How Cool is this a Mobile App to inspire holiday cooking…..The Safeway Chef Assistant iPhone app.

Safeway Chef Assistant App

When I saw this come through yesterday, of course as a Mobile and Local Internet Marketing specialist I had to download the App.  This is really cool!  When I loaded it up from my ipod, I was greeted by the sound of a Turkey.  It was so funny, Casey (our dog) started to park, thinking an animal was in the house. It was so funny!  However, Safeway claims you can cook a turkey in a 2-hour window.   Mmmmm, I am not fully sold on that yet.  Since I haven’t cooked my turkey yet, I cannot honestly say that this works.  I am really curious though.

Safeway is helping consumers prepare for the holidays with a recipe and a Mobile iPhone App.  What a concept!  Talking about giving customers what they want.  Safeway did a survey to their customers and the results showed that there was an opportunity to build a broader awareness of all that Safeway has to offer to alleviate seasonal stress. According to the survey, 58 percent of women said their biggest holiday regret is being so busy that they don’t get to enjoy the food or company. To win back some of the lost time, the Safeway’s new Chef Assistant free mobile application shows how easy it is to prepare a flawless, moist and delicious turkey with an exclusive 2-Hour Turkey Recipe. In addition to step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, cook and carve a turkey, the application features four custom timers and reminders to ensure steps aren’t missed.

Combined with their Holiday Inspirations website and the “Chef Assistant” Mobile App, Safeway provides inspiring solutions to help with holiday menus, events but more importantly their Mobile App. What a way to be connected with their customers even when the stores are closed over the holidays.  How many times do you think people will be mentioning the word “Safeway”.  What a brilliant way of name branding.

The Chef Assistant app is available for free in Apple‚ App Store.

Mobile cooker

• The app is aimed at moms and families who are looking for tips on cooking holiday meals.
• Using the app, users can view step-by-step directions on how to cook a turkey in two hours.
• Consumers can view tools inside the app to find the perfect cooking time for their turkey based on its weight.
• The app also includes a three-minute video demonstration that walks users through the process of preparing a turkey meal.
• Food lovers can also watch a video on how to carve a turkey.
• To cater to Safeway‚ target demographic of savvy moms, the app aims to make meal preparation simple with four ingredients.
• In order to move forward through each step, users must indicate that they have completed a step by tapping.
• Consumers can also set a virtual timer to cook their turkey with voice reminders.
• The app also features a section with commonly-asked questions about cooking a turkey.
• For example, one of the questions is, should I not stuff the turkey before cooking?‚
• In addition to cooking content, the app is branded with Safeway and its other owned grocery chains.
• Safeway has also rolled out a mobile Web site that is holiday-themed with tips for entertaining and cooking during the holiday season.
• Users can access the mobile site at mobile.safeway.com for recipes and receive tips from Safeway chefs Jeff Anderson and Debi Lilly.

Mobile Grocery Store

With the holidays quickly approaching, many grocery stores are rolling out mobile initiatives similar to Safeway.  For Safeway, the special-edition app is a unique decision because it focuses on Safeway, consumers but does not offer any in-store features, such as a location finder or store deals.  However, their mobile site features a location finder, deals and links to follow the grocer’s social media links, which are all important features for a mobile site to have.  They created the Safeway Chef Assistant mobile app to help there customers spend less time cooking and more time with their family and friends jsut like their survey showed.

Cheryl’s Final Take

I think this is an amazing App for a grocery store.  In September 2011, Safeway surveyed 525 women who have hosted or are planning to host a holiday party via online provider, Zoomerang. Given that 40 percent of the women surveyed said their biggest holiday stress is accomplishing everything that needs to be completed within budget, Safeway delivered affordable solution….FREE App. It is all about the customer and not about them, but yet, their name (Safeway) will be in front of millions of people all around the world even when their door closes for the holidays.  What a great branding idea! Many grocery stores may want to model this type of Mobile Marketing strategy for their business.

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,694 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $41.1 billion in 2010. The company’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.

If you are thinking in developing an App for your business or you are considering implementing Mobile and Local Marketing strategies and tactics for your business, please visit our website at http://www.cheryllynninternational.com.  We look forward to working with you and your business! 905.981.8761

Google Nexus S 4G

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, Google Wallet platform has arrived at the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic stores just in time for holiday shopping.  It is predicted by 2015 that many will refer to our current wallets as the “Old” wallet payment method of buying items in stores.  Though the technology is years away from becoming mainstream, Google has enlisted a number of major retailers, including Toys “R” Us, Macy’s, OfficeMax and Bloomingdale’s as partners also.

To sweeten the deal, the clothier has partnered with Google and will offer 15% off purchases through February 2012 for using the technology. Shoppers can also find and redeem promotions while in-store. Customers who don’t have Google Wallet can use MasterCard’s PayPass.  Google Wallet payment methods can be used on only Sprint Nexus S 4G phones and Google’s new flagship device.

Customers love the convenience of smartphones from finding stores to browsing products, to actually transacting. Google is making it easier for consumers to shop using their devices they love.

Click here to read more…..

Shopkick Mobile App

2012 Will be the year of mobile-local retail.  However, during the upcoming 2011 holiday season consumers should be aware of a NEW and fun Mobile App that rewards consumers for “checking in” locally.  The company is called Shopkick.  They have partnered with major retailers across the US and consumers are rewarded for “checking in” locally.  Yes, I said the US.  I tried to download the Mobile App here in Canada and thanks to “GeoTargetting” the App would not even load.  Matter of fact I got a message saying, “This App is not available in your area.”  Chucks!  So I share this exciting Mobile App with my US friends.

For the US local business this is a great idea for you to increase business during this upcoming holiday season 2011.  At the same time it is really fun and rewarding for the consumer.  We are headed to a world of what I call “Experience Shopping”.  It is all about the experience you are giving to your potential and existing clients.  Mobile is fun and sexy!  Give a consumer an option to have fun and scan an item with their Mobile phone to receive points on a product purchased?  You will have a greater chance of winning their business and at the same time a continued loyal customer.  I believe this type of experience will certainly reduce shoppers researching other competition while shopping in a store.  Mobile phones are the craze these days.  I see people tripping over thresholds while entering a store because they have their heads down texting on their Mobile phones.

Jeff Schumacher, Chief Marketing Officer of Sports Authority said, “We had 50% to 70% more shoppers walk into the store  when we increased the rewards for walking in with Shopkick.” 

“Shopkick is like store bricks on steroids.” says Martine Reardon, EVP Marketing and Advertising, Macy’s

I am not a fan of local business owners investing in Groupons.  Groupons attract one time buyers and I like to see consumers coming back over and over again.  Groupons depend so much on up-selling that the local business owner better have their staff taking a salesmanship course.  And, at the same time Groupons are SO expensive for a local business.  Shopkick has created a fabulous concept to bring the consumer back while offering them great savings on their Mobile phone.  This is a great strategy for a local business in driving more foot traffic to their front door as I explain in my new ebook “Mobile Mastery 2 Millions”.  This is how I always think when working with my clients.

Yes for my friends in the US this is an awesome Mobile App!  Hopefully Shopkick will increase their market to Canada because in 2012 it is going to be imparative that all local business bring Mobile and Local Internet Marketing strategies into their business to increase sales and drive foot traffic.  Mobile is not going away, it is here to stay.

 Aaron Emigh of Shopkick tells us how consumers are using their devices in stores.

Tuesday afternoon Facebook introduced their app for mobile phones that acts as a standalone group chat client for mobile operating systems. The app, now live for download, expands the chat features in Facebook’s existing mobile appto include features like location-sharing, mobile photo-sharing, and — most importantly — instant messaging to friends or groups on Facebook. The app is already available for Android and Blackberry phones along with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad (although the app is not yet optimized for the iPad’s larger screen..   I downloaded this app on my Android mobile phone.  I did all the log in stuff and it works pretty cool.  Although I don’t chat a whole lot I probably won’t use it that much so I can see deleting it to save some space on my mobile phone.  But it is a good app it you like to chat.  Price is free but there is a paid version for $4.21 (CDN)

This new Facebook “Go Chat”shows you a clear overview of your friends in the chat, making it easy to chat with multiple friends without getting confused.  Go! Chat Facebook is a very feature rich application that is actively developed further, which is always good news for the user. It’s already very popular and widely used among many android phone users.

Some of its features include leaving voice messages, automated away messages, the use of smileys, sharing photos etc. Great app if you’re a facebook user.

FEATURES:  chat via facebook, share photos, leave voice messages, easy and secure login, use favorites and much more

Official page for Go! Chat Facebook app

Scan barcode to download

   (how can I use my android phone to scan barcode and download?)

Facebook purchased messaging firm Beluga back in March which Beluga team members have had a hand in the app’s creation. The timing of the release along with its features seems like a fairly direct response to Google+ and its huddles feature that also lets you instantly chat with friends.

Facebook has repeatedly denied that the flurry of recent announcements from the social networking giant and the company’s chat releases, like video calling in partnership with Skype were a response to Google‘s new social network, but the parallels are hard to ignore. With Google+ growing to more than 25 million users in just a little over a month, it’s hard to imagine that Facebook isn’t at least a little threatened.

Google+ released an update to its own app earlier this week that brought increased functionality for the nascent social network’s own chat services along with iPad compatibility.

This is one of the reason I love what I do.  Mobile and Local Internet Marketing is my passion.  I love to help entrepreneurs with their QR code strategies.  But this is even better…QR codes used for finding missing children?  WOW!  While QR codes have been used in countless marketing and social media campaigns, did you know that they are also being used to find missing persons?

Stephen Watkins, a Canadian father searching for his two missing sons, suggested the idea to add QR codes to missing children posters in order to assist police and passersby in finding them.

Another father, Henry Da Massa is still hopefully that he will find his daughter, Pearl, and has also been using QR codes. “It just bridges that gap between someone seeing something and having to make a mental note to look it up later,” said Da Massa.

In addition to parents of missing children, the Toronto Police have also been using QR codes on missing persons posters. “These new smartphones, that’s the basis of a lot of the newer generation communication and we need to reach everybody” said Const. Wendy Drummond, Toronto Police Services.

Using QR code technology to get the word out reaches a much wider audience than in the former days of the milk carton, and also allows for the inclusion of more photos of the missing person.

Do you think QR codes will help in finding missing persons? Let us know by commenting below, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

 Mobi Highlights With Case Study:  Taranta

What’s black and white and read all over? Five years ago the answer was a newspaper, but times have changed. Now the answer is…a QR code.

In its simplest definition, a QR code is a two-dimensional barcode. QR stands for “quick response” and while it might look like a black and white kaleidoscope from the 1980s, the codes hold practical business purposes and are popping up all over the place.

With the help of a smartphone or iPad, consumers can download a free app that enables them to scan the barcode, which directs them to a website or webpage of the business, product or service.

Rather than bombarding the viewer with too much info, a QR serves as a quick link to viewers/customers interested in learning more about a business, product or service.

Already immensely popular in Japan, South Korea and other parts of Asia, QR codes are starting to gain momentum in the US and Canada.

Indeed, they are popping up everywhere from e-mail signatures and  business cardsto “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” and even gravestones.

When a QR code is placed in a storefront’s window, shoppers can simply scan the code and instantly learn more about the designers featured in the window display or available inventory. In this sense, QR codes help bring offline customers online. QR codes can help improve your sales.  Have a printed QR code on offline advertising material and offer your customers a compelling offer of your product or service.

Case Study:   Taranta

In 2000, Taranta opened as a southern Italian restaurant. Four years later Chef and Owner Jose Duarte discovered he wasn’t alone: there were more than 250 Italian restaurants within his two-mile radius. Knowing he needed to make his restaurant stand out in a saturated market, he decided to marry Peruvian cuisine with Italian technique.

Duarte found his inspiration for QR codes six years ago at a conference in Madrid when he saw Japanese chef Seiji Yamamoto using a generic edible code linking to a recipe. Duarte wanted to replicate it, but he had to wait until January 2011 for the device to be ready for the U.S.  A customized QR code was designed for Taranta with the shape of a fish on it (as seen above).

Taranta also has rubber stamp QR codes and silk screen QR codes on fish orders so customers can scan the code on the plate to find out where and when the fish was caught, by whom and when it was delivered to the restaurant.  Duarte didn’t stop there in his self-proclaimed “code madness” – he even created a branding iron to stamp a corn tortilla with a QR.

QR codes aren’t the only new media Taranta uses; six years ago Duarte started a blog and he’s also on Facebook and Twitter.

Duarte said Mobile technology is an important way of connecting with foodies. “Mobile technology is growing very fast. We want to be ahead.”

But while Duarte offers his patrons shiny new toys, he’s a proponent of old-fashioned table manners. “I’m not intending to have my customers scan codes during dinner. I consider the use of Mobile devices during dinner very distracting and impolite.”

Primarily, Duarte intends the codes to be used in demos, classes or with customers interested in food sourcing. Plus, tracking the fish also serves an internal sourcing purpose for Taranta.

Duarte plans to also start posting the QR code outside of the restaurant to create coupons or promotions to increase business. “We are at the experimental stages but through our QR codes and website, our customers can seamlessly navigate our menu, make reservations, find out specials, coupons…they can even pay ahead for a glass of wine at dinner.”

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My recommendation is you have a name for your small business.  You set up a Web site and Hosting on your own so you own this internet real estate.  You set up an autoresponder to capture online clients which is a great source of increasing client base.  You start an email campaign.  You start blogging and referring customers to your website for purchasing so you are seeing profits from it. What’s next? You could set up a profile page on a social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.  These social sites allow you to virtually shout your company’s message from a technological rooftop.

If you require assistance in helping your business getting this setup please visit our list of services.  You may also fill out the Contact form, write us an email.  Wishing your business much success!

In a blog post April 2011 I wrote how people where tattooing QR codes on their bodies.  QR codes are so versatile which can be used even in the saddest time of our lives…the loss of a loved one.  This past weekend I read an article about a company in Seattle, Washington designing and carving quality custom headstones, memorials and monuments with QR codes on them.  Headstones will always be placed at the memorial place of resting for our loved ones.  But thanks to the ever changing world of Mobile who would have ever thought of a QR-tagged gravestone. Now amidst the zeitgeist of smartphones, iPads and the Internet (and social media specifically) QR codes are a very real part of memorialization.  This is a great idea to remember your love one’s story in stone to help families express their love, preserve their family heritage and work through the grieving process.

With this modern age of Mobile Marketing today, a person can take a picture of a QR code embedded on one’s headstone and sent it to a love one in another part of the world or leave their condolences right on their own website.  Below I share with you a youtube video of just how amazing this QR process is.  To learn more about our services please CLICK here or you can simply fill out a CONTACT sheet or reach us by cell phone at 905.981.8761.  We would love to help you save your client or love one’s story in stone.

1.  You must these days think of Mobile!  Every business must blend their Offline Marketing cost with Mobile and Local Internet Marketing costs.  If you are NOT reaching your customers on-the-go you could be giving away your customers

to the competition.  Your competitors are Texting them for their business.  Why don’t you be the first?  They other day I sat in my backyard, on a Saturday with family, and I received a TEXT from a shoe company.  Not the one that I normally would buy from but a shoe company that I optin to their list through a flyer I got in the mail.  So my family member and myself went down.  We only had two hours for the specials PLUS we also got a 10% discount if we could show them our reply# that we got from the text message.  It was cool and we spend a lot of money.  Is your business Mobile?

2. Understand how Google ranks.  Quoting Aaron Wall, “A Google Ranking can make or break a business”.  Aaron Wall’s publication on “the importance of a Google ranking” was picked up by almost every major news publication.  Aaron is the founder of www.seobook.com.  Currently Google is weighing it’s page ranking by about 10% s.e.o., 45% unique content, 45% quality linkbacks.  If you are not familiar with the terms in this first section, we recommend studying them as soon as possible.  It really amazes me when I do reach of a company and their rank way down on the list of Google.  Matter of fact it really gets me going when I find that they don’t even have a website and if they do they don’t have an optin!  Gone are the days of a glorified “brocurded” website.  I was visiting a friend one day and we want to go to get our nails done.  So I looked up the spa that I normally go to (which is a very high end one in a mall) and I couldn’t find them.  I was so surprised!  They didn’t have a website nor an email.  They think they have enough business with the mall traffic.  But isn’t it funny, the next week I see a HUGE sign on the side of a BUS advertising their business.  That costed them HUGE money, yet a Mobile test message would only cost them cents (less that a stamp) to send a coupon or discount to their loyal customer on-the-go.

2.  Edit your companies profile on www.manta.com.   Business owners are using Manta more and more when checking the size and credibility of a potential vendor, or company to do business with.  Manta allows you to edit your profile, making sure that the information they have on your company is correct and current.  Most importantly, when you edit your company profile, make sure to put your company website in the profile.   This ensures your company is getting a “quality” linkback, from a quality company.

3.  Read, or Re-Read, Guerilla Marketing.  This book was so impactful to companies of all size that they built a company around the concept.  The company turned into an interactive website.  The website turned into a University.  In the words of the Father of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson, this describes guerrilla marketing: “I’m referring to the soul and essence of guerrilla marketing which remain as always — achieving conventional goals, such as profits and joy, with unconventional methods, such as investing energy instead of money.

4.  If page ranking is a concern for your company, have every owner, manager, and most employees open a twitter, facebook, linkedin and plaxo account.  Have every person reference the different pages of your companies website in each of their accounts.  For instance, If you are the owner of a plumbing company that has a website  www.abc-plumbing.com, set up a twitter account for yourself.  Inside the twitter account, reference the website of your plumbing company, using the regular url  www.abc-plumbing.com.  Duplicate this technique with your linkedin, plaxo and facebook accounts.  This will give your company 4 “unweighted” linkbacks.  Ask your managers to do the same, but this time, have your managers point to a different page of your website, say the “request a quote” page.  In the manager’s twitter page, they would reference your company with the url of www.abc-plumbing.com/quote.  The manager would then set up the same url page in each of the 4 social network sites.  I would suggest that you split up the url references to 3 different sections of your companies website.

NOTE:  If your company has 10 employees, plus the owner, that’s 11 people registering on 4 social network sites.  This would produce 44 “unweighted” linkbacks for your companies website.  These unweighted links would add up quickly and help your company in it’s rankings on Google.  It may take a few weeks for Google to notice your changes, but they will.

Mobile SMS Texting, when used properly, can make your business dominate your industry? There are now more Mobile devices than PCs and the number is still growing.  Any savvy entrepreneur who embraces mobile marketing will surely reap benefits. However most people often ask me, ‘Cheryl, how will this SMS texting thing really help my business?”