Why retailers need to embrace mobile internet in stores
It's natural that some retailers will feel threatened by the growing use of mobile in store, but the answer is to embrace this trend and use it to enhance the in-store experience.
Retailers can do this by providing apps and mobile optimised sites, but also by offering wi-fi to customers.
According to an On Device Research (ODR) survey of mobile users, 60% of respondents have used the mobile internet while in stores, while 78% would use free wi-fi in stores if offered it.
The use of smartphones by consumers is growing, and many are now using them to compare prices, and search the web for product reviews.
So how can retailers adapt and use this customer behaviour to their advantage?
Will Apple's new high-street hire change the way we buy Apple products?
Few CEOs have it as good as Apple's Tim Cook. Just look at his company's performance in the first quarter of his tenure.
But as strong as Apple is currently, Cook can't sit back and hope that the company Steve Jobs took to new heights will run itself. He'll have to make tough decisions, and put his mark on the company's operations.
He's doing just that with his first big hire.
Christmas sales fall at Tesco despite 14% boost in online revenue
Tesco has reported ‘disappointing’ Christmas sales figures, despite a boost in online trading.
Excluding VAT and petrol, sales in the six weeks to January 7 2012 were down 2.3% year-on-year.
Asda launches first transactional iPhone app
Asda has today launched a transactional iPhone app that allows users to purchase groceries from the supermarket, and run price comparisons against its competitors.
This comes more than a year since the launch of Tesco’s m-commerce iPhone app, reviewed on Econsultancy in September 2010.
Tesco launches first augmented reality programme
Tesco has today launched its first augmented reality programme that will allow customers to view 3D images of more than 40 products from the electronics and entertainment sections both instore or online.
Powered by augmented reality firm Kishino, people can use computer terminals now located in seven Tesco stores across the UK to scan a product code or Tesco Direct catalogue.
Customer service goes social
Companies have rushed to embrace social media marketing, but there's
more to social media than marketing.
Increasingly, whether companies like it or not, consumers expect companies to respond to customer service inquiries submitted via social channels like Twitter and Facebook.
Unfortunately, it currently appears that companies are generally more adept at social marketing than they are at social customer service.
Blippar: a QR code killer?
We wrote about Blippar back in May before it launched, but now the app is out there and major brands are on board, we can see how well this alternative to QR works.
This week, Tesco has been running ads in several national newspapers, with 'Blippable' content for users with the iPhone or Android apps.
So is Blippar a better alternative to QR codes, or does it still suffer from some of the same drawbacks?
Waitrose's redesign: where did it go wrong?
Waitrose relaunched its online shopping service recently, and this prompted a hail of complaints on its own discussion board and several column inches of negative publicity in newspapers and blogs.
The list of complaints ranges from performance speed to pure usability issues. Implementing change to an existing service can be difficult so we decided to test the new site with some potential users to see if this was a case of people reacting badly to something new, or whether indeed there was valid reason for concern.
Tesco has the best supermarket website: survey
Tesco is the most popular online grocery site, and also the best, according to a survey of online grocery shoppers.
Toluna's survey on online supermarkets looks at consumers' online grocery shopping habits and preferences.
Some stats from the survey (and a useful infographic) after the jump...
One in ten Brits will do their Xmas shopping via mobile
One in ten UK shoppers will be shopping for Christmas presents via mobile rather than using their computers this year, according to new stats from Tesco Direct.
This, and other surveys from the US, provides further evidence of the growth of mobile commerce, and the key role that mobile shopping will play this year.
So how can retailers make the most of this trend?
