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Research and Markets: The Top-up Shopper Mission 2010: Hot Drinks Focus- Detailed Analytics Covering All Major Retail Channels

June 12, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

DUBLIN–(Business Wire)–
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2e5de5/the_topup_shopper) has
announced the addition of the “The Top-up Shopper Mission 2010: Hot Drinks
Focus” report to their offering.

The top-up food and grocery market. Essential insight into shopper motivations
and behaviours.

Addressing the increasingly significant top-up food and grocery industry,
Evolution presents the most up to date and authoritative study into the market,
shoppers motivations and behaviours, and retailer top-up propositions – offering
relevant and actionable insight for your business.

Evolutions report also goes beyond market and shopper analysis to offer
additional detailed analytics relating to hot drinks top-up shoppers, and how
they compare to the average top-up shopper.

The report will help your business to develop targeted shopper marketing
initiatives designed to influence shoppers at the point of purchase, explore
broader demand in the top-up market and identify how hot drinks performs in
relation to others, drawing key learnings and opportunities for growth.

The report covers all major retail channels including supermarkets and
superstores, c-stores, symbol group and independents.

Aimed at FMCGs, retailers and in-store creative agencies, the report will help
you to:

* Understand the size and value of the top-up market in the UK.
* Recognise the role and profile of the top-up shopper in the UK food and
grocery market.
* Learn about the underlying drivers and motivations for different top-up
missions and how these can influence choice of channel or store.
* Find out how food and grocery retailers perform in the top-up market, and how
their propositions cater for their top-up shopper.
* Understand how top-up shoppers behave in-store; what journey they take, their
key decision points and how they are affected by marketing.
* Find out which methods of shopper marketing are the most effective with top-up
shoppers.
* Review the key drivers of change, major innovations and trends shaping the
top-up market

In addition to extensive coverage of the top-up market and shopper motivations
and behaviours, Hot Drinks Focus will help your business identify specifically
how hot drinks performs in relation to other categories in the top-up market.

* Review the profile of hot drinks top-up shoppers by key metrics including
demographics, penetration, geographic region, frequency and spend.
* Compare and contrast the views of hot drinks top-up shoppers to the average
top-up shopper in relation to key topics including budgeting, planning, shopping
lists and different shopper marketing initiatives.
* Ascertain the performance of the hot drinks top-up market across the different
UK retailers and channels, and identify opportunities for growth.
* Recognise complementary categories for top-up shoppers who buy hot drinks.
* Discover the different circumstances in which shoppers buy hot drinks as part
of their top-up shop.

Key Topics Covered:

The top-up mission definition

A framework for behaviour

The top-up market

Drivers and trends

Top-up shopper behaviour

The Top-up mission: Hot Drinks focus

Retailer top-up profiles

Methodology

Glossary

Companies Mentioned:

* Asda
* The Co-op
* Marks and Spencer
* Morrisons
* Sainsbury
* Tesco
* Waitrose

For more information visit

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2e5de5/the_topup_shopper

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Authoritative Study, behaviours, business wire, Creative Agencies, Decision Points, Grocery Industry, Grocery Market, Grocery Retailers, Hot Drinks, Independents, Industry Evolution, Learnings, motivations, Point Of Purchase, recognise, Retail Channels, Shopper Marketing, shoppers, supermarkets, Uk Food

2010 e-tailing Group and PowerReviewsSocial Shopping Study Reveals Trends Shaping the Future of Ecommerce

June 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Study Shows Customer Reviews are Foundational Element of Social Commerce
Strategy; Points to Evolving Importance of Facebook in Online Shopping
CHICAGO & SAN FRANCISCO–(Business Wire)–
The e-tailing group and PowerReviews today release the 2010 Social Shopping
Study`s final wave of findings. The study asked more than 1,000 consumers who
shop at least four times per year and spend $250 or more annually online how
social media impacts their buying decisions. The data clearly points to three
key social shopping trends that will shape the future of Ecommerce.

Trend #1: Consumers trust the basic social media tools — When asked which
community and social media tools have the greatest impact on buying behavior, 71
percent of respondents rated user-generated customer reviews as having the
highest “good to significant impact” on buying behavior, followed closely by Q&A
(57 percent) and community forums (47 percent). In addition, compared to 2007,
shoppers are reading more customer reviews to be confident judging a product,
with consumers reading 8 or more up 77 percent over 2007 and 16 or more up 140
percent.

Trend #2: Consumers seek a variety of voices — Further authenticating the
growing importance of social media in the online shopping process, the study
reveals that “friends” and like-minded consumers are more influential than
experts. When asked which online voices have the greatest influence on purchase
decisions, 55 percent cited Facebook “friends,” while another 55 percent noted
“people like you” (55 percent) as having the greatest impact. Experts (51
percent); brands (38 percent), retailers (35 percent) and influential bloggers
(26 percent) followed.

Trend #3: Facebook is the social platform with the greatest potential — While
the role of social media sites in the online shopping decision-making process is
still in its infancy, the study points to the growing importance of Facebook.
After basic social shopping tools – including reviews, Q&A and forums – Facebook
features show the most potential to impact buying behavior. 31 percent cite the
Facebook wall (friends talking about products) as having significant influence
over buying decisions, while another 25 percent note Facebook fan pages as most
powerful. What`s more, the viral force of Facebook is considerable, as nearly
half of respondents reported having upwards of 100 “friends,” while 42 percent
of respondents frequently read and/or update their Facebook pages.

“Consumers are clearly in control of their shopping experiences and these
findings provide valuable and practical lessons for retailers and brands to
engage and benefit from the social conversation,” said Pehr Luedtke, CEO of
PowerReviews. “Retailers and brands need to build the foundation for trust
through the most important social tools: reviews, Q&A, and forums. They need to
provide a collective voice by integrating a variety of perspectives, including
Facebook friends and `people like you.` And, as consumers` expectations continue
to rise, retailers and brands need to present the content in an easy-to-find and
easy-to-consume way.”

Last month PowerReviews and the e-tailing group revealed research around how
consumers are using social media to shop and interact with brands and retailers
online. The study found that people strongly prefer to do their own research
online versus speaking to a knowledgeable sales associate in-store. According to
respondents, online research is preferred for three reasons: its ability to save
time (79 percent report saving somewhat to much more time doing their own online
research), increase confidence (83 percent are somewhat to much more confident
about making a purchase decision when doing their own research) and provide
credible information (82 percent are somewhat or very satisfied with product
information available online).

“The findings of our social shopping study not only prove that people prefer to
do their researching online vs. in-store. The supporting data also shows us that
the retail industry and consumer expectations are at a fundamental and exciting
crossroads,” said Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group. “The
ever-evolving importance of social is certain to grow exponentially from a
shopping perspective given that it`s still so early in the game.”

About the e-tailing group

The e-tailing group, inc. serves as the multi-channel merchant`s eye, bringing a
merchant`s sensibility to evolving the multi-channel shopping experience. A
Chicago-based consultancy, they provide practical strategic perspectives and
actionable merchandising solutions to merchants selling online as well as to
enabling technology firms. For more background about this research study or
additional information on the e-tailing group, inc. please contact Lauren
Freedman at LF@e-tailing.com or visit the e-tailing group website
www.e-tailing.com.

About PowerReviews

PowerReviews is the leading provider of customer reviews and social commerce
solutions to retailers and brands. The company’s innovative tag-based approach
to collecting, organizing, structuring and analyzing user-generated content
significantly boosts product sales and customer engagement. Recognized as the
customer reviews Solution Leader in the Internet Retailer Top 500 survey,
PowerReviews works with over 1000 retailers and brands on over 3000 websites,
including Staples, Drugstore.com, Gardener`s Supply, Diapers.com, Callaway and
Jockey. In addition to its Enterprise solution, PowerReviews offers an on-demand
solution for small- and medium-sized businesses called PowerReviews Express
(www.powerreviewsexpress.com). PowerReviews also operates the leading reviews
and recommendation site for consumers, Buzzillions.com (www.buzzillions.com).
PowerReviews blog is at www.blogs.powerreviews.com.

the e-tailing group
Lauren Freedman, 773-975-7280
President
lf@e-tailing.com
or
TidalWave PR for PowerReviews
Lisa Tarter, 415-203-2462
lisa@tidalwavepr.com

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: bloggers, business wire, Commerce Strategy, Community Forums, Customer Reviews, facebook, infancy, Least Four Times, Media Tools, Purchase Decisions, respondents, San Francisco Business, Shaping The Future, shoppers, significant impact, Social Media Impacts, Social Platform, Strategy Points, Study Reveals That, voices

2010 e-tailing Group and PowerReviewsSocial Shopping Study Reveals Trends Shaping the Future of Ecommerce

June 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

About the e-tailing group

About PowerReviews

the e-tailing group
Lauren Freedman, 773-975-7280
President
lf@e-tailing.com
or
TidalWave PR for PowerReviews
Lisa Tarter, 415-203-2462
lisa@tidalwavepr.com

“Green” spending to double in Europe by 2015

May 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Sales of environmentally friendly products are set to double in Europe by 2015, but will still only account for 5 percent of total retail sales, with shoppers deterred by higher prices, a study said on Monday.

Gulf Oil Spill

The Center for Retail Research (CRR), in a report commissioned by shopping comparison website Kelkoo, forecast the price premium on “green” products would shrink from 46 percent to 40.5 percent by 2012, still too high for many consumers.

“Green products will not become commonplace until suppliers give consumers better price incentives in-store and online to follow their consciences,” said Bruce Fair, managing director of Kelkoo UK.

The CRR said sales of green products, which cover a wide range of items from energy-efficient lightbulbs to recycled paper and hybrid cars, had soared to 56 billion euros ($68.6 billion) in 2009 from 10.3 billion in 2000, and forecast they would approximately double to 114 billion euros by 2015.

European households currently spend 369 euros on average a year on green products, with Swiss consumers spending the most (555 euros) and Spaniards the least (315 euros).

French (413 euros), German (364 euros) and British (352 euros) consumers ranked fourth, fifth, and sixth, respectively.

(Reporting by Mark Potter, editing by Will Waterman)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Comparison Website, Consciences, consumers, crr, Energy Efficient Lightbulbs, Friendly Products, gulf oil, households, Hybrid Cars, Kelkoo Uk, managing director, Mark Potter, Oil Spill, Price Incentives, Recycled Paper, retail research, Retail Sales, reuters, shoppers, spaniards

Gen Y are shopaholics and Gen X looks for quality stuff: Oz study

May 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 20 (ANI): Generation Y are shopaholics and the rather older Generation X have a taste for quality goods, according to new research on Australian shoppers.

The analysis, conducted by research consultancy Directional Insights, split consumers into seven categories shopaholics, shopaphobes, shopping tolerators, quality seekers, price sensitive, traditionalists and online geeks, reported Australian commuter newspaper mX.

And it was found that nearly one third of shopaholics were Generation Y, those born between 1982 and 2000.

They were classified as people who admitted being addicted to buying and often bought on impulse, reports News.com.au.

While Gen Yers like to shop often, they are also bargain hunters, with one in four classified as price sensitive.

A third of Generation X consumers – those born between 1961 and 1981 – valued quality over price, while 20 percent fell into the bargain-hunter category.

Generation X are traditional shoppers with 39 percent less likely to have credit and store cards and less likely to shop online.

The report, based on interviews with more than 20,000 shoppers, found that women spent 66 minutes buying goods each visit, while men took 51 minutes.

Women made up 78 percent of shopaholics, while shopaphobes (61 percent) and tolerators were mostly men (65 percent).

DI managing director Helen Bakewell said Generation Y were the most passionate shoppers, but didn”t have the money to spend.

Younger shoppers were also attracted to big regional shopping centres, said Bakewell.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Bakewell, Bargain Hunter, Bargain Hunters, geeks, Gen X, generation x, generation y, impulse, managing director, Melbourne, Mx, news com au, Oz, Quality Goods, Research Consultancy, Seekers, Shopaholics, shoppers, Store Cards, Traditionalists

Brit shoppers develop taste for “wartime” food – courtesy recession

May 13, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 13 (ANI): Sales of old-fashioned ‘wartime’ food in the UK has rocketed since the recession, figures show.

Despite the enormous range of products available on supermarket shelves, it seems shoppers still have a taste for old classics more associated with wartime than the 21st century.

According to grocery shopping and comparison site mySupermarket.co.uk, sales of products such as powdered milk, sandwich pastes, corned beef and chicken spread have increased over the last two years.

The data, taken from Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury”s and Ocado, shows that the popularity of the old-fashioned items has increased most in the east of England – up 50 percent – since the start of the economic downturn in 2008.

Shoppers from the North East of England spend the most annually on these products, closely followed by shoppers in Wales.

However, Londoners are not so keen, with shoppers from the nation”s capital spending 15 percent less on these retro products today than in 2008.

Jonny Steel, a spokesman for MySupermarket, said consumers appeared to be relying on the items as ‘cheap and cheerful’ alternatives to more expensive products.

“It”s interesting to see these old style products enjoying a resurgence over the last two years,” the Mirror quoted him as saying.

“The items that have seen sales increases are things we tend to associate with wartime, so this may well be a reaction to the recession as consumers look to rein in their shopping bills to get through a difficult time,” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: 21st century, asda, economic downturn, Enormous Range, grocery shopping, North East Of England, Ocado, old style, Pastes, Powdered Milk, recession, resurgence, Retro Products, Sainsbury, sales increases, shoppers, spokesman, Style Products, supermarket shelves, tesco

Curries in UK ‘contain more salt than Atlantic Ocean’

April 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Apr 29 (ANI): Curries are one of Britain’s most popular dishes, but they contain more salt than the Atlantic Ocean.

What’s more, some ready meals, on sale in supermarkets, contain up to three times the recommended daily amount of salt in just one portion.

A research undertaken by Cash, a group that campaigns against high levels of salt in food, found that the worst offender was Iceland”s Chicken Tikka Balti frozen ready meal contained 4.1 grams of salt per 100g.

Policy manager at the British Heart Foundation, Mubeen Bhutta, said: “The level of salt in some of these curries is frankly outrageous, but it’s often tucked away behind unhelpful food labels where it’s difficult to spot. Food manufacturers should give shoppers the whole truth about what they are putting in their baskets.

“We believe that universal front-of pack label, including traffic light colours, the words ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ and guideline daily amounts, are key to helping people easily understand what’s in the food and drink they take to the tills.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Atlantic Ocean, baskets, British Heart Foundation, campaigns, chicken tikka, curries, Dishes, food labels, Food Manufacturers, Light Colours, London, ready meals, shoppers, supermarkets, three times, traffic light, Truth About, whole truth

Now, plastic wraps ‘to sniff’ fresh veg

April 26, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Apr 26 (ANI): Always get confused while judging vegetables in the supermarket are fresh or not? Well, a plastic wrap could now solve your problem.

Smart plastic wrappers could let shoppers know when fruit and veg is ripe and fresh and ready to buy, reports the Daily Express.

Swiss scientists with colleagues from Manchester and Sheffield universities are developing “FlexSmell” material with sensors which “sniff out” gases that indicate freshness in fruit and veg.

The Engineer magazine has reported that the wrapping could have the ability to transmit the information wirelessly to shopkeepers and supermarkets. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: colleagues, Engineer Magazine, freshness, Fruit And Veg, gases, information wirelessly, London, Plastic Wrap, Plastic Wrappers, sensors, Sheffield Universities, shoppers, smart, supermarket, supermarkets, swiss scientists, vegetables, wraps

Mall work doesn’t deter market shoppers

April 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The managers of Townsville’s Cotters Market say attendance numbers have remained steady, despite major renovations in the Flinders Mall.

Market stalls moved into one half of the mall last month, after work began on digging up the mall pavers at the Denham Street end.

Rotary market director Bob Bartlett says extra signage has been put up in the mall to get the message out that the markets are still on.

“We haven’t actually noticed attendance having dropped but we had got some reports from the public that they had thought that they weren’t on and [so they] had turned away,” he said.

“So we put the signage up.”

The market’s managers hope to have more than 200 stallholders occupying the market when it relocates later this year.

Mr Bartlett says once the upgrade is completed the markets will be permanently held between Denham Street and Stokes Street.

“There will be facilities in place to close off the mall to traffic when the markets are on,” he said.

“So on Sunday there will be barriers going up at the Denham Street end and the Stoke Street Plaza to keep the traffic out, and the markets will operate basically right across the roadway.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Attendance Numbers, Bob Bartlett, Cotters, Denham Street, Director Bob, Flinders Mall, Market Director, Pavers, renovations, roadway, Rotary, shoppers, signage, traffic

Fire clears shopping centre

April 1, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The ambulance service says at least 20 people have been treated at hospital after a fire in a shopping centre on the state’s north coast.

Shoppers and staff were ordered from the Ballina Fair complex at lunchtime after a fire in a cafe.

Superintendent Ian Krimmer from the NSW Fire Brigade says they were allowed back in after firefighters checked the air quality and gave the all clear.

“Now when the centre was reopened it appears that a small pocket of smoke which may have been trapped inside an air-conditioning unit has been released and as a result of that a number of people have suffered some ill effects,” Supt Krimmer said.

“They’ve been treated by ambulance and taken to hospital for further treatment,” he said.

The ambulance service says it took 11 people to hospital suffering respiratory problems, and up to 12 others are thought to have sought treatment themselves.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: air conditioning unit, air quality, Ambulance Service, ballina-2478, firefighters, ill effects, industrial-fires, lunchtime, North Coast, nsw, Nsw Fire Brigade, respiratory problems, shoppers, Shopping Centre, superintendent, Supt

Shoppers who try harder to track expenses do worse

March 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): The more shoppers try to track their expenses, the worse they do — overspending by as much as 19 percent, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by a Cornell professor and colleagues, is published in this month”s Journal of Marketing.

In general, the researchers found that all consumers tend to underestimate how much their groceries are going to cost.

“But those who try to calculate the exact total price almost always do worse than those who just estimate approximate prices,” said Brian Wansink, Cornell”s John S. Dyson Professor of Marketing, who co-authored the series of studies with Koert van Ittersum of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Joost M.E. Pennings of Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Their work included two field studies and two laboratory studies.

It is low-income shoppers who try most to calculate, rather than estimate, Wansink said.

That means that those on the tightest budgets — those most motivated to track their spending — may be at greatest risk for spending more than their budget allows, said Wansink, forcing them to cut back in other areas, which “could cause shoppers unexpected financial distress.” This chain of events can also cause these shoppers to develop negative feelings toward the store they patronize because they spent more than they planned.

The researchers also found that the most accurate shoppers based their estimates on the dominant range of price endings in their baskets — such as the 99 cents in 4.99 dollars. In other words, if the price endings of most of the grocers are between .50 dollars and .99 dollars, people rounded up to the nearest dollar.

“When people don”t round up, it leads to some unpleasant surprises at the cash register,” said van Ittersum.

Wansink suggests that the retailers might help consumers estimate the cost of their groceries with cart scanners, by changing their price-setting strategies or by providing shopper trainings in the principles of decision making, statistics, and mental computation. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Approximate Prices, brian wansink, budgets, cash register, Cornell Professor, Dyson, Financial Distress, georgia institute of technology, groceries, Grocers, institute of technology, Joost, Journal Of Marketing, Laboratory Studies, Maastricht University, Negative Feelings, Pennings, scanners, shoppers, Unpleasant Surprises

Meet Alby, the barn owl who skateboards!

March 19, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, March 19 (ANI): A barn owl that rides a skateboard has caught the attention of shoppers in Folkestone, Kent.

Alby, a 13-year-old owl, apparently knows how to do a few tricks with the skateboard.

Folkestone Owl Sanctuary in-charge, Brian Maxted, 73, observed Alby”s talent during a trip to the local shopping centre.

“I often take some owls into town to try and get some donations from shoppers,” the Telegraph quoted Maxted, as saying.

He added: “I had the owls out one day last week and a young lad stopped to look at them.

“He put down his skateboard and Alby, who”d been fast asleep, saw it and jumped on.

“Someone pulled it along the ground and he loved it so much, we had to get him one of his own.”

Alby can swoop onto the board, using the momentum from his flight to push him along.

As the board comes to a stop, it takes off and flies in a small circle before re-landing on the board, pushing it along again.

Student Paul Lendon, 17, from Folkestone said: “I was stunned when I saw him riding along on his miniature board.

“I”m aware of the famous skateboarder Tony Hawk, but I”ve never before heard of Tony Owl.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Barn Owl, Folkestone Kent, hawk, Lendon, london march, march 19, Maxted, momentum, owl, owls, Sanctuary, shoppers, Shopping Centre, skateboard, Skateboarder Tony, skateboards, swoop, Telegraph, Tony Hawk, young lad

Council defends parking switch

March 17, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

The Byron Shire Council’s manager of infrastructure planning says claims that more than 60 parking spaces have been lost in Byron Bay’s town centre sound high.

The business lobby group Byron United says the recent switch to nose-in parking has made it more difficult for shoppers to find a space.

The council’s Michael King says he won’t know an exact figure until all work is completed throughout the town centre.

He says parks have definitely been lost on one side of Lawson Street, where a parallel system is being used.

“Shopkeepers always do get upset when there’s a loss of carparking but we’re trying to balance a loss of carparking against other improvements for pedestrianisation and traffic flow,” Mr King said.

“No complaints about the way it’s been functioning, only positive comments, council staff haven’t identified any major problems,” he said.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Business Lobby, byron bay, Byron Shire Council, byron-bay-2481, Carparking, council staff, exact figure, improvements, Infrastructure Planning, Lawson Street, lobby group, lost, michael king, Parallel System, Parking Spaces, shoppers, traffic flow, united, urban-development-and-planning

Lost English words rediscovered in new book ‘The Wonder of Whiffling’

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, September 19 (ANI): Deipnosophists, stridewallops and shot-clogs – wondering what these words mean? Well, these are some of the lost words in English language assembled by Adam Jacot de Boinod.

Shot clog is an Elizabethan word for a drinking companion who is only tolerated because he pays, while stridewallop is a Yorkshire term for a tall and awkward woman.

Deipnosophist is a Jacobean word for a skillful dinner conversationalist.

All these quirky words had been lost over a period of time, the Telegraph reports.

However, Boinod has included them in his new book ‘The Wonder of Whiffling’.

He writes in the introduction of the book: “As a self-confessed bowerbird (one who collects an astonishing array of sometimes useless objects), I’ve greatly enjoyed putting together this collection.

“I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading it, and that it saves you both from mulligrubs, depression of spirits, and onomatomania, vexation in having difficulty finding the right word.”

Some other extraordinary words include crambazzled, which is used to refer to someone who is prematurely aged through drink and a dissolute life.

Word from overseas like ‘twack’ have also been incorporated.

Apparently, twacks are shoppers who look at goods, inquire about the prices but never buy anything. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: astonishing array, deipnosophist, depression, dissolute life, drinking companion, english-language, jacot, London, lost, New London, period of time, shoppers, spirits, Telegraph, vexation, yorkshire

Arnie holds online Garage Sale to balance California’s budget!

August 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 28 (ANI): California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is holding an online “garage sale” in a bid to balance the 26-billion dollar deficit of the state budget.

The “Governator” has put up 6,000 items including cars, computers and binoculars for sale on eBay and Craigslist.

Schwarzenegger has even autographed the sun visors of several on-sale vehicles to attract customers.

The Telegraph quoted Schwarzenegger as saying on his website: “By posting items online, Californians and people from other states and around the world can participate in the Great California Garage Sale.This is a win-win for the state and for shoppers. Together we are eliminating waste and providing great deals in this tough economy.

“I look forward to selling these signed cars and making some dollars for California,” he wrote on the Twitter micro-blogging website last week.

The two-day auction is being held on Friday and Saturday.(ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: ANI, arnie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, auction, Aug, bid, Binoculars, budget, Budget London, California, California Garage Sale, california governor arnold, california governor arnold schwarzenegger, Californians, Craigslist, deficit, dollar, Dollar Deficit, ebay, economy, Friday, garage, Governator, governor, governor arnold schwarzenegger, Great, Great Deals, London, Online, Online Garage Sale, sale, Saturday, shoppers, state, state budget, Sun, Sun Visors, Telegraph, twitter, waste, website, week, world

Soon, a 3-D printer that will allow shoppers to create their own objects

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 26 (ANI): Tired of hopping from store to store to make relevant purchases? Well, a new three-dimensional printer would soon allow shoppers to customise their purchases in store.

The printer, displayed at Science Museum in London, can create objects including a pen, a light and an orange squeezer from pieces of metal and plastic.

It works by using a powerful laser to melt powdered plastic to bond together and build up into a desired three-dimensional shape.

While it two hours per inch of plastic, several objects can be printed at a time.

Dr Siavash Mahdavi of Digital Forming, the firm behind the exhibit, insisted the 3D printer will be commonplace in the future.

“There are an incredible number of uses for this,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

“For instance, we believe shops could install these systems and let users create their own jewellery and even clothes or shoes.

“You can effectively customise the design in terms of shape, colour and texture, then print out your purchase,” he added.

Mahdavi insists that the technology can really change design forever.

“We believe that while designers will still do 90 per cent of the work, consumers could add their 10 per cent to make the object their own,” he added. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: 3d printer, clothes, consumers, designers, jewellery, London, mahdavi, orange squeezer, science museum, shoes, shoppers, siavash, Technology, Telegraph, texture, Three Dimensional Shape

Tesco helps out recession-hit couples by launching cheaper designer underwear

July 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 15 (ANI): With more and more recession-hit couples opting for nights in rather than going out, the sales of sexy undies has gone sky high.

And top supermarket chain Tesco decided to help cash-strapped couples by launching a new line of cheap designer smalls.

Shoppers can pick up undies for as little as 7 pounds a set, which means it’s the perfect pressie or a great end-of-week treat that won’t break the bank.

The store is stocking the Diamond Boutique range to rival other budget brands, and help keep the nation’s bedrooms full of fun.

The range was created by lingerie queen and Ultimo co-founder Michelle Mone, who says M and S should be “quaking in their undies” at the launch of her new line.

“It’s good news for consumers because healthy competition will drive down prices,” the Sun quoted her as saying.

The range, modelled by Liberty X star Jessica Taylor, includes sexy lingerie with lace, satin and silk guaranteed to send temperatures rising without lowering your bank balance.

Diamond Boutique comes in sizes 32A to 38D for bras and eight to 18 for briefs. The range is available at Tesco nationwide. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Bank Balance, bedrooms, Bras, briefs, co-founder, couples, designer underwear, jessica taylor, lace satin, launch, liberty x, Michelle Mone, pressie, recession, sexy lingerie, sexy undies, shoppers, supermarket chain, temperatures, tesco

Most people downplay amount spent on purchases while telling partners, parents

May 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 30 (ANI): A survey conducted by online shopping website eBay has revealed that about 73 per cent of people hide purchases from a loved one, and downplay the amount spent on shopping sprees.

The study revealed that sneaky shoppers concealed purchases because they believe that their partners, parents or other family members would not understand the value of the item, The Advertiser reports.

It showed that such shoppers took up to 25 per cent off the price tag of purchases when telling their other half or parents.

Eight per cent of the participants admitted that they cut the cost by half.

Independent retail analyst Stirling Griff said that “little white lies” about the cost of clothing and other products was a way to justify buying them.

“It’s human nature and rife amongst men and women, we love to get a bargain and will try and convince ourselves this is the case, even when it isn’t,” News.com.au quoted him as saying.

He further said that people were more likely to lie about purchases in present-day tough economic conditions, compared to a year ago.

“Some people feel they really should be cutting back, even when they do have the money to avoid looking too extravagant,” he said.

Barlow Shoes shop assistant Corrine Kelly revealed that she would often find women asking for their shoes not to be in boxes so they could make their splurges less obvious.

“It makes it easier for them to sneak those expensive heels into the house and put them in the wardrobe without the husband noticing,” she said.

Not surprised to learn that “closet shopping” was so common, 21-year-old architecture student Kate Holford, said: “I think it can make you feel a bit better.” (ANI)

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: advertiser reports, architecture student, barlow, corrine, downplay, ebay, economic conditions, holford, human nature, little white lies, news com au, price tag, Retail Analyst, shoes shop, shoppers, shopping sprees, shopping website, stirling, t news, wardrobe

Police up cash reward to catch Hong Kong acid attacker

May 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Hong Kong – Police in Hong Kong Thursday offered an increased reward of 39,000 US dollars in the hunt for an acid attacker who threw bottles of corrosive liquid from high-rise buildings on to shoppers.

The reward was increased after an investigation failed to find the culprit responsible for throwing two acid-filled bottles on to a busy shopping street in the city’s Mongkok area earlier this month, injuring 30 people.

The incident followed a similar unsolved acid attack which injured 46 people in the same part of Mongkok in December. Two bottles of acid were also thrown in that incident.

A reward of around 13,000 US dollars was offered after the first attack but no one was arrested. It was raised to 30,000 US dollars after the second attack in an effort to catch the culprit or culprits, who police fear may strike again.

Most people in the densely populated city of 7 million live in tower blocks and throwing objects of any kind from high buildings is a criminal offence.(dpa)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: acid attack, attacker, cash reward, criminal offence, culprit, culprits, fear, High Buildings, High Rise Buildings, Hong Kong police, shoppers, Shopping Street, Tower Blocks

Future Brit shoppers to pick still growing fruit from supermarket shelves

May 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, May 17 (ANI): Shoppers in Britain will be able to take home still growing fruit and vegetables on the supermarket shelves in nearly ten years, according to a report into the future of retailing.

Futurelab, which helps the commercial world predict future trends, masterminded the idea, also a part of a report commissioned by supermarket chain Sainsbury, of stamping “harvest by” dates in place of “best before” dates.

Customers, instead of buying pre-packaged packs of strawberries or tomatoes would be able to “harvest” to their liking.

“This would completely change how we sell produce to our customers,” the Telegraph quoted Lucy MacLennan, Sainsbury’s technical manager as saying.

“It would get rid of best before dates and allow shoppers to buy the freshest possible fruit and vegetables,” she added.

The futuristic concept would depend on hydroponic pods, which eliminate the need for soil, and lets plants grow in a special nutrient-enriched solution.

The special light weight mini greenhouses would not only bring down the pesticides but would also make it easier for the farmer to transport the plant from a farm to the supermarket while it is still growing.

MacLennan said: “It could cut right down on wastage and packaging. It would make not just environmental sense, but economic sense too so we are looking at it seriously.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: best before dates, economic sense, fruit and vegetables, future of retailing, future trends, futurelab, futuristic concept, growing fruit and vegetables, growing vegetables, liking, maclennan, mini greenhouses, pesticides, pods, possible fruit, Sainsbury, shoppers, Strawberries, supermarket chain, supermarket shelves, wastage