Netnotes

Willard Bishop Consulting, Barrington, Ill., has teamed with FoodFit.com, Washington, D.C., to track how consumers use the Internet to help them make healthy food purchases. The project consists of two test periods where two panels–a test group and a control group–receive coupons from manufacturers. The test panel will also have access to all the interactive food and nutrition content on the FoodFit.com site, thereby assessing the value of online healthy eating programs in driving supermarket sales. At the conclusion of each test, WBC will analyze the impact of the panels' behaviors by tracking purchases across selected categories and brands, including produce, meat, functional foods and better-for-you grocery, via retailers' loyalty marketing databases; and assessing consumer perceptions, preferences and experiences related to promotional offers and online content and services. WBC will work with three different retailers on the project, which is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.



technology



Web-vision Plasma and LED screens look nice, but took a beating in supermarkets—until now. This month, Pittsburgh-based Transvision Inc. will begin in-store testing of its Passive Image Transmitter (PIT) display units made with Bayer Plastics' Makrolon polycarbonate resin, a much lighter and durable material than traditional plastics. The signs, measuring 28 square feet, are Web-enabled, and made from injection-molded tiles that seamlessly form together. Operating off a 110-volt outlet, there are no electronic components on the display's image surface, making the screen more durable and impact resistant in environments where vibration and contact could damage it.

The screens can show full motion video or static images, and can be viewed up close or up to 300 feet away.

"The advantage is that our system is mainly optical. We are magnifying a smaller LCD image across a polycarbonate screen surface, using fiber optics to essentially carry each of the pixels to the screen," says Evan Wimer, president, Transvision. For more on the latest developments in in-store signage, see "Signs of the Times," page 37.



Self-cleaning UFCW members don't do windows, but retailers will no longer have to hire a cleaning service to clean those skylights and plate glass windows now that Pilkington North America has introduced self-cleaning windows. A special coating, chemically bonded into Pilkington Activ self-cleaning glass, allows the sun's UV rays to gradually and continually break down and dissolve organic dirt through a photocatalytic effect. The windows reduce the surface tension of water, causing it to sheet down the surface and wash away dirt, leaving windows clean. The glass has to be exposed to UV rays for several days to be activated. Once activated, the process continues to work at night and on cloudy days. The windows, which are also available for homeowners, may also transform the household cleaners aisle by eliminating the need to buy glass cleaners, detergents and paper towels.



Linked up

Supermarkets are increasingly adopting Internet/intranet links to their corporate headquarters, wholesalers and key suppliers, according to Robert King, professor at the Food Industry Center, University of Minnesota, and principal researcher for the 2001 Supermarket Panel report. This is a step in the right direction toward improving supply chain efficiency, he notes.





Fuel cell future

Rolling blackouts may be a concern of the past, now that General Motors is working on a hydrogen fuel cell for homes and businesses. The fuel cell, expected to be available by 2005, runs on natural gas and produces electrical power from hydrogen and oxygen without combustion. GM hopes to eventually develop a fuel cell for automobiles, but believes the use of fuel cells for home and business generators will help pave the way for wider public acceptance.

CONSUMERS



Lollies pop More and more adults want their lollies. The candy industry is now marketing lollipops to adults, creating suckers in adult-oriented flavors, including yogurt-flavored fruit smoothie, hot-chocolate, buttered popcorn and strawberry parfait. Lollipop sales have increased more than 30% in the last three years. Sales are being driven by the move toward hand-held foods, as a substitute for smoking, and because they are relatively low-calorie treats, compared with other candies. One manufacturer, Day Spring Enterprises, Buffalo, N.Y., has even developed the "popstop"—a plastic stand in which people can rest their pops while they are on the phone at work.

MARKETING



Living room

The makeup of the American household is continuing to change, albeit at a gradual pace, according to Census 2000 data analyzed in a recent issue of American Demographics magazine. The total share of family households, which includes married couples, single parents and people who live with other relatives, has declined to 68% in 2000 from 70% in 1990. Non-family households– those who live alone or with other non-relatives–has risen two percentage points in the last decade to 32%.



STORE DEsign



Toy test

Giant Food, Landover, Md., is testing a Toys "R" Us store-within-a-store at four locations in Virginia. The department consists of both sides of a full aisle and is clearly marked with interior signage stating that it is a Toys "R" Us department. The test stores are in neighborhoods with predominantly young families.





Teamwork



Albertson's has teamed with the Black State Employees Association of Texas to open a new 63,000-square-foot store in the predominantly black Oak Cliff section of Dallas. The store features Albertson's new community-centered design and includes a 24-hour fuel center, Starbucks coffee bar, Dreyer's Ice Cream Bar, ethnic hair care center, community credit union and a Dallas Police Community Resource Center.