AR Games for Grocery Aisles

Interesting,  but how well will this interact with traffic in store?  Gets in the way of of basic goals I believe.    Article contains other examples of the concepts that have been tested.

Giant thinks AR-games are ripe for grocery aisles  by Tom Ryan in Retailwire

Giant Food Stores has introduced an augmented reality (AR) promotion, Snowflake Search, designed to send kids on scavenger hunts in stores while their parents shop.

To play, customers scan a QR code on special in-store signage with their smartphones. An audio introduction by a snowman directs users to search for six unique snowflake signs throughout the store. Each snowflake triggers an interactive character on the phone, like a polar bear juggling clementines and bananas in the fruit section. Customers track the characters and receive clues to find the remaining ones.

Members of Giant Choice Rewards earn 50 points for each character found, with the ability to earn a total of up to 300 points each time they play. Under the rewards program, 300 points can be redeemed for $3.00 in savings.

Rewards members can redeem up to 1,500 points with a limit of five games until the promotion ends January 30. The game will be featured in 15 Harrisburg, PA-area stores.  ...."

Computer Vision Analyzes the Store Shelf

We looked at this same problem in a number of ways, but not automated the way this suggests.  Note it has yet to be connected to existing cameras or robotics.

Trax raises $125 million to bring computer vision insights to retailers’ shelves
By Paul Sawers @PSAWERS  in Venturebeat

Trax, a computer vision platform that gives retailers insights into what’s happening on their store shelves, has raised $125 million in a series E round of funding led by Chinese investment firm Boyu Capital. Somewhat oddly, U.K.-based media publisher DC Thomson also participated in the investment round.

Founded in 2010, Singapore-based Trax helps digitize store aisles through image-capturing technology that serves up data and analytics on consumer packaged goods (CPG) on shelves. It may save employees from manually auditing stock for inventory and product promotions, for example. It can also help retailers make product placement decisions by providing a snapshot of what goods are where, and whether they could be shifted to a better position.

The Trax platform ultimately recreates physical store shelves in digital form to guide product and marketing decisions, and big-name clients such as Coca-Cola and Nestle are already using the platform.

While Trax’s technology currently requires capturing images manually via mobile devices, the company said it’s currently working on several pilot projects to provide continuous shelf-tracking via connected cameras that are mounted on coolers or robots and capture images at pre-set intervals. .... " 

Individualization vs Personalization

Will Gen Zers push personalization toward individualization?     by Tom Ryan in Retailwire

According to a study from the IBM Institute for Business Value, Gen Zers find value provided at an individualized level — such as when it is delivered through promotions and offers that match individual Gen Zers’ specific needs and desires — as more important than personalized experiences shaped by the brand. 

The study, done in collaboration with the National Retail Federation (NRF) and based on survey of 15,600 Gen Zers from 16 countries, said that while individualization and personalization are similar concepts, they are initiated differently: ... " 

Press Release.

A Creative Promotion Machine

Just now examining the creative personalization angle addressed here.  A mix of personalization and creativity.  But how much?

AI-Based Promotions – Welcome to the Creative Machine    By Vince Jeffs 

As a Marketer, when you craft successful promotions, you’re especially proud of their creative aspects And it’s understandable because creativity seems our last bastion against the perceived onslaught of machine domination, so we fiercely defend that turf. The tenuous argument being, “robots are no match for human creativity!” This viewpoint, besides inviting a cage match between humans and machines, also smacks of keeping math and machines out any solution, lest boring and stiff digital influences ruin the warmth of our marketing art and experience show. However, for all the aspiring “Michelangelos” out there, it’s time to rethink this, lest you find yourself selling one-off ad creatives at street-side craft shows.

A promotion is fundamentally your story; your pitch in a nutshell – delivered through a channel to an audience of one – assuming it gets through. And the fact that it oozes creativity and garners the right emotional response can be critically important to a customer’s reaction. But what is its true worth? Compared to what? Is there a chance that for most eyes it will succumb to fading into the backdrop with all the other one-size for all advertising clutter?    .... "

Loyalty Cards

In Customer Think.   Are loyalty cards dead?  A discussion.  Hardly dead because I have several in my wallet.  But the only ones that work are connected to some significant and periodic, but not annoying,  promotional message online.

Measuring Social Promotion Effectiveness

Measurement is always a key topic.  Via Revtrax:

The Unique Power and Value of Social Promotions

Social Promotions have a special ability to drive trial and loyalty far beyond other types of digital coupons – by combining the activation power of a promotional or coupon offer with a seamless way to share an offer, and presented with a personal recommendation or referral. They leverage relationships and personal good will to spread brand and promotion awareness, to build brand equity, and to strengthen consumer commitment to the product and brand. Well-designed social promotions can also be an incredibly effective way to help initiate a new direct, long-term consumer-brand relationship via email capture. Sharing a promotion isn’t just additional distribution, it’s an offer delivered along with a personal stamp of approval. We see our clients deploying social promotions with extraordinary results for both mass- and niche-market products. For products with small niche markets, or for products that might carry some level of stigma, such as specialized personal care products, social promotions can be an incredibly cost-effective way to identify and reach new customers. ... " 

On Rewards for Motivation

An overview of motivational rewards as used in gamification.  In particular a comparison of instrinsic and extrinsic methods.   What works in which conditions.  Which leads to the typical methods of Points, Badges and Leaderboards (or PBLs).  Good introduction to the basic methods behind gamification.

Reaching the Customer in Real Time

To reach the right customer, in the right place and time, with the right offer—perhaps a chicken dinner—you need real-time actionable insight ...   From IBM.

Watch as a grocery store uses this insight to sell more chicken dinners by sending promotions to customers who have a preference for chicken dinners and are in the area at dinnertime....

But what if you don't want to sell chicken dinners? What if you want to sell insurance policies or credit cards or service plans? IBM can help with that too....

Real-time actionable insight for better business decisions
Real-time actionable insight provides the opportunity for any business—no matter what they're selling—to understand what individual customers want and what actions they are likely to take. With robust big data and analytics capabilities that allow you to capture, analyze and act on the stream of data generated by consumer devices, you can reach customers when they are nearby and ready to buy.   Register for the webcast

Augmented Pixels Example for Theater Engagement

Daria Gaioshko of the Odessa, Ukraine company Augmented Pixels, sends along this new example of a promotional App for user engagement at a cinema.    I am now testing for alternative applications.

" ... Augmented Pixels releases MaxiKoltuk, the Augmented Reality game for promotional campaigns and user engagement at the cinemas.

MaxiKoltuk became as a part of an interactive marketing campaign Empati Reklam agency created for their client İşbank (Turkey). The game aims to promote MaxiPara Sinema Kart, a special edition of Visa prepaid cards at the Cinemaximum theatres. More about the cinema use case.

MaxiKoltuk game supports iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch as well as Android devices and is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play at no charge.

More information is available at http://augmentedpixels.com/maxikoltuk-augmented-reality-game-for-promo-campaigns-at-cinemas//  ...  "  Some excellent detail on its approach.

Give them your feedback.  Have now followed a number of their game promotion systems.

Previously in this blog: More from Augmented Pixels.

Multilingual Promotion Apps

Simple idea.  Useful statistics too. Quite appropriate: " ... Brands including General Mills and Clorox are targeting Hispanic consumers through the bilingual Veo mobile shopping app. The app engages consumers by using their native language to offer free product samples, recipes, promotions and giveaways. Experian data indicated that Hispanic consumers are twice as likely to accept advertisements on their smartphones as non-Hispanics and 58% are more likely to purchase those advertised items. The average Hispanic consumer also spends 18.2 minutes per month visiting shopping sites on their phones .... " 

Google Zavers

Zavers now about a year plus after launch:

About Zavers by Google
Zavers is a fast and easy way to offer the right coupons to the right shoppers, and track  redemption in real time. Shoppers can find  manufacturer discounts on their favorite retailer websites or across the web, and add the digital  coupons to their online accounts. Savings are automatically deducted at checkout when  shoppers swipe their rewards card or type in their phone numbers — no scanning or  sorting necessary.

With Zavers, retailers can reward loyal customers with relevant coupons, extend incentive programs, and speed up settlements. For manufacturers, Zavers provides the ability to manage and track the effectiveness of coupon distributions, giving marketers access to realtime redemption data so  they can tailor and optimize their campaigns  ...  "

P&G Everyday

This was brought up me to me again, P&G Everyday, emphasizing the Olympics.  Had not looked at it for for some time. Nicely done, very pictorial.  Contains coupons and samples.

" .... P&G everyday™ is an online platform created by Procter & Gamble, a company that has been establishing brands for the past 175 years, helping people around the world have extraordinary days ... every day. ... 

Our family of innovative and trusted brands make every day just a little better for billions of consumers around the world. Procter & Gamble has passionate employees living in and serving the people of 80 countries around the world. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about Procter & Gamble and how its brands touch and improve everyday life. ... " 

Personalizing Data Interactions

In Supermarket News (required free registration):   New opportunities for richer data sources. " ... Supermarkets are using customer data and digital devices to bring more personalization and convenience to shoppers. Efforts include Ahold USA's Scan It! Mobile application and Safeway's Just For U marketing platform, which send personalized offers to smartphones, and Sprouts Farmers Market's use of customer analytics to track each item purchased, which the company says helps with merchandising and winning back lost customers. ... " 

Promotion Crazy Consumers

We have all seen it, in ourselves and others.  The rational economic model can quickly fall apart.  A discussion of how to promote to promotion crazy consumer in RetailWire.  Is this also part of the effect we see when we know we can always have the option of a promotion on our always ready mobile device?

Presence Zones

Smarter and more personalized promotions in what are being called 'presence zones' in retail.  In Forbes.  Will this transform the in-store experience?   Or clutter it further?

Retailers Embrace Digital Coupons

Via Steve Frenda, Managing Director, The Path to Purchase Institute  in Linkedin

Well done piece authored by Google's Zavers

The Tipping Point: Retailers Embrace Digital Couponing.
Lots of interesting statistics and background in this article.

" ... Over the last two decades, technology has helped put security and distribution controls in place to  build the online coupon system that we see today. With the rise of smartphone usage, we see an  even more dramatic shift for consumers away from traditional clip-and-save paper coupons and  towards digital coupons. In a recent Google survey, 59% of consumers said they have loaded  coupons onto a loyalty card (from mobile or web).1  To understand the digital coupon mindset of retailers, Google commissioned Retail TouchPoints to  survey nearly 150 retail executives. .... " 

The link above is to a Dropbox Download.

Use Cases for iBeacon and Estimote

In Wired:  I continue my look at the use of in store location and communication.  Something we thought a lot about in the innovation lab, but never had the technology to make it work.  Is it ready now?  

" 4 Reasons Why Apple’s iBeacon Is About to Disrupt Interaction Design ... You step inside Walmart and your shopping list is transformed into a personalized map, showing you the deals that’ll appeal to you most. You pause in front of a concert poster on the street, pull out your phone, and you’re greeted with an option to buy tickets with a single tap. You go to your local watering hole, have a round of drinks, and just leave, having paid—and tipped!—with Uber-like ease. Welcome to the world of iBeacon. ... " 

And a Forbes article with current specifications and features.

See also Estimote.   " ... Real world context for your apps.
Simply stick our tiny sensors in any physical place,  such as your retail store and your app users will benefit from personalized micro-location based notifications and actions when they walk in to your venue or interact with your products. ... "  What is an Estimote Beacon?
An Estimote Beacon is a small, wireless device, sometimes also called a 'mote'. When placed in a physical space, it broadcasts tiny radio signals to smart devices.  Think about it as a very small lighthouse. Smartphones that are in range are able to 'hear' these signals and estimate their location very precisely, as well as communicate with the beacon to exchange data and information. ... " 

Real time Cloud Retail Data Analysis

This site was recently brought to my attention.  I am currently in the process of helping a retail marketing operation better understand how well it is doing when doing promotions under varying conditions.  IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark Hub: Your source for real-time cloud-based online retail data and analysis.  As they describe it further:

IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark
View performance benchmarks for your peers and competitors to help you uncover opportunities to grow your digital marketing and web properties. ... 

In general, the small to medium size business has a more difficult time in getting the data to understand how their business is operating.   In the enterprise we had  many sources of data and expertise. In the small to medium sized firms you track your own sales, but suppose you are trying to understand how well your promotional activities are working.  What promotions should you use in the future, what are your competitors doing, what are the demographics of your buyers? All key questions to ask.  New analytics exist to measure each of this questions, and the site includes tools and articles about them.   They point me to a study:

Read the study: How Marketing is Taking Charge: Leading the Customer Experience
Learn what leading marketers are doing to differentiate themselves in a perpetually shifting omnichannel world. .... 

Which highlights the fact that we are heading toward a very multi channel world.  Also a world where it is not about which channel we use, but how many channels we use to support a purchase and even what order we use them in.

This is all about leveraging data and analytics.   In rapidly changing conditions.   Benchmarking the results against your business sector, and helping you plan for the future.

An interesting place to start.  I plan to give it a try.

This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.  #MidsizeIBM

Real Value of Twitter for Brands

In Clickz:   Good thoughts.  " ... For brands, the key objective on all social platforms remains consumer engagement. Because content-focused social promotions are a perfect means for fuelling engagement -- and Twitter is an unmatched platform for broadcasting content -- the opportunities for delivering promotions on this platform are enticing ... " 

Review: Modeling Techniques in Predictive Analytics

Modeling Techniques in Predictive Analytics: Business Problems and Solutions with R  by Thomas W. Miller 

This book does an excellent job of defining prediction, which I have rarely found done well  in a text.  The first chapter: Analytics and Data Science, in a relatively few pages, defines both the value of visualization and the methodology for getting and verifying a prediction.  Nicely and very simply and accessibly described.   The R code for this and every chapter can be found online here.  I have yet to use or test their code, but it seems very well documented.   This book does not teach R. I did not expect it to, ... but anyone who knows coding can follow along after getting an introduction.

Following chapters address specific areas of application:  Advertising and Promotion, Preference and Choice, Market Basket Analysis, Economic Data Analysis, Operations Management, Text Analytcs, Sentiment Analysis, Sports Analytics and Spatial Analysis.  Each of these topics contain a number of foundation problems, and a book of this type cannot cover them all, but the examples used are reasonable starting examples.

I have read the introductions of several of these topics, and the explanations are well done.  Code is printed on pages. and is often long and somewhat hard to read.  I will probably follow it on the online forms.

The text is heavily footnoted.   I like that, but the having the footnotes in the text make it somewhat harder to scan, would have preferred them in the index.

The Appendix contains description of a number of R language packs to support work described in the book.  Using a language like R is all about building on the tested work of others, so this is key. Ongoing work is described, but this will be out of  date quickly.  It may have been useful to have a place for social and formal exchanges and updates.  Think of the book as a nexus for social
interaction.

Overall,  is very well done,  I expect to use several of the examples for applications. I have talked to two other people that have been reading and scanning it, and they also enjoyed its approach.

" ....  Thomas W. Miller, leader of Northwestern University’s pioneering program in predictive analytics, guides you through every step: defining problems, identifying data, crafting and optimizing models, writing effective R code, interpreting results, and more.
 Each chapter focuses on one of today’s most important applications for predictive analytics, giving you the skills and knowledge to put models to work–and gain maximum value from them. ... "