Forum Development - Phase One

June 19, 2010

We are in the process of developing phase one of our forum. The purpose of which is to provide our registered users with an effective and efficient method of communication. With your help, we hope to build a strong community where people can empower themselves.

The information we share with our friends and family, about products and services we’ve purchased, is quite powerful. The success or failure of companies is acutely affected by this process that we all participate in but generally ignore.

Corporations spend an enormous amount of money creating their brand and molding an image they guard very closely. The perception we have is one which is fed to us in the most scientific and methodical way imaginable. The truth is that not all products, services and companies are created equal. It’s up to consumers to sort through the media hype, and make an educated purchase decision based on factual information.

Register now and be first in line once it launches. Share some helpful information and lets all become more informed consumers.

Retail Sales Trends

May 15, 2010

Based on the Annual Retail Trade Survey released in March, with the exception of 2008, total retail sales have increased every year since 1992. An average increase of 5% per year helped to create an economic boom of an unprecedented magnitude in the U.S. and around the world.

The last couple of years the collapse in the housing market has taken it's toll on the economy. A decrease of 1.2% in 2008 seems to be just the beginning of a very serious recession. This has presented retailers with many challenges and without the easy money of the last two decades, they will have to fight hard to compete. Market forces will weed out the weak and allow the most resourceful to survive and pick up market share.

A drop of 13.4% in U.S. auto sales makes it one of the most devastated sectors in the economy. Consolidation among automotive manufacturers is ongoing and has led to a record number of layoffs.

Isolated from the carnage was food and beverage along with health and personal care stores. Both saw a respectable increase considering the circumstances. The same goes for general merchandise stores, non-store retailers and food services. Standing out from the crowd are gas stations which delivered an impressive increase of 10.6% in sales for 2008. It appears that Americans will continue to drive regardless of whether it takes them right off of a cliff or not.

Sales

Originally defined as a “discounted price”, but currently refers to “the activity of marketing and selling goods or services.”

History Of Commerce

The buying and selling of goods is the definition of commerce and this form of trade can be traced back to the roots of civilization. It is believed that our ancestors began to engage in the barter system with each other approximately 150,000 years ago. This form of commerce required no currency or medium of exchange and consisted of exchanging simple goods and services with each other. The barter system continued to be the only form of commerce for the ancient world. It wasn’t until the first trade route was established between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley that two separate cultures began a trade relationship. Eventually trade developed in Arabia, the Mediterranean and China.

With the introduction of currency around 2000 BCE, commerce started to grow throughout the ancient world. This medium of exchange solved a fundamental problem with the barter system. That being “double coincidence of wants”, where one person needs to find another that 1) needs their goods or services, 2) has the goods or services they need and 3) is willing to accept the amount offered and requested. Currency solved this problem by allowing a society to assign values to these goods and services which made trade much more efficient.

The trade routes along with currency helped to produce the markets where people gathered to do business and develop relationships. This was a time when deals were made without contracts or license but rather with trust. In many parts of the world these types of markets still exist today and operate on the same values as they did thousands of years ago.

The entire evolution of commerce is almost as old as human existence and just as complex.