they are, in a multitude of platforms,” said Marie J. Toulantis, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble.com. “By enabling browsing, searching and purchasing on B&N Mobile, we are putting access to over one million books in our customers’ pockets, handbags and backpacks!”

Cabela’s Implements Software to Identify New Store Locations

Cabela’s  deploys geoVue’s software to determine optimal locations for its signature retail locations throughout the United States. The company’s retail expansion plans include four new destination retail stores in the next two years, with more sites identified for future expansion. Cabela’s uses geoVue software to reduce risk, while maximizing the potential of its expansion investment.

“As part of our ongoing customer commitment to provide our customers with a memorable shopping experience, we are enhancing our existing location analysis infrastructure with geoVue’s industry leading market optimization software iPLAN Lynx,” said Tim Holland, director of new store development. “geoVue provides us with the sophisticated market planning capabilities we need to identify the locations with the highest potential for Cabela’s signature retail stores, and allow us to focus long-term planning and development efforts on those locations.”

“We conducted a detailed assessment of all of the major providers in the retail location intelligence space and selected geoVue as our partner,” said Corey Bergstrom, director of customer analytics. “geoVue is the clear industry leader, combining a superior methodology incorporating a location allocation model and high-performance drive-time engine. It offers a collaborative business analysis process, high-quality consumer and demand data and a software platform that is both powerful and easy to use.”

Cabela's uses geoVue’s location optimization software to provide modeling and optimization solutions based on predictive, multi-factor trade areas. Cabela’s gains a localized, real-time geospatial decision-making framework for its site selection strategy.

After seven years of partnership with Amazon.com for e-commerce, Borders launches its first independent e-commerce site. The new site offers features such as the Magic Shelf and Borders Media original and exclusive video programming. Borders Reward members also can earn and redeem "Borders Bucks" and "Borders Rewards" coupons online. Other new features include "Borders Book Club," "Live at 01," "Borders Kitchen," and "Borders Presents."

"Today is another milestone for our company as we launch Borders.com, a site that is much more than just another place to shop on the Web - it is a source of information and entertainment that brings a real bookstore experience to life online," said George Jones, Borders Group CEO.