UK chemist, Boots, has launched a mobile version of its website to expand its multichannel portfolio.
The Boots mobile site is a streamlined version of the retailer's website which can be accessed from any web-enabled mobile device. The site has achieved 300,000 unique visitors since it launched in August.
Oracle, integrated business software and hardware system provider, has conducted research on the future of retail which reveals that the shopping experience of the future needs to be connected, fit-for-purpose and always available.
Oracle commissioned the survey in July 2011 to examine the views of consumers between the ages of 19-23, from the UK, Germany and France. It asked respondents about their current shopping needs and their expectations of these needs in 2025.
Interactive digital versions of children’s books are becoming increasingly popular, but are they enhancing the early reading experience or diminishing it?
Several British publishers have digitised picture books – boosting the original story with voiceovers, moving imagery and interactive games. Books such as Eric Hill's Spot and Topsy and Tim are already available as apps and Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit will be available for iPad users in November.
Although central and local government want to make digital the default, studies still show that more than nine million people remain offline and are considered to be digitally excluded.
During London fashion week luxury retailer Burberry tweeted each look moments before it was revealed on the catwalk.
For the first time, the label "live tweeted" the show on Monday from backstage, posting photographs of each look on Twitter moments before the model stepped on to the catwalk. At 4.15pm Burberry was the third most popular topic globally on the social media, as fashion-watchers compared notes.
Blockbuster, provider of home video and video game rental services, may be joining the likes of Netflix by launching its own branded streaming service.
The announcement of the forthcoming that Dish Network media event in San Francisco, alongside Blockbuster president, Michael Kelly, has fuelled the rumours.
Dish Network acquired the Blockbuster name earlier this year after the video rental chain declared bankruptcy.
UK supermarket chain, Morrisons, is missing out on £300m in potential sales because it has yet to develop a multichannel platform that allows customers to shop via integrated mobile, digital or in-store channels, according to a new study.
The report, by digital agency Head London in partnership with Oxford Economic, also identified that Dixons, Phones4u, Homebase, SportsDirect and DFS are the biggest victims of poor digital strategy.
HSBC Bank plc has launched a new online mortgage service to meet the growing demand for remote financial transactions.
Customers can now apply for a mortgage via the website and receive a decision within 20 minutes. The new service, Mortgage Product Switcher, also allows current mortgage customers to transfer their mortgage to any of the bank's latest deals in 15 minutes.
Max Blau, Paste Magazine‘s multimedia editor, has been discussing how the amount of online music services, such as Spotify or Turntable.fm, are changing the way we consume music, and have triggered an evolution in listening patterns.
The same can be said for the change in musicians’ consumption of music. As individuals who seek to disseminate their own music, artists occupy a unique position by sharing their own songs as well as listening to others’ songs.
Google Wallet, Google’s mobile payment technology, has been launched in the US. The application is set to replace credit cards with phones containing Near Field Communications (NFC) technology, which can be tapped against readers to make payments in in shops, cabs and beyond.
The technology has been on trial in New York and San Francisco since May with around 1000 employees of Google and its partners in the venture, including MasterCard and Macy's department store.
Online conversions rates among UK shoppers are down almost 55% in the past five years, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. In 2006 the average online conversion rate was 8.4%, but this figure has steadily declined to 3.8% in 2011 as consumers shift from ‘online purchasing’ to ‘online shopping’.
The Minister for Employment in the UK, Chris Grayling, has banned Facebook but explained that Twitter is fine for civil servants at the Department for Work and Pensions.
As well as tweeting, Work & Pensions department staff are permitted to upload employment information and make professional contact on fine-and-serious CV site LinkedIn, but any poking or liking is strictly out of the question - as are many personal email sites, according to the DWP press office.
Online retailer Amazon is rumoured to be close to launching a digital book lending service in an attempt to mimic public libraries.
According to the Wall Street Journal the firm is getting ready to launch in the US shortly. The service would be offered for a fee, similar to movie streaming services, and let individuals have access to digital books without actually owning them.
George Schlossnagle, President and CEO of Message Systems, explains that to be successful, businesses have to engage with customers through their preferred channels, whether that be mobile, IM or social networks.
By Dave Coplin
One of my favourite books is Jonathan Margolis’ “A Brief History of Tomorrow”, (if you’re into thinking about the future like we are here, then you should really give it a read). One of my favourite concepts from the book is something Jonathan refers to as “the Arrogance of the Present” – essentially identifying that it is hard to measure the future potential of new technology when all you have is a mind-set from the “present” from which to make the judgement.
Publisher Guardian News and Media (GNM) this week revealed details of a brand campaign involving a new £2m investment. The campaign seems to support the papers commitment to being a "digital first" brand.
According to new research Britain has become a nation of snoops with women twice as likely as men to have spied on their partner online.
The research, conducted by the security software firm Norton, revealed that one in five women surveyed admitted they have accessed their partner’s emails or messages on social networking services such as Facebook without their knowledge, compared to one in 10 men.
UK chocolate maker, Thorntons, have recently reported annual losses of £1.1m pre tax. However they remain confident that it's reformed multi-channel strategy will help bring profitability back in the not so distant future.
The carbonated soft drink giant, Coca-Cola, has launched a futuristic touch-screen machine in the US which offers customers 125 different beverage choices.
The machines are being rolled out nationwide and offer the customer a freestyle way of ordering their own drinks. Not only is the choice of beverages vast but customers can also create their own combinations, Fanta Orange and vanilla cream soda, for instance.
Consumers are increasingly making purchase decisions based on online reviews. These reviews have become an essential sales tool and an integral element of marketing campaigns as consumers increasingly turn to online services to shop around for a gadget, book into a hotel or a restaurant or to deal in shares.
A study, conducted by Pew Internet, found that around 65% of U.S. adults who use the Internet are using social networking services like Facebook, LinkedIn and Myspace, up from 61% in 2010.
Robert Shapiro, the lawyer who defended OJ Simpson during his murder trial, has revealed plans to launch an online legal service in the UK. An official launch of the service is planned for 2012 and will revolutionise the British legal profession.
Western Union, the money transfer firm, is creating a new business unit to house its online, pre-paid and mobile services.
The chief marketing officer, Diane Scott, will be leading this initiative incorporating westernunion.com, pre-paid and the mobile money transfer operations.
The company has been steadily building its mobile services over the last few years, as it seeks to take advantage of the huge remittance market.
Always! That is the dreadful word ... it is a meaningless word, too.
The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village.
Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.
The one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable.
Transform is a trading division of Engine Partners UK LLP, a limited liability partnership. Registered in England & Wales No. OC365821. Registered office 60 Great Portland Street, London W1W 7RT, United Kingdom. List of members’ names open for inspection at registered office.
© Copyright Transform 2012 a trading division of Engine Partners UK LLP - All rights reserved
