Author Archives: Gurpreet Kaur

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Gurpreet Kaur
gap intelligence at Delmar – Where the Turf Meets the Surf!

We gapians work hard and like to party even harder. So, when summer officially kicked in, Team gap intelligence went to the Delmar Race tracks –‘where the turf meets the surf’. Team gap intelligence is becoming a regular there, as this is our second visit to the track in the last two years, but for a few like me this was the first time.

The day started with working on getting our models pepped up for the Big Monday (Mondays are ALWAYS Big at gap). As soon as clock ticked 2.00PM, Team gap was out the door, heading to Santa FE station to take a train to the tracks. Yes, we are very serious about Mother Earth. This was also one of those rare moments where I really appreciated SoCal’s Public transportation system.

It is funny and interesting how activities and processes eventually come up with their own lingo and vocab. Just like Burst SKU’s, BTS, BTB, Pareto, 80-20, and Paradigm shift are used in market research, betting too has its own lingo!! So when I first went to place my bet at the counter, I was bombarded with words like Exacta, Trifecta, Trifecta Box, and on and on. At that time, I sure needed a translator or access to a horse betting glossary to understand these heavy jargons.

After a couple of races, Team Gap decided to put all its money jointly on a horse. It is always fun to do things together as one team and I have no complains about that at gap. Be it a tough work situation or having fun outdoors, we are always ‘One Team-One Gap’. So with some help from Team gap’s in-house horse expert, Josh, who not only knows his way around our price and promotions reports, but also learned a thing or two growing up down the road from Churchill Downs, gap intelligence placed its big bet on the last race of the day. And we won!

And here we are today thinking what to do with that $1,100 that we won?

Many of us who gulp down copious amounts of coffee are recommending getting a fancy Espresso machine, while a few want a WII gaming console for the breakroom. Some even suggest betting it all on another horse!!!

Overall, it was a good time and a fun way to welcome summer to California.
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Posted on April 8, 2010 by Gurpreet Kaur
iPad to Kill eReaders – Not Yet!

Apple last week launched its much hyped iPad tablet, selling approximately 300,000 units on the first day.  The company also announced that at least one book was downloaded within several hours of the purchase of each unit.  Several online blogs announced that the iPad would be the eReader market leader and called it the ‘Kindle Killer’.  The device may be cool (although I think it is a giant iPod Touch!) and should help people reduce the number of times they switch on their good ole’ PC or notebook for web browsing, the iPad is certainly not a ‘Kindle Killer’.  The technical reason for this is the iPad’s panel.  The iPad features a 9.7-inch IPS LED display versus the commonly used e-ink panel in most eReaders.  If you have not seen an eReader until now, an e-ink panel looks almost exactly the same as a printed page and has no backlight.  What this means is that the device does not produce any glare, allowing one to read even in bright sunlight and making the panel easy on their eyes.  However, unlike the backlit iPad, eReader users would still need to switch on their reading light if they were to read at night, which they would do anyway if they were reading an actual paper book.  The iPad also gains an upper-hand when it comes to reading color e-content.  e-ink panels currently lack support for color and only allow users to read in  black and white, thus not being the ideal choice for reading magazines.  The nascent e-ink technology also lacks the fast processing speed of the iPad.  However, companies are working towards developing much improved and faster e-ink panels and these disadvantages are expected to be minimalized by the end of the year.

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Posted on December 23, 2009 by Gurpreet Kaur
eReaders Everywhere

During my store visits a couple of weeks ago, I came across a new highlighted product category that is available in most stores—yes, you guessed it right – eReaders.  eReaders are one of the hottest product categories this holiday season and promotional displays are currently seen at most consumer electronics and mass merchant stores.

One common theme across the channel is that Sony is heavily investing in eReaders as a future growth category.  The eReader display is the first thing that you notice when you are in Staples and the most prominent stand in Best Buy’s mobile device section.  Sony has placed so many eReader displays in retail that it is easier to count the chains that do not promote the technology.  Displays for Sony’s eBook reading devices feature informational videos and comparison charts highlighting the key differences between competing eReaders.

Following Amazon’s private label lead, Barnes & Noble also made a foray into the market with the ‘nook’.  The retailer has created a separate section in the middle of its stores managed by a dedicated in-store representative to educate people about the ‘nook’, provide a demo, answer any questions, and pre-order the device.  Yes, it is still only available for pre-order!!!  Let’s hope for Barnes & Noble’s sake that it gets the ‘nook’ out before President’s Day!

Sony and Amazon currently dominate the eReader market largely due to brand recognition as well as the availability of these products.  Out of the ten stores selling eReaders in gap intelligence’s retail panel, Sony is available at eight and enjoys a competition-free presence at seven of them.  Although the Kindle is limited to Amazon.com, given the ubiquitous reach of the internet and lack of holiday lines, customers would have no trouble ordering a Kindle.  Unfortunately for Barnes & Noble, pre-order sales of the ‘nook’ exceeded current production levels and the device has yet to be made available for an immediate purchase.  Barnes & Noble continues to change its shipping and in-store availability date (the last time I checked it was Feb 1st, phew!!).

Vendors are positioning eReaders not only as a useful device for college students or business professionals, but also as ideal holiday gift items.  eReaders can prove to be exceptionally useful small devices to anyone who is an avid reader, has run out of space to store more books, or is tech savvy.

The eReader market is expected to go though a sea change in 2010 with a significant increase in the number of brands and product availability (both online and retail).  The category will also see aggressive price competition and possibly adaptations to its sales model and echo system.  Stay tuned for more on eReaders!

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Posted on November 6, 2009 by Gurpreet Kaur
It all started with a one liner!!

It all started exactly a year ago with a one liner email to Gary which said “Is there any email id wherein I could apply for a job position?” and an equal one liner response : “this is the one”

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I saw a lot of changes in the last one year of my life from my marital status, to my employer, to my country of residence, and much more.  I am still getting used to a new life in in a new land, and its been going great so far….

Thanks for getting me on-board ……..life would not have been so good without gap!

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