Unic.com Magazin

Webinar on Best Practices for Fashion Retailers – March 22, 2012 16.00 CET

pm/red — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:24:28 +0000

On March 22nd, Heiler is organizing a webinar about Product Information Management Best Practices for Fashion Retailers. Unic happily invites you to participate to this webinar.

The fashion industry is quite unique when it comes to managing product information. This is due to the fact that both retailers and manufacturers have to arrange their assortment per season, by style, color, and sizes. This process can be challenging especially due to volatile product portfolios.

Webinar Takaways:
Learn how these challenges within the fashion industry can be solved with PIM Best Practices.

This Webinar is taking place on Thursday March 22 at 16.00 CET. and is only taking 30 minutes from your time. You can subscribe here !

Unic Benelux has become hybris Platinum Partner

Axelle Leroy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:55:36 +0000

eCommerce and PIM specialist upgraded by hybris to Platinum Partner.

During the Award ceremony of the annual hybris Partner Summit on Wednesday February 1st, 2012, Unic Benelux wasawarded the Platinum Partnership.

The eCommerce and PIM specialist with offices in Amsterdam and Brussels evolves from a gold status to the highest possible partnership at hybris called the Platinum Partnership.

Hybris has praised Unic Benelux, among others for its efforts in a fast moving market and its motivation to assist companies in their online evolution.

“This recognition is all the merit of our employees in Amsterdam and Brussels” says CEO Michel da Silva. “Thanks to their tireless dedication and the will to pursue continuous improvement, hybris decided to upgrade our partnership from a Gold to a Platinum status.”

By obtaining the Platinum Partnership, Unic Benelux joined the select group of partners in Europe who belongs to this highest existing category of partnership.

“Of course we should also thank our customers” adds Michel da Silva. “We are successful thanks to them:” Unic is, among others, active for Beter Bed, Standaard Boekhandel, Leenbakker, De Bijenkorf, Fabory, Kleertjes.com, Rexel, Brammer, CRH etc.

Webwinkelvakdagen – Yearly Fair Utrecht (NL) – 25th & 26th January 2012

Axelle Leroy — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:54:25 +0000

The Webwinkel Vakdagen Fair is the platform where supply and demand in e-commerce meet. This Benelux event is one of the biggest for the e-commerce branch that only focuses on e-commerce and online business. It is the perfect place for professionals who want to accelerate and optimize their online success. With more than 200 e-commerce professionals and about 100 information sessions scheduled, this fair was worth the visit!

Jorij Abraham, Director Consultancy

On the first day, Jorij Abraham, Director Consulting at Unic and chairman of the event, gave an interesting lecture on “The switch from single to cross channel – the multichannel vision on Beter Bed”. On the second day he was the chairman of the event.
Overall, the fair was successful for Unic Benelux.

Igor Corvers, Director Sales

Webinar on Food Retail: 31 January 1012 16:00 CET

pm/red — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:33:11 +0000

We invite you to join heiler’s webinar on Food Retailing taking place on 31 January 2012. Managing Product Information within the food retailing industry is getting more and more important and can be challenging due to legal regulations, large assortments and product complexity.

Have you thought about what is next? How can you add the mobile commerce vision in your ROI strategy? Heiler gives you the answer – accomplish Product Data, Customer information and sales volume and get to the next level.

Webinar Takeaways

Learn how Product Information Management (PIM)…

solves consumers demand for allergy, nutritional and dietary information;
can help to manage a big amount of data from different sources efficiently;
becomes an important prerequisite for the next level of multichannel and e-commerce;
is used by leading food and retailing brands for fulfilling legal requirements;
can help for business growth through mobile commerce.

This Webinar is taking place on Tuesday January 31 at 16.00 CET. It will only take 30 minutes from your time. You can subscribe via the following url: http://www.heiler.de/international/company/Events/2012/20120131_Webinar_Food_Retailing.php

Webwinkel Vakdagen – Yearly Fair Utrecht – 25 & 26th January 2012

pm/red — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:50:17 +0000

The Webwinkel Vakdagen are the platform where supply and demand in e-commerce meet. This Benelux event is one of the biggest events for the e-commerce branch that only focuses on e-commerce and online business. It is the perfect place for professionals who want to accelerate and optimize their online success. With more than 200 e-commerce professionals and about 100 information sessions scheduled, this fair is worth the visit!

Unic Benelux will also be actively present : Our Director Consulting Jorij Abraham will be for one day the chairman of the event. We would like to welcome you at our stand for more information and refreshments. You can find us at stand SO2. Register here free of charge.

Multi-channel retailing using the example of THELOOK.com

Michael à Porta — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:03:08 +0000

Due to changing technology, purchasing behaviour has changed significantly in recent years. Today, customers rely on a variety of information and sales channels during the purchasing process. They have got used to looking at offers in the stores, look them up in the printed catalogue, compare them with other offers on their smartphones, and purchase them at home through the online shop.

By tapping the online sales channels, a company can take full advantage of very valuable turnover potential. New opportunities arise to create a novel buying experience for the customer through an interactive presentation of the products on offer.

Essential factors for successful online sales are, for example, personalised offers and product recommendations. These offers can be presented via e-mail marketing campaigns or shown to the customer when entering the online shop through the presentation of the product range.

Various intuitive ways to access the range of products

Under THELOOK.com, PKZ sells the retail brands PKZ, Feldpausch, Burger and BLUEDOG. The entire online shop is set up specifically for each retail brand. For example, if the customer enters the online shop via the bluedog.ch microsite, the THELOOK.com – BLUEDOG store with a product range specific to that retail brand is displayed.

: Retail brand-specific presentation of the range of products. Here: BLUEDOG

In addition to the retail brands, the origin of the customer (Google, microsites, etc.) and the order history of the online and offline purchases are used for a comprehensive merchandising concept (personalisation and recommendations).

When presenting the range of products, an intuitive and inspiring access to the products is of great importance so that the customer can find the right item quickly. The product range must be accessible through a variety of options, such as a clearly laid-out navigation, an intelligent search functionality, or alternative access means (via online magazine, in-video shopping solutions, etc.).

As well as through the general main categories “Women” and “Men”, the product range of THELOOK.com is also accessible through “Brands”. Faceted navigation (filtered search) is available to limit the range of products within a category.

: Access page to the range of products via “Brands”

Available product information is shown and functionalities such as “Save item for later”, “Recommend item”, or “Reserve in a store” are available on the product detail pages. Special attention was placed on an emotional presentation of the detail page. A product is presented using different product views, large-sized pictures, style tips (combinations of items on the model), and videos.

Further access options to the product range are an intelligent and fault-tolerant product and content search and an online magazine for an inspirational access. The “Looks” area completes the access concept accordingly. “Looks” presents a fashion trend and shows the customer which items from the product range fit that trend.

Multi-channel: Seamless linking of online and offline

Interesting shopping functionalities in a multi-channel strategy result from the right combination of online and offline trade. For example, on the detail page, the customer is shown the entire stock of an item available at the stores and offered the option to have an item reserved in a store to try it on. In addition, customers are offered the option “Pick-up in a store” during the order process.

: Product presentation on the product detail page

Display of the stock in stores and the option for reservation in a store

Customer loyalty

For the long-term success of a company, good customer loyalty is also crucial. To achieve this, the customer should be offered service and support functionalities across all channels via a uniform and personal communication.

One very effective method to improve customer loyalty are customer loyalty programmes, in which corresponding incentives are created through patronage discounts. With their Insider Card, THELOOK.com offers a customer card that can be used as a means of payment as well as for collecting points and patronage discounts across all four retail brands (PKZ, Feldpausch, Burger, and BLUEDOG). Should customers forget their customer card when purchasing in a store, they can have the purchase credited to their account later using an online form.

: Customer loyalty: the PKZ Insider Card

Credit purchases made offline

Mobile

THELOOK.com also offers an iPhone/Android app with the following functionalities:

Customer card for in-store purchases (customer number can be scanned through the POS system)
Vouchers (overview and option for redemption)
Points overview of the loyalty programme
Converting loyalty points into vouchers

iPhone and Android app for mobile access to the customer account

Conclusion

A successful multi-channel strategy is characterised by a sales interface with high conversion rates, services for the customer across sales channels that offer added value, and a flexible operational level (in the form of a suitable system architecture and efficient operating processes). At the same time, the solution must be scalable, flexible, and it must be possible to add further functionalities.

> to the project

Technical challenges

System	Tasks and responsibilities
ERP	The ERP system is the control system for the product master data, the stock management, and accounting.
CRM	The CRM system is responsible for the central customer management and the operation of the customer loyalty programme. In addition to the management of loyalty points and patronage discounts, additional vouchers and gift cards are made available centrally through the CRM.
POS	In addition to the in-store sales, the POS system is responsible for the interaction of the stores with the e-commerce platform. The POS system is used, for example, to send reservations to the stores or to record and refund returns of online orders in the e-commerce platform that are returned in a store.
Fulfillment	Online orders are routed to a fulfilment partner through the e-commerce platform. Via a cross-docking concept, the e-commerce platform ensures that sufficient stock is available so that the orders can be sent out. In this process, stores are instructed to shift stock and requested to pass on to the fulfilment partner the goods for dispatch to the customer. Along with the dispatch of orders, the fulfilment partner is responsible for returns management and the processing of returned products.
E-commerceplatform	The actual online sales are ensured through the e-commerce platform. The product master data is exported from the ERP, enriched in the central PIM (Product Information Management) system, presented via the online shop and sold online. In addition to the online sales, the e-commerce platform is responsible for the coordination of the required data from the specialised systems and the initialisation of the corresponding processes. Along with the e-commerce functionalities, the e-commerce platform provides a CMS system through which the various content areas, such as online magazine, “Looks”, or the microsites (www.pkz.ch, www.feldpausch.ch, www.bluedog.ch, www.burger-zurich.ch) are maintained
Integration system	In order to reduce the end-to-end interfaces and to centralise the interface logic, a central integration system is responsible for the communication and the data exchange between the systems.

What does multi-channel retailing mean?

The term multi-channel retailing means the parallel use of several offline and online sales channels (stores, printed catalogue, website, online shop, smartphone). For retailers, this translates into new challenges in the channel integration and the synchronisation of these customer touchpoints. In addition to ensuring consistent communication that matches the target groups, the channel-specific customer needs must also be taken into account.

> This article was published in the Marketing & Kommunikation magazine. A pdf (800 KB) can be downloaded here.

Google+ launches corporate pages

Philippe Surber — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:15:35 +0000

Google’s social network can now socialise with brands. As of Monday, companies, brands or artists can set up a Google+ Page. The Muppets are already there, and so are FC Barcelona and H&M.

Walt Disney is already there: the Muppets on Google+

Google’s answer to Facebook’s corporate pages is now open to everybody. A profile is quickly created. Anyone expecting trailblazing innovations should be warned: the Google+ Pages do pretty much the same as a normal Google+ Profile.

Google+ cannot yet match the functionality of Facebook’s corporate pages. Speaking address bars or marketing URLs may never appear on Google+ Pages. Google Pages are, like people, defined by a long number code in the URL. Instead, Google is rolling out Direct Connect. Entering “+brand name” in the normal search will take you straight to the corresponding Google+ Page. And that will look like this for brands in Google search:

Search for "+Pepsi" on the English Google page

Once created, the profile can be enriched with text, images and videos. In contrast to Facebook, a Google+ Page also allows you to manage your followers in groups.

The question regarding content then soon arises. A content concept is needed. And then the question of the target group occurs. And this is still a riddle wrapped up in an enigma in “the world’s fastest growing social network” for many marketeers. Despite groups. Fortunately.

If you wish to follow Unic in its first steps on Google+, click here. Or do it the old-fashioned way and like us on Facebook.

Benelux Multi Channel Summit: 22 November in Utrecht

pm/red — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:00:59 +0000

eCommerce goes further than a website alone – Tips, tricks and experiences with multi channel retail & B2B

The Benelux Multi Channel Summit organised by Unic and Hybris will take place in Utrecht, 22 November 2011. The topic of this practical day is multi channel eCommerce in The Netherlands. What are success factors and how to prepare for the future.

Amongst others, Cor Molenaar, Professor eMarketing Erasmus University, will give an overview of developments in The Benelux before lunch. Next, Dirk de Bruijn, Beter Bed, and Edward Breedveld, Rexel, will explain how they execute multi channel commerce in practice.

Unic and Hybris would like to welcome you on the 22nd of November at 9.30 am in NH Hotel Utrecht. Free parking is guaranteed. The hotel is a 2 minute walk from Utrecht central station. Drinks and networking opportunities from 4.30 pm onwards.

For registration, please contact Sarah Mendes (+31 6 361 89 319). We are looking forward to meeting you on 22 November in Utrecht!

Program

09:30	Registration
10.00	15 years hybris & Unic – The rise of Multi channel Jorij Abraham, Director of Consulting Unic & Berend Bouwmeester Country Manager Benelux Hybris
10.15	Retail is dead, long live Retail – Introducing the new way of retailing Cor Molenaar, Professor eMarketing Erasmus Universiteit
11.00	Multichannel Best Practices – How companies worldwide implement multi channel (Engelstalig) Kees de Vos, VP Business Consulting hybris
11.45	Introduction of the eCommerce Benchmark – Learn from your competitors Jorij Abraham, Director of Consulting Unic
12.00	Lunch Buffet Demonstration of the hybris Accelerator in the conference room – Jeroen van Mierle, Consultant Unic
13:00	Panel Discussion – Multi channel in practice (Chairman: Cor Molenaar) - Lub ten Napel, Project Manager MyCom - Christiaan Mourik, Manager Business Development eCommerce de Bijenkorf - Henk Mugge, Manager eBusiness Fabory - Stef van der Hoorn, Project Manager Warmteservice
13:30	Bridging the Data Divide: From Traditional Reseller to Information Leader (Engelstalig) Molly Williams, Product Content Management, hybris
14:15	Break
14:45	Moving from single to cross channel – de cross channel vision of Beter Bed Dirk de Bruijn, eCommerce Specialist Beter Bed
15:15	B2B Multi channel in practice – experiences & lessons learned Edward Breedveld, Manager E-Business Rexel
15:45	The Science behind E-commerce – optimizing your multi channel platform Hans Smellinckx, Digital Marketing Manager Thomas Cook & Alain Dewispelaere, Sales Director Netway
16:15	Final words Jorij Abraham, Director of Consulting Unic & Berend Bouwmeester Country Manager Benelux Hybris
16:30	Drinks & Networking

Google Shopping – or why price comparison sites must wrap up warmly

Maresa Zipfel — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:52:39 +0000

The established Google service “Google Shopping” was launched in Switzerland on 19 October. What effect will this development have on existing price search engines and how much added value will it bring to online shop operators?

Google Shopping: Pfister is already onboard

Many online shop operators use the services of price search machines to generate traffic. Since users of price searches have already done their research on the products, they have progressed well along the buying process and can be defined as very valuable and hot leads.

Until now, billiger.de, kelkoo.de and guenstiger.de have charged merchants up to 27 cents per lead or forwarded click. Since Google’s introduction of free-of-charge product searches in Germany, the situation is starting to get icy.

According to a study conducted in July 2011, the Google product search is the most popular price comparison website among online shop operators in Germany.

Question: On which price comparison websites is your online presence listed?

Study (July 2011) by http://www.ecommerce-leitfaden.de

Now, the service that is already well established in the USA and Germany has been introduced to Switzerland.

Does that mean the end of toppreise.ch, preissuchmachine.ch and others?

Experience from the USA and Germany speaks for itself. Now it remains to be seen what position Google Shopping will occupy in Switzerland and what this development will mean for existing price comparison services such as http://www.toppreise.ch and http://www.preisvergleich.ch.

It will be difficult to charge money for a service that can be obtained for free. In addition, the price search engines are dependent on Google. It is estimated that at least a third of the traffic using price comparison engines comes via Google.

But what exactly can Google Shopping (product search) do?

Google Shopping is a free-of-charge and independent Google service that enables products to be shown in the Google search. Even at the completion of purchase – i.e. when a customer makes an order following a product search in the referred online shop – no fees are levied by Google. Google Shopping does not offer online shopping functions: customers are simply shown search and comparison functions, as well as deep links to the product detail pages of an external online shop.

Besides Google Shopping’s own search interface, the results of the product search are also embedded in the organic Google search results. These displays are presented in a very eye-catching way and lead to high click rates – and in contrast to SEM (Search Engine Marketing) campaigns, no costs per click are incurred.

Displays in the organic Google search results

Google Shopping provides filters on price ranges, brands and merchants, and displays stars (ratings) to evaluate products via external evaluation portals. A range of merchant listings means prices can be compared.

Product information is drawn from automatically searched internet sites. In addition, merchants can manipulate their products manually and enhance them with additional information.

What does this mean for merchants?

In order for merchants to appear in the Google Shopping Service, their product range must display a set minimum of product information. The product information can be processed in the Google Merchant Center, which offers the options of either a manual import as a data feed (XML, CSV) or an automated API interface.

In this respect, Google places great value on up-to-date and high-quality product information.

A study carried out by www.sem-deutschland.de showed that in Germany today 16% of e-commerce traffic is already generated by Google Shopping. In addition, these purchase-related searches display above-average conversion rates. For online shop operators, this service offers an excellent way to be found even with highly contested search words and without the need for huge SEM investment.

The Swiss market has also prepared itself for the introduction of Google Shopping. Various Unic customers, such as microspot.ch, have taken their first steps towards Google Shopping. Jörg Brügger, Head Technology & Services at Microspot, says: “We are highly interested in the development of Google Shopping and would like to be included in its launch in Switzerland. Price search engines form an important source of traffic for us and we will be watching the influence of Google very closely.”

And how about you? Is Google Shopping of interest to your organisation?

Beter Bed focuses on multi-channel platform

pm/red — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:33:47 +0000

Beter Bed recently launched its new website (www.beterbed.nl). In addition to an advanced product information search, the new website also offers the possibility to purchase products, consult branch details and make an appointment with a consultant at a specific branch. The website is the logical follow-up to the widespread integration of 83 physical retail outlets and Beter Bed’s customer service centre.

Beter Bed initiated a pilot webshop in 2009. The volume of sales was so positive that the chain engaged the services of an e-commerce specialist, responsible for developing a multi-channel platform. Beter Bed had to implement multi-channel software during the design phase of this platform. Following an intensive selection process, the chain opted for Product Information Management (PIM) and the e-commerce platform hybris. This platform is able to manage, maintain and enhance complex product relations, enabling the customer, for example, to choose the right mattress with the right bed. Beter Bed has opted for Unic as its implementing partner, partly because this organisation’s technical profile best matches Beter Bed’s needs. The functional design of the website was further developed in cooperation with Unic.

Dirk de Bruijn, e-commerce specialist at Beter Bed: “Our new website enables us to assist the customer and generate additional turnover at the same time. Visitors to the website can see which beds are available in which branches. The possibility of making an appointment with one of our sales assistants in the various retail outlets is a unique feature.”

The hybris PIM system ensures that product information within the various channels is optimised. “Good product information is essential if you want to offer your customers optimum service via several channels,” says Jorij Abraham, Director of Consulting at Unic. “The customer – certainly online – wants to know everything about the product before making a purchase. If an organisation wants to share the same information across all channels, then a PIM solution is essential.”

The introduction of www.beterbed.nl is the first step in implementing Beter Bed Holding’s multi-channel strategy. “We are proud that Unic and hybris have been selected as Beter Bed’s partner for the further rollout of the bed giant,” adds Berend Bouwmeester, Country Manager Benelux at hybris.

About Beter Bed Holding
Beter Bed Holding operates in the European market for bedroom furnishings. The company’s activities include the retail trade with a total of 1,148 retail outlets as at September 2011 operating via the chains Beter Bed (the Netherlands and Belgium), Matratzen Concord (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland), El Gigante del Colchón (Spain), BeddenREUS, Dormaël and Slaapgenoten (the Netherlands) and MAV (Germany).

CSS Versicherung AG website relaunch: new standards in personalisation

pm/red — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:30:06 +0000

Just in time for the switching season, CSS launches its new website in cooperation with Unic. In terms of personalisation, the customisation sets new standards and leaves little to be desired for both the insured and CSS.

Intelligent personalisation based on user behaviour

Addressing each customer individually is at the core of the new CSS website. For example, a benefit advisor to answer any questions regarding insurance benefits and an attractive premium calculator are available. Based on the user’s behaviour, the website is also able to personalise the information offered and display appropriate content. For example, the location of the nearest agency is automatically determined using geolocation data and recommended to the customer as a contact.

Innovative website and effective customer consulting

CSS’ new Adobe CQ5-based website focuses systematically on the benefit to visitors. It provides the right information in an emotionally appealing design, while the intelligent architecture minimises the search effort. This way, CSS achieves two goals: the website reflects the brand messages of the company as a high-quality and customised health insurance provider; and at the same time CSS has an effective tool to attract new customers. Another project goal to simplify authoring was achieved through the introduction of Adobe CQ5, resulting in a substantially quicker time-to-market for campaigns.

With about 1.8 million customers, CSS Versicherung AG is one of the leading insurance companies in Switzerland.

> to the project

Speed Consulting Breakfast “B2B Industry” in Vienna

pm/red — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:58:19 +0000

On 9 November, Unic hosts the first Speed Consulting Breakfast with the focus on “B2B Industry” in Vienna. In cooperation with the software supplier hybris, five consultants will be available at the breakfast tables to answer any and all questions regarding strategies and scenarios in the business-to-business sector.

Coffee, tea, e-business? A balanced breakfast is known to be very important and decide the course of a day, just as a sound e-business strategy is decisive for the sustainable success of a company.

After an introduction to the topic by hybris and Unic, the consultants will go directly to the tables of the participants and be available for 30 minutes each to answer questions about their respective specialisations.

“The Speed Consulting Breakfast aims to give decision makers the opportunity to ask questions from their current individual business situations, which the consultants will be able to answer professionally. We want to offer companies a platform to articulate their needs and set them thinking about possible ideas, as well as show them prospects for successful e-business strategies,” says Tobias Skala, Head of Sales & Consulting at Unic Vienna.

“New strategies require you to leave well-known paths. Just as the famous speed dating events allow you to collect relevant information on the other person within a short time, speed consulting offers this advantage on a business level. Through many years of project experience, Unic is undoubtedly one of the companies that is intimately familiar with the requirements of the B2B sector, while still paying close attention to the individual problems of the companies themselves,” adds Luke Kerschbaum, Solution Engineer at hybris Austria.

> Speed Consulting Breakfast „B2B Industry“
> 9 November 2011, 9:00am
> Donau Marina Restaurant Vienna

Registration
The event is aimed at marketing, corporate communications and e-business managers from large companies and SMEs in the B2B sector. Attendance is free of charge.

You can find directions to the venue under www.restaurant-marina.at. Sufficient parking is available.

Interested? Register right here, right now. Space is limited.

TEDxZurich grown up already in the second year

Mayumi Sugaya — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:29:02 +0000

More than 450 participants got to spend an inspiring “intellectual vacation day”* at the TEDxZurich yesterday. Twenty times 18 minutes of top-class talk in an absolutely high-end venue completely thrilled all those present. Unic supported the event as a sponsor.

In the current turbulent times, many people question proven models for success and are increasingly turning back to more “original” values. Bursting bubbles, looming national bankruptcies, an uncertain future – the world as we have known it for the last three decades seems to be out of joint and stubbornly refuses to be put back in place again. This year at the TEDxZurich, not one but several speakers gave impressive explanations for the current phenomena and showed possible alternatives. This is an attempt to read between the talks.

Bubble = Trouble

In the beginning was the bubble. With his findings to predict stock market fluctuations, physicist Tobias Preis should actually be able to travel back in time. As people search the Internet, they cast a “shadow” of their wishes and fears, and give clues about what they intend to do. Mr. Preis’ findings clearly show how global search engine queries are connected with transactions on the stock market and share prices. Perhaps such predictions can help avert the next stock market crash?

A drop-out in his own home

He was right in the middle of it and couldn’t stand it any more. Former investment banker Benedict Germanier started by telling his life story in detail, which is anything but boring. How he went from sports-loving boy, who first should learn a “decent job”, to the trading floor of UBS in New York, and how that elusive, unreal world of models and compilations of numbers started increasingly to irritate him. During the helplessness of the crisis, he opted for a radical change of direction. He gave in his notice, moved his wife and children back to Switzerland, and has since devoted himself uncompromisingly to the mission of creating the perfect ski. This step represents not only a return to his roots and original wishes, but also back into a real world with real dangers, qualities (again and again: passion) and pleasures. His message: follow your heart.

Farmers: Reclaim the city!

Somehow, our diet, too, has become surreal. Industrial production has alienated us from food, which moreover is becoming increasingly scarce. Without romanticising self-sufficiency, Roman Gaus presented the refreshing concept of the Urban Farmers: plant where most people live – in the city! With infectious enthusiasm, he advocates the use of uncultivated areas, such as roofs, as urban vegetable gardens. With the “Aquaponic” system by the ZHAW Wädenswil – basically a greenhouse on top of an aquarium – you can even simultaneously produce vitamins and proteins in an energy-efficient way. According to Gaus, 40,000 people could be fed by using 5% of the available area in Basel (!).

An empathy pill?

Neurobiologist Molly Crockett does research with tiny particles, such as neurotransmitters, but the findings presented by her may have the most far-reaching social influence of all the talks of the day. It is about nothing less than morality. And world peace. People do not treat their moral position like an opinion (everyone can have a different one), but as a fact (1+1=2). Molly Crockett impressively proved that morality is clearly volatile and also dependent on serotonin levels. She was able to significantly affect the moral decisions people made by administering a pill. Ms. Crockett concluded her outstanding talk with these questions: what if people change their positions and come into line with each other more? Might it even be possible to have political negotiations under the influence of an “empathy” pill?

The future belongs to cooperation

In the eyes of Eleanor Dobson, cooperation is clearly the future form of research. The particle physicist had an entertaining answer to the question: what are they actually doing at CERN all day long? In a humorous illustration, she let buses collide and fall apart into cars and minivans, but her message was different. In a highly complex chain of research with 4,000 “team members” distributed across the globe, trust among colleagues is of fundamental importance, since all steps are interdependent. The smallest error can have immense costs. However, she has never had the experience, even once, of an individual being blamed for a mistake.

Communication is essential for cooperation. However, we rarely think of listening when we think of communication. That is why I would also like to mention the speech by Thomas Zweifel. The consultant stressed the importance of listening in leadership. How often do we not listen to someone until the end, or are distracted? Thomas Zweifel sees listening as the key to better leadership.

More on all speakers, including Christofer Hierold with guardian angels from ETH, Bernie Seefeld of Google Maps, the archaeologist Peter Schmid and many more, is available here: www.tedxzurich.com/speakers-2011/

All summaries and lots of pictures are available here: http://tedxzurich.event.nzz.ch/

We are looking forward to TEDxZurich 2012!

Peter Schmid made an impression with the discovery of sensational bones in a South African cave. With the Australopithecus, he has probably found the missing link between the ape-like prehistoric man and Homo.

TEDx conferences are independently organised local offshoots of TED, an annual conference in California, at which experts from all imaginable fields of expertise present their work, their ideas and their passion. Starting last year, the conference now also takes place in Zurich under TED-license.

* Quotation by Hugo Schotman, TEDx2010, cited by moderator Peter Hogenkamp in the opening speech

Authors

> Mayumi Sugaya

> Jasmine Soguel-dit-Piquard

“My expectations of Unic were high – and comprehensively met.”

Raphael Schwarz — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 14:40:48 +0000

For the internet presence of a finance services provider, the Swiss & Global Asset Management website makes a refreshingly lean and tidy impression – all thanks to a sophisticated multi-lingual, multi-site concept based on Sitecore CMS that allows the website manager to efficiently maintain both global and local contents.

Raphael Schwarz and Reto Hugi from Unic talked to Reto Zumstein (Head of Sales, Marketing & Fund Reporting Systems at Swiss & Global) and Martin Rust (Head of Marketing & Communications at Swiss & Global) on the new internet presence, on working with Unic and on the strengths of the Sitecore content management system.

Raphael Schwarz: With the new internet presence, access to Swiss and Global Asset Management products and services is made both easy and attractive. Visitors to your website gain expertise from Swiss and Global Asset Management in a way that is clearly understandable and convincing. How highly do you rate the importance of an online presence for Swiss & Global?

Martin Rust: The online channel is growing in importance in today’s business world. Faster, more targeted access to information and contacts is crucial. We are convinced that we can meet these needs with the new corporate website.

Raphael Schwarz: What are your personal favourite features on the new Swiss & Global website? And what were the biggest challenges you faced from your side?

Reto Zumstein: We set up the complete Swiss & Global website in just nine months, including the infrastructure on which it lies, and we now have a good basis to help us realise further projects. The biggest challenges in the project lay in the coordination and involvement of the various parties involved, such as providers, infrastructure specialists, overseas offices, expert advisers and the marketing and business technology divisions.

Raphael Schwarz: Why did you choose Unic for this project?

Reto Zumstein: To fulfil our objectives, we were looking for a competent partner that could help us achieve success with this project and that would also offer the prerequisites for a long-term collaboration.

Martin Rust: Unic fulfilled our list of requirements down to every point: besides proven professional competence, Unic presented a solution that met our needs in an optimal way. This was also important for the long-term collaboration we envisaged. Of no less importance were the costs; these were clearly specified and fair for both sides.

Raphael Schwarz: How would you describe working with Unic? Were your expectations met?

Reto Zumstein: From the start of the project, there was a positive and constructive atmosphere. We quickly got to know each other and were able to work together in a target-driven way. My expectations of Unic were high – and comprehensively met.

Martin Rust: Everyone worked extremely efficiently and professionally. The team contributed many good ideas and realised them to our fullest satisfaction.

Reto Hugi: Why did you decide to use Sitecore?

Reto Zumstein: The Sitecore content management system was recommended to us by Unic and other competing companies. It fits well into our existing system and application landscape, and allows us to maintain our website well. With the help of the sophisticated analysis functions, we also gain important information that helps us to better tune our content with user needs and to recognise trends.

Martin Rust: Sitecore CMS is able to deal with our high and complex demands. The standard system already delivers several functions in its basic version and yet is flexible enough to implement individual solutions.

Reto Hugi: In which areas does Sitecore support you in your processes?

Reto Zumstein: In multi-site content management, marketing analyses and decentralised content publishing.

Martin Rust: We appreciate the fact that we can set up landing pages and microsites to support our sales activities.

Reto Hugi: What advantages does Sitecore deliver in terms of corporate identity?

Martin Rust: It offers us flexible design possibilities that enable us to position our brand more prominently.

Reto Hugi: Security is of particular importance for your business. What are the strengths of the Sitecore CMS in this respect?

Reto Zumstein: In terms of security, we have concentrated chiefly on infrastructural measures in which Sitecore can easily be incorporated. We will use the special strengths of Sitecore in this respect in the introduction of closed user group functions.

Raphael Schwarz: Many thanks, Martin and Reto, for this interview. We look forward to working with you in future too.

The interview was conducted by:

Raphael Schwarz, Project Manager, Unic
Reto Hugi, Technical Consultant, Unic

> to the project

> Sitecore at Unic

Unic Breakfast: 100 days of SBB.CH

pm/red — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:51:38 +0000

The new SBB website went online at the end of May. After about 100 days, those responsible have been able to report initial positive results: more visitors to the site and longer browsing times. At the Unic Breakfasts in Zurich and Bern on 26 and 27 October, three key figures with insider information will be reporting on what they experienced during the project and after the go-live.

SBB has had a new website since 25 May. In the first 100 days, visitor numbers have risen by 20% to 3.5 million a month. What does it mean to redesign one of the most highly frequented websites in Switzerland after seven years? Which user needs should be focused on when the target group includes half the Swiss population? How much innovation can a company allow itself when exposed to so much public interest?

At the Unic Breakfasts in Bern and Zurich, three people who certainly know all about it will be there to give their accounts. Patrick Comboeuf is Head of E-Business at SBB and commissioned the project. Stefan Pieren is Key Account Manager at Unic and responsible for the information architecture. Florian Stürzinger is Art Director at Unic and creator of the new visual look.

Event locations and dates:
Breakfast in Zurich: Wednesday, 26 October 2011, 8.00 – 11.00 am, Au Premier (in the Main Station)
Breakfast in Bern: Thursday, 27 October 2011, 8.00 – 11.00 am, Hotel Kreuz Bern

How to apply:
The event is designed for managers in marketing, corporate communications and e-business in large enterprises and SMEs. Attendance is free of charge.

Interested? Then sign up here. Places are limited.