65+ Membership Scheme

This report shares the journey of three partners' experiment with digital technology to address societal challenges linked to ageing and social isolation. In recent years artsdepot has seen enormous changes to its business model driven by the advance of digital communication tools, rapidly increasing use of social media, and changing consumer behaviours. The project team felt that digital innovation was typically aimed at the young but wondered if there was greater potential to increase attendance and sales while also addressing social isolation through creating digital innovations with older people. A range of partners worked on the project: artsdepot (arts partner and project lead) is a multi-art form venue based in North Finchley welcoming 130,000 audience members annually. DigiLab (research partner) is an R&D laboratory based at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. Ingelby (tech partner) is a digital agency specialising in app building and mobile app development, as well as mobile website design , e-commerce development , customised CRM systems and creative digital media. This project aimed to explore digital technologies that could help create increased levels of arts attendance among older people by identifying barriers and designing digital solutions. artsdepot felt that by enabling increased arts attendance and therefore facilitating opportunities to socialise, they might help establish new friendships while providing enriching creative experiences. Additionally, the team felt there was an additional benefit in terms of demonstrating an economic model for engaging older audiences. Having learnt in the application phase that two thirds of older people have more disposable income than any other age group, artsdepot felt that if it could address other barriers to attendance, it could also improve ticket sales and build a case for increased focus on older audiences

An analysis into early customer experiences of self-service checkouts:lessons for improved usability

The research aims to examine the perceptions of relative novice users of self-service checkouts (SSCOs) and if these perceptions change before, during and following use. Employing a diary approach with 31 respondents relatively unfamiliar with SSCOs, the research will document their experiences with this technology across stationary, hardware and grocery stores in two Scottish cities (Glasgow and Dundee). Findings suggest that the majority of respondents were motivated to use the technology because of time saving and convenience. However, the actual experience of using SSCOs was not always considered quicker when compared to staffed checkouts because of technical issues, lack of staff assistance and the impersonal, sometimes stressful and controlled nature of the cramped SSCO environment. Following post-use reflections, the majority of respondents’ opinions did not change from their initial perceptions and indicated that they would prefer not to use the technology in the future. Based on the findings, this study makes some practical suggestions centring on the design and usability of SSCOs, which may go some way to reducing customer dissatisfaction and frustration with the technology, especially from the perspective of new users of the technology

Think Local-Act Local: Is It Time to Slow Down the Accelerated Move to Global Marketing?

In view of the accelerated move of great corporations towards global marketing, the strategic changes of such companies raise interesting questions. Is marketing globalization reaching its limits after years of implementation? Is it time for companies to rethink their strategies and move back, like Coca-Cola, to a multi-domestic marketing approach?Global Marketing, Multi-Domestic Marketing Approach, Brand Equity, Drawbacks of Marketing Globalization, Coca-Cola

Optimized Automated Checkout Process for Major Food Retailers

There has been a push for automation in countless industries to save time and money, increase customer satisfaction, increase customer purchasing options, increase efficiency, and reduce waste. This design project will focus on optimizing the automated checkout process at major grocery retailers. The goal of the design is to reduce customer wait times at the checkout line, thus increasing customer satisfaction and save the retailer cashier expenses. The design was created using the DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) process tool. Customers were surveyed to define if there was a problem, and 52.5% of customers felt the wait times at checkout were too long. Time studies were conducted to gather data and measure the baseline for later design comparisons. The designs were analyzed using Arena, a system modeling software. Also, a cost analysis was also performed on the design ideas to find the most plausible, effective, and efficient design option. Throughout the design process, weekly meetings were held to review the design, define the roadblocks, and improve upon the design. In section 3.2a, any foreseeable roadblocks were defined, and the solutions were supplied to help management control the design once implemented. The design starts with customers entering the store. At the entrance, they are given the choice to open the store’s application on their phone and take part in the scan as you go feature. There will be a station to grab a bagging rack that can be clipped to the cart to offer the customer a bag-as-you-go option. There will also be a basket of cellphone clips next to the bagging racks. The cell phone clips will allow the customer to have a touch-free and hassle-free scan-as-you-go experience. The customer will scan their items as they shop and bag the items as they place them in their cart. At checkout, the kiosk will ask the customer to scan the customer QR code in their phone to connect the data of what they have scanned to the kiosk and floor scale. The kiosk will prompt the customer to weigh the scanned produce items on the kiosk scale and place them back into their cart. Then, the kiosk prompts the customer to push their cart onto the floor scale that is next to the kiosk, remove the bagging rack and cell phone clip, step away from the cart/scale, and press weigh. The customer can then pay as normal and exit the system. In Arena, the standard self-checkout system and the new design were simulated. The results showed that in one hour the self-checkout system could process an average of 36 customers through the system, while the new design could process an average of 57 customers per hour. This is 1.58 times faster. The main reason this new design is more efficient at moving customers though the automated checkout process is because the scale eliminates the need for the customer to scan their items at checkout, and the bagging rack eliminates the need for the customer to bag their items at checkout. This report will breakdown the design process from start to finish, including all visuals

Innovation in Marketing Channels

In more recent years, the context of globalization in which market channel structures and strategies are developing is bringing to a more complex concept of marketing channels, with disintermediation or reintermediation, multichanneling and new roles/specializations that are emerging as new issues.In this context, innovation in marketing channels becomes a complex, multiorganizational, multidisciplinary activity that requires collaboration and interactions across various entities within the supply chain network. In recent years, the innovation processes in marketing channels have occurred with high intensity and speed, especially following the changes spurred by technology that allowed the adoption of more efficient organizational solutions.Retail; Channel Structure; Innovation in Marketing Channels; Retail Technological Innovation; Global Markets

Fraud, Unemployment and Cashless System: A paradox or Reality in Nigeria

The challenges envisaged in a cashless economy in Nigeria are fraud, indiscriminate deductions from accounts, unemployment, high rate of illiteracy and epileptic power supply. Various researchers identified negative public perception, high e-banking charges, payment infrastructure gap, unbanked majority and absence of legal framework to corroborate international policy as imminent challenges of the cashless policy. The objective of this study is to investigate if cashless economy will reduce fraud and unemployment in Nigeria. The methodology employed for testing the hypotheses is a statistical parametric test called Pair Sample t-test through the use of SPSS statistical package. The study rejects the null hypotheses which mean that cashless economy would increase the rate of fraud and unemployment in Nigeria. The study recommends immediate job financial empowerment for those that will suffer job loss as a result of cashless policy. There should also be adequate legislation on all aspects of the operations of the cashless system so that both the operators of the system and the public can be adequately protected for internet, physical, and other related security issue

Public Service Delivery: Role of Information and Communication Technology in Improving Governance and Development Impact

The focus of this paper is on improving governance through the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the delivery of services to the poor, i.e., improving efficiency, accountability, and transparency, and reducing bribery. A number of papers recognize the potential benefits but they also point out that it has not been easy to harness this potential. This paper presents an analysis of effective case studies from developing countries where the benefits have reached a large number of poor citizens. It also identifies the critical success factors for wide-scale deployment. The paper includes cases on the use of ICTs in the management of delivery of public services in health, education, and provision of subsidized food. Cases on electronic delivery of government services, such as providing certificates and licenses to rural populations, which in turn provide entitlements to the poor for subsidized food, fertilizer, and health services are also included. ICT-enabled provision of information to enhance rural income is also covered

SCO technology in grocery retailing : a structured analysis of current SCO systems from a customer and retailer perspective

This disertation presents an analysis of the customer and retailer value of SCO technologies in grocery retailing. The increasing competition, such as discounters or online channels, has led to a decrease in growth and profitability for traditional retailers. In order to counteract these increasing problems, retailers have been experimenting with SCO systems to save operating costs and to enhance customer satisfaction. However, research does not indicate that the deployment of various SCO instantly leads to such benefits and emphazises additional risks both for the retailers and customers. Thus, it is necessary to further analyse the impact of SCO devices on the retailer as well as the technology characteristics that drive consumer adoption. In order to destinguish the overall value for each SCO technology, a mixed-methods design is applied where qualitative data is quantized based on a Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique. Consequently, the first part of the analysis defines the individual weight and the score of each SCO variable that represents a key driver towards customer adoption. In the second part, the retailer value gets evaluated and added to the following calculation in order to define the definite SCO value. The “Scan Gun” offers the optimal mix of customer and retailer value and slightly outscores the Mobile Scan and Go technology via smartphone by achieving a total value of 15.11 out of 20 points.A presente dissertação consiste numa análise do valor do cliente e do retalhista em tecnologias SCO, no setor de retalho de produtos alimentícios. A competitividade crescente, com canais de descontos ou canais online, levou a uma diminuição do crescimento e lucro dos retalhistas tradicionais. De modo a combater estes problemas crescentes, os retalhistas têm cada vez mais acudido a sistemas SCO de modo a proteger custos operativos e promover a satisfação do cliente. No entanto, pesquisas realizadas indicam que a utilização de SCO não gera de imediato os objetivos pretendidos, enfatizando que existem riscos adicionais para retalhistas e consumidores. Assim, é necessária uma análise mais profunda do impacto da tecnologia SCO no comércio retalhista, bem como uma análise das características tecnológicas que promovem a sua utilização pelos clientes. De modo a distinguir o valor de cada tecnologia SCO, um mix de métodos de design é aplicado, no qual os dados qualitativos são quantificados com base numa Técnica Simple Multi-Attribute Rating. Consequentemente, a primeira parte da análise define o peso individual e a pontuação de cada variável SCO que represente um fator-chave que promove a utilização por parte dos clientes. Na segunda parte, o valor do retalhista é avaliado e adicionado à equação de modo a definir o valor definitivo da SCO. O "Scan Gun" oferece o mix ótimo de valor do cliente e do retalhista, e supera o scan por telemóvel e go-technology via smartphone, atingindo um valor de 15.11 pontos em 20