Reward Cards On Your Mobile Phone

I work at Hallmark and every time before I total a purchase I am required to ask if the customer has a Hallmark Rewards Card. The majority of customers I ask say yes, but have a hard time locating it in their wallet/purse. They complain about how many there are and how obnoxious it is to have to carry them around all the time. Those who do not have a rewards card normally do not want one for the same complaints.

I am not a big fan of Starbucks coffee, but I have to commend them on their genius Starbucks Card Mobile app. It is really easy – all you have to do is download the free app then type in your Starbucks card number. Through the app you can track the stars you have earned through My Starbucks Rewards or even pay for your drink right through the phone!!

With the growing technology we have seen many new progresses. It always amazes me to see what these big companies are coming out with the help their customers shopping experience easier.

Do you think that soon we will have all our information on our phones?

In response to Cameron Drouin...

Many people in and around Keene knew of the "Fiasco" that was coming to Keene State during our Spring Weekend. The concert was getting major press and everyone was excited for the concert featuring Lupe Fiasco and Sam Adams. I was super excited to make my purchase, but I had classes when the tickets were first put on sale. I was not overly concerned because they said there were 2,200 tickets and students could only purchase 2 at a time. Half-way through my 12 o'clock class a student made an announcement that all the tickets had been sold out. The class in general was crushed - none of us had purchased tickets. 

Soon after students began complaining the Social Activities Council on facebook posted "Each year for the Spring Weekend concert we sell the same amount of tickets due to the capacity of the gym. We also sell two per ID each year; there is no way to tell in advance if tickets are going to sell out or not. We are really sorry that we can not allow everyone to attend the concert...if it were our choice we would let everyone come. Keene state doesn't have a big enough venue to hold the entire Keene State Campus. We also do not have the security to manage a concert outside." There have been posts on my facebook feed stating that people are willing to pay 3 times the price that people purchased the tickets at. 

Although I am extremely disappointed about not being able to attend this concert I cannot fault SAC, but I hope they plan better next year by having a concert outside. Who would you like to see come to campus next year?

Dunkin’s + K-cups = Love

I had just recently received an email from the CEO of Dunkin’ Donuts that at the beginning of this summer, Dunkin’ Donuts will offer 14-count boxes of Dunkin’ K-Cups, sold exclusively at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in the United States and Canada. Dunkin’ K-Cups, featuring the same great-tasting Dunkin’ Donuts ground coffee served inside our restaurants, will be available in five popular Dunkin’ Donuts flavors, including Original Blend, Dunkin’ Decaf, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and Dunkin’ Dark.

I think that they have done a good job listening to their customers wants and needs although I feel like this has taken a long time in coming. The Kurig was created in 1992, but it was not really popular until 2006 when Green Mountain Coffee Roasters became a subsidiary. According to their statistics there are:

• 2.5 million beverages dispensed per day
• 200,000 office installations
• 6% of all coffee brewed every day 

You would think with statistics like that Dunkin’ Donuts would have entered that market a lot earlier. According to the President of Starbucks they plan on entering the market in Fall 2011.

Why do you think the major distributors of coffee have taken so long to distribute k-cups to the masses?

In response to Chris Kurylo's post...

Chris found an interesting video from CNN that introduced the viewers to an app that shuts off texting and phone calls when a person is in a car. The app automatically turns on when the phone is moving faster than 15mph. There is a flaw in the app because even passengers cannot use their phone because the app cannot differentiate between who is driving and who is just a passenger. 

I think that this app is a really good idea. There been many accidents caused by cell phone distraction, which has already created laws prohibiting the use of a cell phone while in a moving car. According to a study by the University of Utah found that the impairment a driver experiences using a cell phone equals that of a person driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08 percent (above the legal limit in some states). Some people need this app to not be distracted by its presence. 

Would you put this app on your phone?

Social Media Marketing Mix - Videos

I recently read an article about social media marketing and how videos can be a powerful asset to selling the company's product. It said that to have a successful video it must be:

1. Engaging - In addition to being informational, often want to leverage humor, or do something to make the viewer smile (if not outright laugh).
2. Memorable - If the viewer does not remember it, what's the point?
3. On-brand - Must be consistent with the product's brand attributes and brand marketing messages

The article goes on to say that to be effective at all you need to know your audience and have a clear approach for each target groups. With the above guidelines (and with knowledge of your audience in hand), successful video types for social media might include: an interview from a client, a clever stunt, staged interactions between the product and a consumer, humorous traditional commercials, or musical spoofs. 

This article was clearly focusing on the consumer market (B2C). Because I work at Hallmark, a retail card store, I know that commercials and videos really bring in a customer to purchase a specific item. Bug 'Em is a lady bug that has a zipper pouch that parents or grandparents can fill to surprise a child. We had this item in the store before the Christmas holidays and we didn't sell any. When the commercial for this product came our right before Valentines day we could not keep them on the shelves. At Hallmark there is definitely a correlation between the commercials they air and how much product we sell.

What types of videos/ commercials make you want to buy?

In Response to John DeMunda ...

John talks about how when customers go into a store and they see a red sale sign there are automatically drawn to that section. Customers automatically think that they are getting a better deal and do not feel as guilty about making a purchase they otherwise didn't necessarily need. John bring us the issue of mismarked items and how employees should deal with the mess-up. I think that you need to keep the customer happy, but make sure that the issue is resolved right away. Where I work there is a section where everything is 50% off, but nothing is marked. So if you are an employee that only works 2 days a week and things get moved around you can have some angry customers when you enter something in wrong. I think the best solution is to politely ask the customer where they got the item and then proceed from there. If it is actually 50% off normally they are happy because 1. they got the item for cheap and 2. they were right.

Do you get annoyed when a cashier messes up your transaction?

In Response to Taylor Griffin...

Taylor makes statement that I think many people can agree with. He says that "Sometimes when i fill out surveys, I think one of two things. I am going to fill this survey out with giving my honest opinion or I will fill out this survey just to get it done with and out of my way." I can't argue with that logic. 

Recently there was a survey on my KSC account that continued to pop-up every time I logged in. I knew that it would not go away unless I filled it out, so I took as little time as I could to fill it out. The survey was for campus housing - the problem: I have never lived on campus. I couldn't answer anything honestly because it did not have the option for students who have not lived on campus. The creators of surveys need to be careful about how they word questions and who they have them out. 

How do you think Keene State should have administered the survey?