Champagne vending: Moët goes multichannel?

The world's first Moët  & Chandon vending machine, which has just been installed in the Christmas Shop on the fourth floor of Selfridges, comes stocked with 350 art deco-inspired Swarovski crystal-adorned mini-bottles, a snip at £17.99 each….

Scope for provision of chilled flutes - and perhaps party-hats - to complete the instore theatricality for impulse-tasters…?

Face and barcode scanning a little passe? Ground-Breaking project to brain-scan shoppers...

Dr Paul Mullins and Dr Helen Morgan from the School of Psychology put a shopper through the fMRI scanner.

Psychologists at Bangor University are to brain-scan supermarket-shoppers to test their reactions to promotions and special offers in a major cutting-edge project  with one of Europe’s leading shopping behaviour specialists.

The project, to be carried out jointly by UK-based SBXL and the respected School of Psychology, will ask selected shoppers to simulate an £80 grocery shop in a supermarket, while going through a £3m 20-ton medical fMRI scanner.

A full range of supermarket products are displayed on a screen in front of them and they are asked to make normal shopping choices from a shopping list while faced with a wide range or promotions and special offers. The aim is to identify which part of the brain is involved in making choices by measuring blood flow and brain activity.

Early research suggests that around 23 minutes into their shop, customers begin to make choices with the emotional part of their brain – which can only guess at value for money – rather than the cognitive part of the brain which is capable of computation and logical decision-making. Results also show that after 40 minutes – the time taken for a typical weekly shop – the brain gets tired and effectively shuts down, ceasing to form rational thoughts.

Previous SBXL research that the brain behaves illogically when faced with the sort of information overload that shoppers are faced with in a typical supermarket. Previous research has shown us that nearly 20 per cent of shoppers are likely to put special offers in their basket even if they are more expensive than the normal product, and we know that nearly half of shoppers ignore buy-one-get-one-free items and only choose one.

Given that approximately a quarter of all products on supermarket shelves are on some kind of offer or promotion, this indicates that many millions of pounds at stake in lost margins if the supermarkets are getting it wrong. SBXL estimates that supermarkets and brands consistently give away 23 per cent more margin than they need to.

Hopefully, the research will help suppliers and retailers get to a closer realisation and satisfaction of real shopper 'need', rather than 'want'...

In other words, although the shopper is behaving illogically in selecting a 'special offer' that is more expensive than the normal product, there is perhaps more mileage for the retailer in pointing out the shopper's 'error' than making a few pence extra on the 'mis-purchase'...

A Quality Street in Tesco?

                                                                             pic: Tesco, Church St Hove, Brian Moore 24-11-13

The Squeezed Upper feels the pressure?

                                                pic: Waitrose, Marylebone High Street 23-11-13
Half Price Salmon & Champagne...

Entomophagy - Insect eating - crawls on to Paris menus

In the hip Montmartre neighbourhood of Paris, Le Festin Nu (The Naked Lunch) bistro gives customers the chance to select from a variety of entomological treats.

To accompany your glass of vin naturel (organic wine), you can try palm weevils with beetroot and oil of truffle; water scorpion with preserved peppers and black garlic; or grasshopper with quail's eggs.

Although insect snacks are relatively new to Europe, here's a taster of some of the world's delicacies:

• Colombia - roasted "hormigas culonas" (large-bottomed ants) are popular in certain regions
• Japan - "hachinoko" (boiled wasp larvae) and "zazamushi" (aquatic insect larvae) are two of a number of insect-based Japanese treats
• Nigeria - in some areas people feast on insects including termites, caterpillars, and compost beetle larvae. Queen termites are considered a delicacy and are only eaten by adults, according to the University of Kentucky
• Mexico - grasshopper tacos are just one delicacy to come from the country's estimated 300 to 550 species of edible insects

A report this year from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) was seen as a call to action.

So even global KAMs in far flung places can entice the buyer with local delicacies…
…while their UK counterparts experiment on partners and colleagues before introducing it as a negotiation ploy…

Amazon Expanding Its Own Private Label Offering to Supermarket Goods?

Recent postings by Amazon give another reason for keeping an eye on job listings…

Allthings D report that one of the listings, for a financial analyst, mentioned the “launch of the Private Label Business in Consumables.” In another, for a “Senior Product Manager, Consumables Private Label,” Amazon said it is looking for the new hire to help “launch new high quality Amazon-branded products to our global customers.”

The consumables business at Amazon includes categories such as grocery, health, personal care and baby products. The AmazonFresh grocery delivery business also is part of the area.

Although Amazon private label has had a low profile to date, we believe that the ongoing recession is causing the company to mirror the growth of private label in classic retail.

Given the level of Amazon credibility, combined with its service record and responsiveness to consumer demand, the idea seems a ‘no-brainer’.

Either way, surely worth a what-if by branded and private label suppliers alike?

Hat-tip to Lisa Byfield-Green for pointing us at this news item

Alcohol update: the new poitín (poteen) subcategory

How poitín went from illegal moonshine to being sold in Tesco Ireland

Intensive catchup briefing for NAMs:

1. It is one of the most strongly alcoholic drinks on the planet. Homemade poitín can be anywhere between 50 and 90% alcohol by volume vs. average beer 4 to 6% and whiskey 40%. 
2. The first record of it is from the 6th century but it was illegal in Ireland for 300 years and was only legalised in 1997.
3. Purists may not like it but poitín is shedding its reputation as illegal moonshine and is for sale (legally) in shops and pubs around Ireland.

For those without DIY facilities, there are at least five companies in Ireland now selling poitín which can be bought in pubs and off-licences, while London cocktail bar Shebeen is selling eight different types of poitín, including one version made from potatoes in San Francisco. Irish company Coomara Irish Spirits recently made the biggest ever legal shipment of poitín to supermarket chain Tesco, which began stocking the spirit earlier this year.

NB. For those determined to try, the legal version of poitín is 40% and has been granted Geographical Indicative Status by the EU. As you know, this means that in the same way that champagne has to come from a certain area of France and Parmesan cheese can only come from a particular part of Italy, poitín can only come from Ireland.

NAM advice: i.e. Do read the label before you cannot.....
(For more exotic tastes, try Asian Snake Whiskey)

"Phil, about your new taxi-app.........?"