Shopping Cart Text Ads

When I go shopping, I love to feel like I’m getting the best deal one can get. I’m all over “2 for 1” and “25% off” signs at the store. But I can only usually see those signs if I’m actually present in the aisles, and because I usually know what I want, I only enter half of the aisles at grocery stores. Result? My shopping cart is probably half as full as it could be.

A new form of in-store marketing wants to change that by allowing advertisers to wirelessly stream messages to shopping carts. Modstream provides shopping cart handles that are internet-enabled, allowing specific ad messages to be sent to selected stores, regions or even times of day. Since the messages can be changed on the fly, it's easy to adapt the ads for short-run sales or clearance items. Talk about getting up-to-the-minute steals.

Modstream is currently testing their system at Home Depot stores in eight states, so it should be interesting to see how shoppers respond to it. I think that people don’t necessarily want more ads targeted at them, but they probably want some assistance that can help them shop smarter and faster.

For instance, I think it would be very important that these carts could somehow offer customizable offers, based on the shopper’s location at the store or purchases. Also, what if the cart could also “communicate” with the store’s database to let shoppers know if the missing item they want is available in the stock room? Or what if the cart could tell shoppers which aisle to find a specific product? Instead of making the cart seem like another advertising vehicle, they could make it seem like an added service. I’d be much more open to the idea if I perceived this shopping cart as a personal shopper versus a salesperson.

Modern Chicks (on love, career & the future)

As we all know, 18-34 women can have very different attitudes, behavior, desires and expectations out of life. While some are moving back home after college, others are becoming CEO's of their own first businesses. While some are loving the dating game, others are loving the "mom track".

Because their life stages and goals can be so different, it's hard to nail down what's on the mind of such a diverse group. Is there anything this group of women can agree upon? More specifically, when it comes to their attitudes toward gender roles, the current hookup culture, marriage and work, do they have anything in common? In order to explore the evolving attitudes of modern chicks' towards these topics, Cosmopolitan magazine partnered with The Intelligence Group to try to learn how shifting trends are shaping this generation.

The research identified four types of women: The "Go-for-it Girls" (the go-getter type), the "Housewife hopefuls" (the traditional type), the "Restless Explorers" (the hopeful/undecisive type) and the "Pleasure Seekers" (the 'life-is-too-short type').

In general (the numbers tell you below), young women today are fiercely independent, focused, determined and empowered, but most importantly, they don't feel like they have to stick to convention (in any area of their life).

The Stats (collected from 1,001 women across the USA):

On Attitudes & Goals:
48% would have children on their own if they weren't married by 35.
76% believe they can lead a very fulfilling life even if they do not have any children.

On Career:
72% expect to have more than three careers in their lifetime.
67% said that women are equally or more likely than men are to run a company.

On Dating:
81% would rather be single forever than be married to a man they know isn't right for them.
92% say women are more in charge of relationships now than in their parents' generation.

On Sex:
75% would not be bothered if they had slept with more people than their mate had.
62% said a lasting relationship can develop even if you sleep with a guy on the first date.

On Technology:
73% said technology has made it easier for them to make the first move on a guy.

On Guys:
84% think it's fine for a man to be a stay-at-home dad.
71% said men today are more willing to let women take control than were men in the past.

Source: Cosmopolitan (October 2007 issue)