Grocery And Convenience Store IT News For VARs — July 31, 2014
The news this week centers on how technology and innovation are fueling industry success. Articles look at how technology has changed the way convenience stores do business and how it has improved the customer experience for grocery store customers. Also, a study shows one-third of shoppers use mobile while in stores to find product information or compare prices.
New Technology Drives Industry Success
This article from Convenience Store Decisions explores the innovations ranging from scanning and point of sale systems to social media and mobile apps that demonstrate just how much convenience stores have changed over the past 25 years.
How Technology Is Improving the Grocery Store Experience
This article from LRS also examines the growing role of technology in improving the grocery store experience for shoppers. Technology has been the tool used by stores to reduce wait times and improve efficiency. From Paypal and swipe-free payments to wireless and push-button paging, the emphasis has been on improving the customer experience and increasing employee productivity in stores.
Study Shows One-Third Of Shoppers Use Mobile In Stores
According to a study from KSC Kreate, 30 percent of grocery shoppers use a mobile device to look up recipe ideas, coupons, nutritional information or competitor pricing while in the store. The 2013 Grocery Shopping Habits study is based on a survey of more than 570 consumers on grocery shopping behaviors and preferences.
Grocery Store IT Talking Points
Extreme Tech reported that Sainsbury’s — one of the UK’s major supermarket chains, will become the first to disconnect from the grid by powering its Cannock, Staffordshire, store entirely with electricity generated from biogas. The new setup is expected to provide enough electricity so that the grocery store no longer needs a connection to the national power grid, and, in fact, it will even sell any excess electricity back to the grid.
This article from Convenience Store Decisions examines how Marketers like Phillips 66 are driving repeat business and cultivating loyal customers through participation in the KickBack Rewards program. According to the Convenience Consumer Insights Panel (cciPanel), 89 percent of customers would be motivated to shop more at stores that participate in rewards programs. Furthermore, where gas operators offer programs so shoppers can earn rewards when they fill up on gas to get a discount to redeem at a partnering retail outlet, three-quarters reported that they would definitely or probably make these gas stations and convenience stores their regular station to fill up.
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Grocery and Convenience Store Tech Center.