THE SIGNAGE FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE, INC.

North America is enjoying perhaps the most dynamic retail period in its history, and possesses the most extensive advertising/marketing research available in the world. Technological advances in data collection permit the gathering of information on consumer behavior and preferences never before possible. Using such information, media advertising can be carefully crafted to reach particular targets. The only obstacle is that large volume is required to utilize the system full scale; volume has assisted gasoline stations, franchised fast service food outlets, mass merchandisers and complete category stores to obtain national recognition and retail dominance in all trade areas. For example, Wal-Mart now spends only 3% or less of total gross volume on advertising and yet enjoys recognition of its product mix by a majority of American consumers.

As technological applications of data analyses and processing increase, North American databased marketing will constantly segment. Two dynamics are at work: scale economics and specialization of product or service requiring specific marketing or advertising strategies. The system has become so sophisticated that the mass merchandiser can now determine with almost certain accuracy whether a 120,000 square foot store is more economically productive than one of 60,000 square feet, and can almost immediately adapt to any change in local economic conditions (using data board inventory and company-owned warehousing/delivery systems) by increasing or decreasing products or services. These advances in merchandizing technology offer opportunities and challenges to the municipal planner, which if unrecognized or unmet may result in land use plans lacking realistic or achievable economic goals.