Can I get an Order of Wi-Fi With those Fries?

Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming a popular commodity in which most consumers require in their shopping experience. Starbucks has always offered wi-fi to its customers, but according to this article in RetailWire more companies will start to offer the same service.

McDonald's rolled out it's Wi-Fi service to 11,000 of its 13,000 locations this January. Many food service companies are beginning to feel the heat as it looks like this trend is here to stay. Rutter's Farm Stores is another food location which has offered free wi-fi as well. And in response to this, the company has received many thank you letters from customers that have expressed gratitude for this offering.

I wonder if other fast food giants like Burger King or Wendy's will quickly follow suit...

Specialty shops in department stores

RetailWire recently looked at the effect specialty stores have on the department stores which host them. The article claims that they lead to cluttered stores and loss of brand identity, but the store gains the specialty store feel due to the fancy appeal of the different in-store setups. What do you think? What are the positives and negatives of having an in-store specialty shop within your department store?

Kroger Thrives by Listening to Their Customers

This post in retail wire discusses how the grocer Kroeger has managed to receive higher same-store gains than its rivals by keeping a close tab on the shopper behavior of its customers.

David Dillon, chief executive of Kroger, gives an example of their style when he mentions:

"We send our very best customers coupon books specifically targeted at what they actually buy. The redemption rate of these coupons is significantly higher than other coupons."

Dillon ends by saying that it is important to know what your competitors are doing, but it is far more important to pay attention to what your customers want in your stores.

Kraft's iPhone App Draws Shoppers

According to RetailWire.com, The iFood Assistant from Kraft Foods now ranks among iPhone's top 100 paid apps, and number three in the lifestyle category. Consumers have to pay a one-time 99-cent fee for the app, sit through ads and even provide Kraft with real-time selling data. But Advertising Age said the app has clearly caught on because it's "actually useful."

"When we look at consumers, we think that they're busy and they're looking for food-planning tools that can make their lives easier," Ed Kaczmarek, director-innovation, new services at Kraft, told Advertising Age. "We developed iFood Assistant as a downloadable app so they can use it anytime and anywhere."

Have you tried this app? We'd like to hear your experiences.