This week we've decided to focus on augmented reality technology and how it's being used to enhance a customer's experience. Lately we've been noticing a surge in marketers using this innovation to push their brands further. So what is it? Augmented reality is an extension of virtual reality, where the user interacts with something that goes beyond physical reality. At the moment companies are using them in a variety of ways ranging from Starbucks' simple cup animation app to Tesco's conveniently augmented catalogue that lets you see products up close. Other brands have had real fun with augmented reality like Disney's display in Times Square or Moosejaw's xray catalogue. With all these brands making interesting forays into this new technology it will be interesting to see if it is here to stay or just a passing fad.

1) Starbucks Animated Cup

2) Tesco's Augmented Catalogue

This week's bulletin is focused entirely around the world of food. Many interesting shopper developments have been happening recently in this area and we thought we would shine a spotlight on them. This week, especially, is a nice reminder that shopper marketing is not solely about instore advertising but also what drives the path to purchase. From Douwe Egbert's unique magazine ad promoting their coffee to Delia Smith cook your own christmas cake kit, there's really interesting food themed marketing out there. Enjoy!

1) Delia's Christmas Cake Kit

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]

2) Douwe Egbert's Magazine Coffe Advertisement - Sugar Sample

(download)

Click here to download:

delicious-qfnxqxwoosGFotBnpoth.zip (173 KB)

3) Luxury Caviar on the go

http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/fine-caviar-stylishly-packaged-luxury/

This week's bulletin is all about the world of fashion. Stores from all over the world are using different approaches to enhance their shoppers' experience. From Debenhams creating a virtual shop here in the UK to a store in Northern Ireland with an unusual selling strategy, there are some really interesting developments out there. Interestingly, the stores show a collision of digital content in a physical setting resulting in a really unique experience.

As technology becomes more entwined with modern life, so does the shopping experience. Whether you are surfing online or in a store, technology is an exciting element that enhances the customer's journey. Today, actual stores are using new innovations to draw people in. Here, Sainsburys and Starbucks Rewards have done just that.

1) Sainsburys and Sky partnership allows shoppers to watch key sports events on iPad enabled shopping carts

Hi all,

Cait

Berg design agency have come up with this receipt to demonstrate the kind of information systems that till point machines can tap into, from Google Calendar to real-time product sales. 

If we can't receive digital receipts via a mobile device to minimise paper waste just yet, then this at least makes them more functional and a bit more joyful. 

http://berglondon.com/blog/2011/06/02/icons-rethink-turning-receipts-into-paper-apps/

Tesco is set to roll out free WiFi across its UK stores, allowing users to compare prices and access Clubcard online while they shop.

Following on from Best Buy in the USA, Tesco now has wireless in all stores to drive on-location mobile use, from product searching with QR codes to actually purchasing products on their mobiles in store rather than at till-point. Another clever move to blur the boundary between on and offline retail. 

Social shopping encompasses a range of ideas, from shopping within social networks, to shopping-specific search engines that use friends recommendations to group buying sites such as Groupon.

"There is a ton of data that people share about themselves that the retailer can use to make more relevant offers. It is far more a personalisation tactic than about getting or retaining customers," 

Meanwhile Levi's has what Facebook describes as a "social store front", offering users jeans that their friends may have liked and even using information to influence its supply chain. So if people in London are "liking" the skinny jeans most and people in Manchester are "liking" the bootcut style they can simply adjust their stock to match this.

"In spite of hundreds of thousands of developers having been given the opportunity to create useful shopping applications or to integrate commerce into Facebook, there has yet to be a blockbuster success," 

To spread the good news about a 'baby'boom at the zoo this summer, Artis in Amsterdam created the first outdoor campaign that can physically go viral.

The real size baby animals can be removed from the outdoor ads and stuck anywhere around the city.