Due Maternity credits the iPhone with landing a big online order that might have been lost to a competing retailer. Bonjour Fleurette claims the trendy device helps its business be fleet of foot.
Despite analysts’ warnings that Apple’s smart phone is a consumer gadget ill-suited for corporate use, a few smaller retailers are giving it a go. They say the iPhone’s full feature Safari browser and rich optics offer a screen display unmatched by other handheld wireless devices.
Albert DiPadova, vice president of Due Maternity, uses his iPhone to view Web site traffic via HitsLink, a Web-based service from Net Applications of Aliso Viejo, Calif. HitsLink does not link to the retailer’s back-end systems, mitigating the risk of unauthorized access to business-critical data. The $3 million apparel and accessories retailer is based in Santa Barbara, Calif.
When DiPadova’s iPhone showed an incoming order for five identical bags, a bride’s gifts to her bridesmaids, he knew he had to confirm shipment quickly, or risk losing that sale.
Using the iPhone to call the bag vendor, DiPadova confirmed it could drop ship the items for next-day delivery.
“The five bags were $200 each, so it was a $1,000 order that we would have lost had we not been [able to respond] in real time with this new iPhone,” DiPadova said.
Due Maternity’s four store managers travel frequently between its five shops in California, Texas and Georgia, and each carries an iPhone to monitor online orders. “When we can do that in real time, that frees us up from being at any one location,” DiPadova said. “I can make sure everything goes out on time, and do that from the beach.”
At Novato, Calif.-based Bonjour Fleurette, whose floral footwear is sold in 1,200 shops, Web site design updates are frequent. When Web master James Donnelly receives a “fix it now” directive, he can make the change instantly using his iPhone, even if he’s aboard a bus. To make site changes, Donnelly uses an application from NetSuite of San Mateo, Calif., which made its software compatible with the iPhone last month.
The full-feature browser allows Donnelly to view the Web site remotely and see exactly what Jerry Seltzer, chief operating officer, sees from his desktop at the office. It’s a detail that can be appreciated by any two people who view the same Web site, but see different versions because of different browsers.
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Seltzer said he frequently gets ideas for changing the site. Last month, Bonjour Fluerette hired a new sales representative and Seltzer learned she was attending her first industry event.
“As soon as I found out, I called Jim and he immediately put her [information] up there as our new rep,” Seltzer said. Then, Donnelly added another twist, using his iPhone and the social networking service Twitter. To help introduce the new rep to clients, Donnelly posted a Twitter message from her that read: “What am I doing….Upcoming trade show: Aug. 18-21 @ 8th and Brannan Sts., Booth 509 and 609 at the Concourse San Francisco. — Jacqueline Stone.”
Research firm Gartner warns against using the iPhone for business, namely that Apple intends to focus support on consumer use, not corporate. In his report, Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney called the iPhone “an unproven device from a vendor that has never built an enterprise-class mobile device.” Other handheld devices used for business, such as Research in Motion’s popular BlackBerry, can be “wiped clean” remotely if lost or stolen to safeguard business data. The iPhone reportedly does not have that ability.
“The device has never been WiFi certified for WPA2 so the retailer would have to work with these devices in an unsecured manner,” Dulaney wrote in an e-mail. WPA2 is a standard protocol to secure wireless networks. He acknowledged the iPhone can be used to surf the Internet, “but it’s a very expensive device for that purpose,” costing $499 or $599.
The iPhone could work for small retailers, “but in an enterprise environment it would be a bear to support,” adds Ron Ehlers, who retired last month as vice president of information services at 1,200-store Pacific Sunwear of California.