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Many of us see an item in an advertisement and think, “wow, that looks cool,” and then forget about it.  New technology is about to eliminate that delay though and allow customers to purchase directly from advertisements.  You see it, you like it, you buy it.  In October, MasterCard announced that it would partner with Conde Nast publishing (Publisher of Vogue, Wired, Vanity Fair and other popular magazines) to allow readers to instantly buy items from advertisements in the magazine by tapping a cart icon on the page.  This partnership is called ShopThis and was featured in the November issue of Wired.

Peapod, an online grocer that provides home delivery, developed a mobile app that allows customers to restock staple items from home by scanning bar codes via their smartphones.  Paydiant, a developer of mobile payment platforms, has developed an app to scan a QR code off a television screen to redeem a coupon or buy something during a commercial.

eBay and Amazon have started offering same-day delivery in some cities.  Walmart is trying to turn its 4,000 stores into distribution centers.  All of these initiatives are designed to satisfy the customer’s need for immediate retail gratification.  Only those retailers that can satiate this need will survive the changing retail landscape.  Consumers are all about instant gratification.

Discussion Question:

What are retailers doing to satisfy their customers’ desire for instant gratification?

 

SOURCE: Hilary Stout, New York Times, October 8, 2013