ShoutingInDigital
Retail, E-Commerce, E-tail and Digital News
22nd
FEB
Research proves bad customer service impacts future sales
Posted by James | Filed under news
- Image via Wikipedia
Talking Retail reports recent research by the Consumer Forum has found that bad customer service really does impact consumers’ perception of retailers and where consumers are likely to spend their cash.
A survey revealed that more than 80% of consumers tell their friends, family and associates about good or bad customer experiences they have had. And of those who spill the beans its more likely the feedback will be negative. Three times as many respondents (25.2%) would relay bad experience over good (8.4%).
Almost all respondents also indicated that bad customer service would likely compel them to take their business somewhere else.
The Consumer Forum surveyed thousands of customers on all aspects of retail experience, from online shopping to the brands and services they like and dislike.
Simon Calver, CE and founder member of the Consumer Forum said the results provided a real insight into how UK consumers think about where to spend and on what products.
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Tags: Business, consumer, Consumer organization, customerservice, home, online shopping, Research, Retailing
10th
DEC
DIY shows its true colours
Posted by James | Filed under news
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Admittedly some of the more hi-tech inventions, such as robot maids and lawnmowers that get to work without any prompting, induce a certain feeling of awe; however, they always seem so far out of reach – or out of budget – that they’re of no use. Now, some clever chap has come up with a solution for one of life’s most vexing DIY problems.
Not knowing whether screws and bolts are sufficiently tightened can delay work significantly and be a major worry after the completion of a project. An innovation called SmartBolts may now help put troubled minds at rest.
SmartBolts have a visual indicator in the middle of its head that changes colour as it gets tighter. The standard model starts at red and, when fully tightened, turns to black. There is also a version for bolts that you want to be tight-ish that turn from yellow to green at about 90% tightness and then to black at 100%. This is particularly useful when things start to come unfastened as you’ll always have prior warning when the bolts start to loosen.
Another cool colour related item I came across this week is the LightDrops umbrella. Not only does it protect you from the rain but the power of the falling drops is converted into light – the harder it rains, the brighter it lights up making your walk home a lot more comfortable.
Tags: home
18th
JUL
Showcasing The Heat-Me Coffee Warmer… Also A Co-Worker Branding Iron!
Posted by James | Filed under tech
Ever had that situation when you’re working away and reach for your mug of coffee, only to find its gone cold? Me too; but despite the fact that USB powered coffee-warmers are nothing new, those little heater coasters really don’t do the business when it comes to keeping the coffee warm.
Well, there’s now an alternative to those crappy little coaster-heaters: the Heat Me coffee heater. It has probably been conceived from a run-in with a soldering iron and in the wrong hands it could be a dangerous weapon around the office. It’s currently only a concept idea just now, but with the popularity of coffee world-wide, there’s a real need for a coffee-heater that works.
The Heat Me USB heater acts both as a stirrer and a heating device, so there’s an added bonus – no more scrabbling around for spoons to stir the coffee. Just plug it into your PC or laptop USB port and the metal coil at the end will heat up and warm your coffee through, similar to an immersion heater.
Just be careful though; while it might come in handy for warming up that lukewarm caffeinated beverage, it could be considered a health-hazard if it doubles up as a co-worker branding iron or impromptu solder iron !Â
Jonathan Kimak of ‘Oh Gizmo!’ isn’t convinced though, preferring to adopt a healthier option by obtaining his caffeine fix via a daily six-pack of red bull.
Hang on, bull… branding iron… I can see where this is going.
Tags: home
3rd
JUL
Do you take this robot to be….
Posted by James | Filed under tech
In 40 years time you will be thinking all those romantic relationships you had ever experienced are a thing of the past or in this case, the future. David Levy, author of the book Love + Sex with Robots, recently at an international conference held at the University of Maastricht spoke of the concept, where he is “talking about loving relationships about 40 years from now” with the non human kind.
Scientists are expected to build robots that will match the emotions, personalities and consciousness of humans, where they can then maintain a human like relationship with their human partner. These robots will be built where “they can talk to you, they can make you laugh”. However, this is the area where they are struggling to develop, in terms of the human-computer conversational engagement but Levy strongly believes this will happen, “I am sure it will (happen.) In 40 years…perhaps sooner.”
He expects that those individuals who are unable to find satisfaction from relationships with a human could look elsewhere. The robot will also be able to say “I love you”, and with feeling to their human partner. However, some of the old romantics in the world will perhaps find it difficult to comprehend this new potential concept of relationships.
The main controversy that surrounds this concept is perhaps the ethical issues, due to the lack of choice the robot will have, being unable to reject human emotions of any form because they are programmed to accept their human partner. There are concerns by British scholar Dylan Evans that the robots could eventually become boring to their human partner, and as a result the “human becoming cruel against its defenseless partner.”
As expected at this stage of development there are many possibilities but researches are encouraging people not to over exaggerate just yet. This new age of robot’s being part of society will take time for many individuals to accept but in other parts of the world, the Japanese are already producing robots that look after the elderly.
There is still a long way to go until your potential mail order robot bride hits the streets, but eventually you could perhaps be falling in love with C-3PO’s much younger (and less aluminium orientated) cousin.
3rd
MAR
Turning trash into gas – not only in Sci-fi
Posted by James | Filed under tech
Bill Roe (Costaka, Inc.) and Rick Wagoner (General Motors)
General Motors (GM) has recently announced a surprising partnership with Coskata Inc to further develop and promote Coskata’s enduring ethanol production technology. Not the kind of ethanol that requires farmers to set aside fields they would normally use to grow food to instead grow corn for ethanol production which is hardly sustainable as Jim Goodman rightly points out.
The Coskata process does not rely on corn but instead can utilize a wide range of different materials from biological waste, hay, straw and even old tyres to make ethanol. Biofuels have recently received a lot of press after it was pointed out that many farmers were switching to growing corn for biofuel production to meet high demands and as well as pad their pockets. What makes the process Coskata has designed so noteworthy is that it does not depend on corn or another one crop to produce ethanol. The process harnesses the power of anaerobic microbes. The process is more efficient as well as being more eco-friendly, using less water to produce the ethanol.
The ethanol that is produced in this process will be much cheaper than gas on the market today.
Tom Kessler reports that GM will begin testing the first ethanol from Coskata’s pilot plant in the fourth quarter of 2008…
Garbage into fuel could soon be a reality.
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James and the team who run Shouting in Digital work for a digital marketing agency.
Sometimes we'll end up blogging about clients. When that happens it's because the client has done something worthy of a e-tail blog's attention. All the posts here are our opinion, insight and stuff we'd like to share for you please don't consider this meaningful advice.