Winn-Dixie To Offer Affordable Health Insurance In Partnership With Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Florida
Winn-Dixie Stores has partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) to offer its customers Health Cards in all 353 of its Florida Winn-Dixie and Save-Rite locations. The program consists of two options: the $59 Gift of Health Care card and $19 FamilyBlue discount card.
The $59 Gift of Health Care card offers a convenient way to buy affordable health insurance. The $59 is applied accordingly to the plan the customer selects during the activation call. The $19 FamilyBlue discount card provides an entire family with discounts on dental, pharmacy and vision care for three months. The FamilyBlue card can pay for itself in just one visit to a provider. Shoppers will find these cards on a permanent freestanding display unit located in the pharmacy area, and in the cold and flu aisle in stores that do not have a pharmacy.
Progressive Launches Behavior-Based Car Insurance
Progressive is introducing an optional car insurance program that offers lower rates on vehicles that are driven in less risky ways. The behavior-based insurance program, called MyRate, gives drivers a customized rate based on how, how much, and when their car is driven. Drivers who sign up for MyRate receive a device that plugs into a port in their car and measures how, how much and when the car is being driven. Cars driven less often, in less risky ways and at less risky times of day can receive a lower premium. Drivers can review their driving data by logging into their policy on progressive.com. They can see how their driving habits are affecting their rate, and, if they choose, make behavioral changes that could lead to savings.
SOLE’s Radio Frequency Identification System Helps Maximize Sales
SOLE, a manufacturer of premium footbeds, socks and sandals, has launched an innovative new technology to help its retail partners efficiently maintain product inventory and maximize sales. SOLE’s new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system will track inventory in real-time with an integrated point-of-purchase display, product tags and a retailer website.
Each pair of SOLE socks, footbeds and sandals is labeled with a microchip that is encoded with product and order details. A small hardware box installed on the base of a POP display reads the tags and transmits the data back to the SOLE retailer website. The password-protected website has a simple interface that allows retailers to view on-hand inventory, place orders and track shipments, all in real-time. “Optimizing inventory is a universal challenge for manufacturers and their retailer partners. As such, we targeted inventory management as an area ripe for system innovation,” said SOLE president, Mike Baker.
AT&T Opens Its Largest High Tech Store
AT&T has unveiled a redesigned two-story high tech wireless store in New York City’s Times Square. The new 6,000 sq. ft. store is five times bigger, and has an innovative design including AT&T’s first ever “Customer Education Center.”
The first floor has large video screens of today’s most sought after wireless devices and applications. The second floor concourse features information stations; tables with touch screens for a hands-on experience, and a large education center that will provide training for today’s advanced wireless data products and services. Other special features of the store include: Five interactive, bilingual information centers, three Experience tables with large touch screens, and three kiosks with quick and easy self service options for billing and customer support.
Best Buy Stores To Offer Fitness Products
Select Best Buy locations have introduced new health and fitness selections with more than 30 feet of technology devices organized by popular activities such as running, walking, swimming, and yoga, as well as fitness equipment in some locations. “We’re constantly looking for the most innovative solutions to address our customer’s lifestyle needs,” said Steve Trier, Sr. Director at Best Buy. “With health and fitness, we’re matching the right combination of gear with experienced BlueShirts and Geek Squad to help them manage and stay motivated by their fitness routines.”
From creating a home gym complete with a TV and surround sound to downloading workout data to the home computer, Best Buy’s health and fitness products connect technology and workouts. Health and fitness shelves at these stores are stocked with heart rate and workout monitoring watches, pedometers, and conditioning accessories; customers can also try out elliptical machines, stationary bikes and treadmills.
PUMA Opens New Retail Concept Store
Global sportlifestyle brand PUMA will debut a unique new retail concept with the opening of its second Chicago store. For the first time in a U.S. based PUMA Store, the new location features product that spans the entire PUMA brand, including sport-performance, sportlifestyle, and sport-fashion. The PUMA Store State Street stocks everything from soccer cleats and performance running sneakers, to high-fashion collaboration projects with Alexander McQueen and Mihara Yasuhiro and PUMA collections such as PUMA Denim. “It was time to open a brand store that spoke to everything that PUMA stands for,” said Jay Piccola, President of PUMA North America.
Dell Is First In PC Industry To Add Renewable Bamboo To Packaging Portfolio
Dell is shipping its Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks in packaging made from bamboo, a highly renewable material that serves as an alternative to molded paper pulp, foams and corrugate often used in packaging. Dell is using the material for the product cushions cradling the Mini inside an outer box made from 25 percent post-consumer materials.
“The use of bamboo for electronics packaging is new, but its viability as a great packaging material can’t be ignored,” said Oliver Campbell, Dell’s Senior Manager of Packaging Worldwide. We’re actively working to integrate this and other innovative, agricultural materials into packaging for products across our portfolio.”
Sprint Redesigns Accessory Packaging For Eco-Conscious Consumer
Sprint has launched environmentally friendly packaging for its extensive wireless accessory line. Accessories sold at Sprint retail stores will be packaged within a fully recyclable casing that is 20 to 40% smaller than previous accessory packaging - which Sprint estimates will save 647 tons of waste annually. The new accessory packaging is expected to result in a 35% reduction in accessory packaging costs.
Additional highlights of Sprint’s new accessory packaging include: The packaging clamshell replaces PVC with PET 1, a more recyclable and environmentally friendly material. Soy and vegetable-based inks replace petroleum-based ink, reducing the level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
“Sprint is proud to launch more sustainable packaging for our accessories,” said Ralph Reid, Vice President Corporate Social Responsibility for Sprint. “As we introduce greener products, it only makes sense to implement more eco-friendly solutions for Sprint packaging.”
Chipotle Plans Major Power Initiative
Chipotle Mexican Grill is partnering with Houston-based Standard Renewable Energy (SRE) to install solar panels on approximately 75 Chipotle restaurants over the next year. In all, Chipotle has committed to panels that will produce 500 kilowatt hours of electricity, making Chipotle the largest direct producer of solar energy in the restaurant industry.
“Our effort to change the way people think about and eat fast food began with our commitment to serving food made with ingredients from more sustainable sources, and that same kind of thinking now influences all areas of our business,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. “Today, we’re following a similar path in the way we design and build restaurants, looking for more environmentally friendly building materials and systems that make our restaurants more efficient.” The intent of Chipotle’s solar initiative is to reduce the restaurants' traditional energy consumption during peak hours for energy use (from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.), when pressure on the energy grid is greatest.
Kohl’s Department Stores Becomes First Retailer To Pursue Carbon Neutral Goal
Kohl’s Department Stores recently became the first retailer to announce a commitment to reach net zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions as part of its ongoing partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program. To become carbon neutral, Kohl’s will continue to invest in projects to reduce the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions that the company emits into the atmosphere. The goal accounts for U.S. emissions at all Kohls facilities, including stores, distribution centers and corporate offices. “We want to demonstrate it is possible for a large company to operate in a sustainable way,” said Ken Bonning, Kohl’s Exec. V.P. Store Planning & Logistics.
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