It deals with a local (Baltimore) supermarket chain, Metro Food
Markets, taking their services online. They will be distributing a
CD-Rom based disc which houses their "virtual shopping program"
monthly. When a customer wants to "go shopping" they boot up the
program which dials into the company's computer and downloads the
latest price list. At that point, the customer can browse aisles, put
items in their shopping cart, and even virtually "weigh" their
produce. When they are finished, the order is transmitted to the
appropriate (closest) store to be filled by an employee. The customer
can either come by and pick it up (without having the hassle of
parking) or can have it delivered for an additional $8-$15.
The program will also be split screen, with a coupon or other
advertisement in one of the two sections. Frequent purchases can be
placed on a special list, so that the basic weekly shopping can, in a
sense, become automated. The company is anticipating a favorable
response from two career households (pick up with no wait) and the
homebound (delivery).
While this isn't marketing through the web, it does show how
electronic commerce is getting embraced on a wide scale, and presents
interesting possibilities for many businesses on a local scale to
achieve yet another level of customer service. The main hindrance, for a
project of this magnitude, would be the speed at which transmission
across the Internet is widely used. As ISDN becomes more popular, we
may see a project such as this being web-based. Certainly if the cable/isp
come to fruition, this is a definate possibility. FTP is already being used,
in the Metro project, to transmit the price lists.
Things to overcome: the "touch & feel" desire that consumers have,
especially for produce. Also, will the increase in sales justify the
increase in labor (order pullers, etc.)? I believe they will,
however, it may take some time to become widely accepted and used. I
am ecstatic to see this development!
Any comments? If anyone would like a copy of the article, let me know.
Warm regards,
Michael A. Wineke
Complete Internet Marketing Solutions
<a href="<a href="http://www.mawent.com/">http://www.mawent.com/</a>">http://www.mawent.com/</a>
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