Co-op sells tech to competitors

The Co-operative is selling its retail technology to competitors after the system proved a success in 3 000 stores in the UK, reports Computer Weekly.

The InControl-Evolution software is an electronic point-of-sale and store management system which has a set off applications that can be "mixed and matched".

The applications include stick control, shelf replenishment, and mobile terminal functionality. It also has a feature that switches off tills, receipt printers, customer and operator screens, chip and pin devices and barcode scanners when stores close, and powers them up again the following morning before stores open.

As retail companies cut costs, slashed headcounts, and learned to cope with weakening demand during the recession, software engineers at Tesco Hindustan Centre (HSC) were busy developing innovative solutions that helped Tesco generate millions of dollars through efficiencies in supply chain and other functions, says Chai Samosa.

With a solution designed by the Indian engineers in Bangalore, the retailer could save around $300 million annually by making its stock replenishment system more efficient. Currently, this solution is piloted by Tesco in the UK.

Sandeep Dhar, CEO of Tesco HSC, says: "We should hire more retailing technologists to improve the retail sphere in India."

Facebook and Nielsen are rolling out their BrandLift online ad testing tool in the UK, following its debut in the US last September, states Research Magazine.

The tool places opt-in polls on Facebook users' homepages to gauge attitude to adverts on the site and to measure purchasing intent.

Louise Ainsworth, Nielsen Online's MD for EMEA, said: “The power and scale of Facebook's community provides a unique platform for research and this offering complements the portfolio of tools available to marketers in the UK with simple and fast insights on brand advertising.