Peapod builds virtual grocery store for Chicago commuters
The next time your spouse asks you to pick up the groceries on your way home for work, you won't have to do nearly as much work if your daily commute happens to take you through the State and Lake Station Tunnel in Chicago.
That's because internet grocer Peapod has launched a "virtual grocery store" to the location which lets commuters buy products from brands like Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Kimberly Clark using their mobile phones.
Tesco's iPad 3 pricing error: accident or strategy?
On Tuesday I received a message from a friend pointing me to an item within Tesco Direct’s website. I clicked the link and was welcomed with a 64GB iPad 3 costing only £49.99.
The person who messaged me had just completed his order and showed me the confirmation email. With that, I set off to buy two (why not?).
Within three minutes the website was down (I was on the delivery stage of the order). 20 minutes after that the site was back up and I could not proceed. I was so annoyed! I could have bought two iPads for £99.98!
An hour later the BBC had already published the story.
Please note: this is purely conspiracy theory, I am not actually accusing Tesco but merely observing a possibility...
Tesco launches Facebook-based virtual fitting room
Tesco has launched a Facebook-based virtual fitting room, which has been created to help customers find the perfect size and fit when they shop for the brand's F&F clothes online.
Developed by Metail, the service claims to be the only one on the market to offer personalised styling and size recommendations – and will be available for three weeks as part of a trial.
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?
