The theme here at the National Retail Federation’s trade show, running now through Wednesday in New York, seems to be “smaller, lighter, faster.” Manufacturers are creating all sorts of gizmos to make shopping easier. Yesterday, ShopSmart got a preview of what you’ll see in stores, now and in the future.
Laser-beam coupons. We’ve written in the past about Cellfire, a service that lets you download coupons to your cellphone. Another option is a little device called ClipPod. Barely bigger than an iPod nano, it operates like a flash drive. Plug it into a USB port on your home computer, download coupons, and then take it to the store (a little loop lets you hang it on your key chain.) At the store, point the device at the cash register scanner to automatically redeem the coupon. ClipPod is now being tested a health food chain in Toronto; the company hopes to sign up U.S. retailers as well.
Paperless receipts. Being “green” is a big issue for retailers. To eliminate all that cash-register tape, a company called allEtronic offers digital receipts. Here’s how they work: you sign up for an account in-store or on your home computer. When you buy something, your receipt is posted online rather than printed; sign into your account to view it. You can then set up folders to organize receipts into categories (great as a budgeting tool). So far, the service is in use only at Stanford University’s student store; plans are also in place to launch it at Angel Stadium in Los Angeles this summer.
No more dangling tags. In an upcoming issue of ShopSmart, we’ll be telling you how to maximize savings from all those frequent-shopper clubs. One tool that helps get rid of those pesky little membership tags is KeyRingThing. It’s a plastic laminated card, the size of a credit card. To create one, you go online and enter membership numbers for up to six clubs. The clubs can be grocery-store discount programs, department store programs, even your gym membership. The card will then be mailed to you, or you can print one out on paper. One concern, though, is privacy. A company representative told ShopSmart that your transaction data won’t be shared with anyone, but when you sign up, you pick a “sponsor”—a company such as M&Ms—from which you want to receive a special offer. The sponsor gets all your contact information, plus what stores you put on your tag.
Sarah
07:30:40 PM on Tue Jan 13 2009
Paperless receipts? Yes, please! Not only will it make retailers happy, but I'm sure shoppers like me will be thrilled not to have their wallets bulging with receipts.