Strategies for innovating into the future:
Global futurist and author Jack Uldrich offers essential strategic information on nanotechnology, robotics, biotechnology, RFID and many other future technologies to help you prosper as exponential trends converge at this unique moment in history.
Recent Videos
Subscribe to the Exponential Executive Newsletter Now!
Please enter your name and email:
Recent Blog Posts
Most Popular Posts
Articles Listed by Industry
Health CareManufacturing
Computer/Semiconductor
Telecommunications
Energy
Life Science/Pharmeceutical
Agriculture
Education
Robots
Internet/Information Tech
Finance
Nanotechnology
Retail/Marketing
Automobile/Aerospace
Defense
Aging Services
Other
Articles Listed by Chapter
Chapter 1: The Power of ZenzizenzizenzicChapter 2: Exponential Enablers
Chapter 3: Walk the Escalator
Chapter 4: The Power of Play
Chapter 5: The Spice of Life--Diversity
Chapter 6: Heads and Tails: It's Counterintuitive
Chapter 7: Get in Touch with Your Animal Instincts
Chapter 8: Back to the Future
Chapter 9: Learning to Unlearn
Chapter 10: Doing the Impossible
Other
Archives
January, 2009December, 2008
November, 2008
October, 2008
September, 2008
August, 2008
July, 2008
June, 2008
May, 2008
April, 2008
March, 2008
February, 2008
January, 2008
December, 2007
November, 2007
October, 2007
September, 2007
August, 2007
Future Technology Blog Recent Posts
Tesco Jumps the Curve
Tesco, one of the most innovative retailers, is at it again. Yesterday, the company announced it would be deploying “MediaCarts”—grocery carts which can sense their location in the store and trigger advertisements for nearby products—at a store in Singapore.
It would be easy to think that the technology will just be employed for advertising purposes but that is only a small part of Tesco’s plan. (In fact, if the company just plans to use it for advertising the technology will likely fail.) Rather, my hunch is that Tesco plans to use the carts to dramatically increase sales by using them to engage customers in “swarm shopping.” Swarm shopping is the practice of providing consumers with information about other shopper’s behavior.
If you have ever purchased a book on Amazon.com you have been the recipient of this practice when the computers tells you that “if you bought X then you might be also interested in Y.”
The MediaCart will operate on the same principle only it will “read” what you have already put in your cart and then try to encourage you buy other additional items which other people with a similar mix also purchased.
Think it won’t work? Perhaps, but 40 percent of all purchases are “impulse pruchases.” Often, a little nudge can go a long way.
If other retailers want to “jump the curve” and increase sales, it would behoove them to explore this technology.
Related Posts
Watch What You Eat—Literally
The Future of the Grocery Store
Retailers are Beginning to Jump the Curve
Pump It Up: Retailers Use Google to Bolster Customer Loyalty
Time is Money ... So Walk the Escalator
Stronger Than a Speeding Bullet
RFID Gets Untracked
Embracing Change
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, robotics, RFID, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
Enjoy this post? Bookmark at the following sites.
