many still wonder how necessary access is to Java, given the lack of many
applications. There are many unique and useful applications being
developed like the one below.
kelly
from the Financial Times
24 Mar 99
Customers scan their palms before buying.
By PENELOPE ODY
It all looks deceptively simple. Neat little PalmPilots, complete
with barcode scanners and a nicely structured list of all the
items you've bought in the supermarket over the past four months
just waiting to be reordered. Tick the boxes, plug the unit into
the telephone and just turn up at the store a few hours later to
collect your pre-picked and pre-packed shopping list.
But while it may appear simple, Safeway's new Easi-Order scheme
in the UK hides some leading edge technology developed over the
past 18 months at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center in
Hawthorne, New York. The system, which is totally scalable and
would have no problem dealing with palmtop-pressing customers
running into six figures, uses Java and web browser technology
sitting on top of a parallel DB/2 database. Not only can it
personalise the shopping list for each customer, based on the
last few months' purchases - or even those for the whole of last
year -but it also uses intelligent data mining techniques to find
customers buying similar products. Then, by comparing their
shopping baskets, it can come up with a list of personalised
impulse-buy suggestions which will very probably appeal to this
particular subset of customers.
This is all done automatically, almost instantaneously, and can
be delivered not just to a PalmPilot but to any other web-enabled
appliance. "The entire system is totally scalable across a wide
range of platforms," says Safeway's IT director, Mike Winch.
"It is a major research achievement which has really excited the
IBM boffins." Marisa Viveros, manager of emerging database
applications at the Hawthorne labs, says: "The underlying DB/2
technology is very solid and Java allows us to port the
applications to any platform - a PalmPilot, a mobile telephone, a
television or even a microwave oven."
The system is in use at Safeway's Basingstoke store, south-west
of London, where 200 customers, who already use Safeway's
"Collect and Go" pre-ordering system, have been given free
Safeway-branded PalmPilots. These have been adapted by Symbol
Technologies of the US to incorporate a barcode reader so that
shoppers can scan their discarded packets to add items
automatically to the weekly shopping list.
The Easi-Order application includes a product index, so that
customers can quickly access lists of their favourite bakery, pet
food or fresh produce orders, for example. There is also a highly
intuitive screen layout, so they can easily switch to the list of
suggested impulse-buy ideas to see which goods are on special
promotion or which will earn extra loyalty points. Both these
lists and the stored product prices are updated automatically
whenever the shopper downloads an order, while alerts warn
customers if their stored files are getting out-of-date. As well
as the Easi-Order application, the PalmPilots come equipped with
the usual mix of personal organiser contact files, note pads and
games.
"The PalmPilot is just the start," says Mr Winch. "Within months,
we expect to add alternative platforms." A Psion Organiser (with
barcode scanner) is likely to be added next, followed by mobile
telephones and, ultimately, interactive TV. Further store-based
trials using these different devices are planned.
The development, which IBM is backing under its "pervasive
computing" programme, allows the retailer to communicate with its
customers at any time and at any place. "You can download your
order from the office, from a hotel room or from a mobile on your
way home from holiday," says Mr Winch. "It's a customer service
benefit with real competitive edge. People ask us why we don't do
home delivery. Well, anyone can hire a van and do that. What we
want is to improve the way we communicate with our customers -
which is what Easi-Order achieves." The PalmPilots used in
Basingstoke are labelled with the Safeway logo, giving clear
brand reinforcement. But the sort of services available via this
channel are unlikely to be limited to grocery orders for very
long. Safeway already works with Abbey National, the UK bank, on
financial services, and electronic banking is a clear option.
Marketing links with travel companies or airlines might also
follow - especially since IBM's Intelligent Data Miner can
identify suitable target customers for these value-added
services. "These sort of partnerships are a business issue," says
Mrs Viveros. "It is simple to set up the business rules and add a
new application - technically it would be very quick and easy."
Equally, in theory at least, the Safeway application could one
day be downloaded to any personal organiser. "You don't need a
Safeway-branded PalmPilot to run Easi-Order," says Mr Winch.
"With a pervasive computing model and appropriate business
partnerships, it could sit on any suitable device, whatever the
brand."
Penelope Ody
Countries: XA World.
Industry: P7389 Business Services, NEC.
P4822 Telegraph and Other Communications.
Actuary: Support Services, Information Technology.
Subject: Internet. Products & Product Use Services & Service
Use. Technological Developments.
Types: Surveys.
MCC Type: TECH Technology.
The Financial Times
Page 5
Copyright (C) The Financial Times Ltd, 1997
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 21:44:40 -0500
From: R. Turner <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: NPTalk Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
To: NPTalk Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: [nptalk] Re: ACAT, ONE/Northwest
Denise,
Thanks for the heads up on Alaska Community Action
on Toxics GIS activities. The maps are incredible!
I also want to take a moment to plug the organization
to which Denise belongs, ONE/Northwest, and their
Activist Toolkit resource. The URL is:
http://www.onenw.org/toolkit/
In particular I highly recommend the link marked "Strategy,"
as it features some great resource sheets on using e-mail
effectively to engage in organizing and campaigns.
Ryan Turner, Coordinator
Nonprofits' Policy & Technology (NPT) Project
OMB Watch
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