save today is a nationaldiscount retailstore chain with annual revenues of more than $1 billion. It's a typical bricks and mortar operation with accounting software that records sales transactions in real time and tracks inventories on perpetual basis. Management is considering and online store and will sell the sameproductsas in the stores. Customers will be able to use credit cards only for online payments. The market manager is interested in learning about customers and using the information to improve both in store and online sales.

a. contrast the sales process of their retail store operation with the sales process in an online store environment. Would any of the events in the process change?

b. at what points do you collect data about customers and sales transactions in the retail store? In online environments?

c. What data might you collect about retail store and online customers to improve your profitability? What data might you collect to improve customer satisfaction?

d. How is the sales profit different for a public accounting firm? What data can they collect to improve customer relations and grow revenues?