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6 Amazing Stats on Smartphones in Store Aisles

A quick update on smartphones & mobile price checking 

Normally we strive to post something weekly about an emerging trend or retail topic.  Since our post yesterday, we have seen a bunch of posts and tweets on the emerging trend and retail store threat of consumers doing price shopping in aisle with their smartphones.  We ran across this infographic with some amazing stats that was just too good to pass up.

Target takes aim at Amazon & Price Apps

The war over smartphone price checks is heating up

It happened rather innocently the last couple of years as consumers started surfing the web while shopping in retail stores.  But, the battle for price conscious consumers reached a fever pitch last holiday season. Amazon poured salt in the wounds of retailers by offering an additional $5 off if consumers used their Price Check app to scan bar codes in a retail store.  Will it be an Amazon world, or can big box retailers fight back?

Snapshots in Time … Kodak vs. Lytro today

Case studies of technology and adapting to change

In reading my “Morning News Beat”, I ran across a great post by Mark Sansolo entitled: “Snapshot of the Future”. While his case examples are about the technology of photography, Sansolo does a great job of capturing the essence of change and why companies must continue to evolve, at an even more rapid pace to remain competitive.  Kodak is a snapshot of the past … and Lytro could well be the picture of the future.

Future Retail – Shopping carts spying on you!

Your shopping cart is about to become a data center

No one thinks much about the lowly shopping cart in the store.  It first appeared at a Piggly Wiggly in 1937.  For the last 70 plus years the cart has remained baskets on wheels to help customers gather goods for checkout.  All that will change when your smart cart gets its “new brain”.   The computers being added to new shopping carts will be able to customize offers … and track your every move in store!

PCs Are Dead - Just Ask the Toddler with an iPad

Today kids’ first experience will be on a tablet not a PC

Yes, PCs are still be being sold by the millions.  But, if you want to see the future, just watch a toddler using an iPad.  The interface is instinctive, intuitive, and addictive.  Kids below the age of 2 are flicking and flipping through their parents’ iPads before they can even talk.  And increasingly, parents are buying both tablets and apps just for their kids.  Is the tablet just a new “digital pacifier”, or will it be the future screen of choice for today’s youth literally cutting their teeth on a tablet?

When Smartphones Replace Your Mom

What mobile trends mean for moms and retailers 

There is an old saying…that to really get to know someone, ask their mother.  Seems that moms know all the important stuff about you … birthday of course, what you like to eat, preferences in clothes, colors, etc.  Today, mom can’t hold a candle to what my phone knows about me.  Today’s moms are even more challenged with kids who are hooked on mobile devices before they ever get to school.  What does this mobile tsunami mean for retailing in the very near future?

If you haven’t met TED … you’re missing out

Remarkable talks by remarkable people, free to the world 

As a public speaker and blogger I pride myself in being pretty well read, at least in my industries.  But I never knew about TED until my daughter sent me a link to a great speaker.  TED is an on-line collection of video clips from talks by amazing speakers, across a wide variety of topics, made available for free.  Think YouTube on steroids for professionals.  If you haven’t tapped into TED, you’re missing out on a great resource.

Why a Zune tablet could beat Apple and Android

But …will Microsoft move beyond Windows myopia? 

As consumers shift from content creation to consumption, tablets are rapidly eating into the Wintel PC franchise.  Mention Zune, and most think of another Microsoft failed attempt to compete in a category beyond PCs.  While Microsoft pulled the Zune player in March, it didn’t abandon the Zune’s multi-media ecosystem.  Could Zune become the tablet platform that knocks off Apple?  Zune might have incredible potential; IF Microsoft can ever transcend its fixation with making all screens Windows.

QR Codes popping up … even on a tombstone!

5 ways to optimize QR codes before the end of the line

QR codes are those funny little square boxes with a bunch of hieroglyphics appearing on everything from product tags, to TV ads and billboards.  And in case you missed it, the first QR code has just appeared on a tombstone.  Rather than wait to the end of the line, marketers can in fact learn a great deal about how to effectively optimize QR codes by studying the case of the tombstone QR code, designed to create a living memorial.

The changing face of retail – 5 Es for store survival

With today’s online access … why do we need stores?

Before entering the store, you probably have visited at least three online sites and read at least half dozen online reviews.  In seconds you can find the best deals, what color you prefer and which accessories you want.  Through online demos, you can see how the product will look on you, or within your home.  Today, store sales begin at home … and get validated on smartphones in route.  So why do we need retail stores?