DATA BASE
Q+A
WWD: Media and entertainment players such as NBC and Walt Disney have recently begun reincorporating dot-com divisions into their parent companies. Do you expect a similar trend to surface among online apparel merchants like Nordstrom.com, Walmart.com, or Kmart’s BlueLight.com?
Heather Dougherty, online analyst, Jupiter Media Metrix: “It’s probably a good idea at this point for the click-and-mortars to roll their dot-com units back into the corporate fold.
“For one thing, it will make it easier to integrate the Web sites with the stores — especially as the presence of Internet enabled kiosks grows in those stores. We are going to see a lot more Internet enabled kiosks pop up in stores as various Web sites try new tactics to protect their market share.
“Nordstrom could do shoe kiosks and offer a bigger selection than they are able to carry in their stores. Gap could do a jeans kiosk. When Internet-enabled kiosks serve a specific purpose, they work.”