Rachel_Sandford
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Tesco will be the first UK chain to offer free Wi-Fi to its customers. Following the footsteps of several US chains, such as McDonald's, Starbucks, and Sam's Club, which is owned by Walmart, Tesco is letting their customers go online while they shop. This will let customers compare prices with those of other retailers, and see product reviews while they shop, making them more informed shoppers.
The service, which can be used by smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets with Wi-Fi capabilities, is being trialled in four of Tesco's branches, though the Tesco spokesperson that confirmed the trials did not reveal which of the 2,700 branches exactly.
Mike McNamara, Tesco's chief information officer, said that the service would be easy to implement since the company already uses Wi-Fi in their in-store operations. He is fairly certain that it will be quite popular since consumers already use mobile technology to check Tesco's prices. “You can stand there Canute-like and pretend nothing is happening, or you can say it's happening, and I am going to help it happen.” he said. He also implied that they would be watching how consumers use the service. “If you sit there streaming video all day, we may switch it off,” he said.
Director at Deloitte, Colin Jeffrey, believes that Tesco is on the right track and many other retailers are likely to do the same. “It [Wi-Fi] is almost taken for granted in coffee shops and hotels now. Retailers are going to have to move quickly to meet the basic expectations of customers,” he said.
Adding Wi-Fi to their consumers' shopping experience is part of Philip Clarke's, chief executive of Tesco, plan to bring new life into the business. “My guess is it will go to all stores,” said McNamara.
The service, which can be used by smartphones, laptops, and other gadgets with Wi-Fi capabilities, is being trialled in four of Tesco's branches, though the Tesco spokesperson that confirmed the trials did not reveal which of the 2,700 branches exactly.
Mike McNamara, Tesco's chief information officer, said that the service would be easy to implement since the company already uses Wi-Fi in their in-store operations. He is fairly certain that it will be quite popular since consumers already use mobile technology to check Tesco's prices. “You can stand there Canute-like and pretend nothing is happening, or you can say it's happening, and I am going to help it happen.” he said. He also implied that they would be watching how consumers use the service. “If you sit there streaming video all day, we may switch it off,” he said.
Director at Deloitte, Colin Jeffrey, believes that Tesco is on the right track and many other retailers are likely to do the same. “It [Wi-Fi] is almost taken for granted in coffee shops and hotels now. Retailers are going to have to move quickly to meet the basic expectations of customers,” he said.
Adding Wi-Fi to their consumers' shopping experience is part of Philip Clarke's, chief executive of Tesco, plan to bring new life into the business. “My guess is it will go to all stores,” said McNamara.
