MediaCart system to use Microsoft’s Atlas ad-serving technology to deliver targeted advertising to shoppers directly at the point of purchase.MediaCart Holdings, Microsoft Corp. and Wakefern Food Corporation announced, at the National Retail Federation’s 97th Annual Convention & Expo, that Wakefern plans to pilot MediaCart’s next-generation computerized shopping carts for potential rollout to all ShopRite stores. The early pilot, conducted with Wakefern in its ShopRite stores, provided insights from both the consumer and retailer perspective that were adopted in the next-generation product. The nine-month pilot with Wakefern began in the spring of 2007. Microsoft’s Atlas Division will provide video ad serving on the MediaCart grocery cart screen, providing advertisers with the opportunity to reach shoppers at the point of purchase, and providing ShopRite customers with a more personalized shopping experience.“In working with companies like MediaCart, we’re continuing to push the envelope in the digital advertising realm to enable new and innovative ways for advertisers and agencies to create brand loyalty and engage with their target audiences in a highly relevant, measurable and targeted way,” said Scott Ferris, general manager of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft. “Digital advertising opportunities are expanding rapidly into new areas, as many of consumers’ daily activities, such as shopping, become increasingly ‘connected,’ and Microsoft is committed to working with advertisers and agencies to take advantage of these opportunities as they unfold.”By using Microsoft technologies, the MediaCart solution will enable anonymous ad targeting through data obtained through ShopRite’s customer loyalty card program. A shopper would scan his or her card at the MediaCart, and receive ads and promotional offers based on past purchases and/or saved shopping lists that could be uploaded from a home PC. No personally identifiable information will be shared with Microsoft, MediaCart or any advertiser as part of the ad serving process. The technology will also provide advertisers with reporting and analytics capabilities to assess performance of the ads in the stores.In addition to the advertising shoppers will receive, they will also be able to save time and money with MediaCart-equipped shopping carts by obtaining electronic coupons, locating products in the store, performing comparative price checks, viewing store specials in aisle as they shop, viewing recipes and nutritional information, shopping using an electronic shopping list that is presented in aisle order, totaling the cost of the items in their baskets before checkout, and expediting the checkout using the cart-level checkout feature.
This enhanced shopping experience helps differentiate ShopRite in the marketplace and drives brand and customer loyalty.“Through the powerful combination of Microsoft and MediaCart, we are providing our customers with a cutting-edge shopping experience, unmatched in the industry,” said Joseph Colalillo, chairman and CEO of Wakefern.
“This is an exciting step in our ongoing commitment to meet and exceed the needs of our shoppers and stores.”“With its strong technology leadership and shopper loyalty programs, ShopRite stores are ideal for the MediaCart system, which can further leverage the valuable shopper data to improve shopper communications,” said David Brice, chairman and CEO of MediaCart.“We look forward to fulfilling agreements that utilize Wakefern’s extensive retail experience and Microsoft’s best-in-class advertising technology to take our shopping cart systems to a new level in their stores.”In addition to Microsoft’s Atlas technologies, the MediaCart solution is also built on Microsoft Windows CE and Microsoft SQL Server. Trials of the MediaCart solution are expected to begin in ShopRite stores in the second half of 2008.About Wakefern Food Corp.From a small, struggling cooperative with eight members — all owners of their own grocery stores — Wakefern Food Corporation has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States and one of the largest employers in New Jersey. The cooperative is comprised of 44 members who individually own and operate supermarkets under the ShopRite banner. Today, Wakefern, the merchandising and distribution arm of the company, and the 200 ShopRite stores located throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware, employ more than 47,000 people.A long time supporter of key community efforts, ShopRite was named America’s Second Harvest Grocery Distributor of the Year (1999) for its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, a year-round initiative dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities served by ShopRite stores. Since its inception, ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated more than $15 million to more than 1,400 worthy charities.About MediaCartMedia Cart Holdings, Inc., is leader in delivering computerized retail and grocery shopping cart systems to both assist shoppers and deliver point-of-purchase video communications for retailers and consumer product goods manufacturers.
The MediaCart system uses the precise location of the shopping cart in the store as well as relevant shopping history and demographic data to drive pertinent communications at the point-of-purchase. For retailers, MediaCart integrates with their point-of-sale systems to offer a powerful competitive advantage for increasing customer loyalty and improving sales while capturing a new revenue stream from advertisements and promotions to individual shoppers. The Company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas. Further information on MediaCart and its revolutionary shopping systems can be found at http://www.mediacart.com.
Consumers preparing for holidays drive 84 percent increase in ShopLocal traffic; nonstop availability throughout holiday season is supported by Microsoft technologies.Microsoft Corp. announced that ShopLocal, a leader in multichannel shopping and marketing services, successfully managed an unprecedented growth in online consumer traffic during the 2007 holiday shopping season, supported by its use of multiple Microsoft technologies, delivering 100 percent uptime and a seamless shopping experience for the record number of visitors to its ShopLocal-powered Web sites.ShopLocal kicked off the season by handling a record 267 million page views during the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day, amounting to an 84 percent jump in activity over 2006. With Microsoft server infrastructure, including Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005, scaling to process massive increases in user activity, ShopLocal saw more consumers than ever researching online before buying in a store.“We spend all year planning to support our unique peak of online traffic,” said Ed McLaughlin, senior director of technology at ShopLocal. “Microsoft provides ShopLocal with a cost-effective, scalable technology architecture that helped enable our site to accommodate a holiday increase of more than 600 percent over nonholiday traffic levels. Microsoft technologies enabled us to achieve 100 percent uptime for our retail clients and deliver the most up-to-date sales and product information to busy holiday shoppers.”Integrating Online and Store for Multichannel ShoppersShopLocal’s comparison shopping site, ShopLocal.com, serves as a timely, localized resource for consumers to readily find online and in-store offers from such leading retailers as Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, CVS and Sears. In addition to using Microsoft technology to help securely integrate retailers’ online and local ads, ShopLocal uses Microsoft software for its front-end applications that provide several interactive ways for consumers to become savvier shoppers through product reviews, category searches, hosted forums, maps, dynamic shopping lists and more.“Today’s digital consumers want to be more knowledgeable about products, brands, features, pricing and even sourcing before they buy,” said Geoff Thomas, general manager for the U.S. Retail and Hospitality Group at Microsoft. “We are pleased with ShopLocal’s success using Microsoft software and solutions to help empower shoppers to be more in control of their interactions and experiences with retailers. Microsoft is committed to helping retailers and companies like ShopLocal offer consumers as seamless an experience as possible, whatever channel they choose to shop and make purchases.”The Microsoft Technologies That Enable ShopLocal’s SuccessTo prepare for the 2007 holiday shopping season, ShopLocal grew its IT environment four times its typical size, adding servers running Windows Server 2003, an integrated, highly secure and easy-to-manage server infrastructure that powers ShopLocal’s applications, networks and Web services.Additional Microsoft technologies behind ShopLocal’s successful Web sites include SQL Server 2005, an integrated data management and analysis platform to help ShopLocal gain greater insight into critical information and run its business applications. For the consumer-facing components, ShopLocal uses Visual Studio and .NET Framework for its range of tools that enable its developers to build dynamic and compelling features and experiences into the ShopLocal.com site.“We have a very homogeneous Microsoft environment at ShopLocal that allows us to scale each tier of the architecture independently,” said McLaughlin.
“Because Microsoft technology is tightly coupled across the architecture tiers, we don’t have to worry about integration issues. Instead we can focus on delivering new features and advanced functions to meet shoppers’ escalating demands for knowledge and service and our retail customers’ strong desire to keep consumers happy.”About ShopLocalShopLocal, the leader in multi-channel shopping services, offers a complete suite of solutions connecting advertisers and consumers online and in-store. The company’s consumer Web site, ShopLocal.com, provides users with choice and control in their shopping experience by offering the most comprehensive selection of timely online and in-store offers on one easy-to-use site. With ShopLocal.com, consumers can find millions of products and up-to-date weekly sales, deals, and coupons for consumer electronics, apparel, groceries and more. ShopLocal’s industry leading SmartCircular and SmartCatalog solutions are used by more than one hundred of the nation’s top retailers, including Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, CVS and Sears. ShopLocal powers multi-channel shopping for hundreds of newspaper Web sites and other leading local and shopping sites, such as Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Arizona Republic, Google and SuperPages.com. ShopLocal is owned by Gannett Co., Inc., Tribune Company, and The McClatchy Company. For more information, visit www.aboutshoplocal.com.About Microsoft in RetailMicrosoft’s U.S. Retail Industry Group provides software that helps empower retail’s biggest assets — its people — to make better decisions at every stage of the value chain. Microsoft software helps enable retail employees to strengthen customer relationships, build high-value business connections and improve operations by addressing key areas such as store systems, real-time analytics and supply chain management. Through a combination of Microsoft- and partner-provided solutions, retail customers enable their employees to deliver an outstanding customer experience across various channels by turning data into insight, transforming ideas into action and turning change into opportunity. More information about Microsoft’s work in the Retail industry can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/industry/retail.
New Power Pack 1 adds support for Windows Vista x64, enhances remote access capabilities, extends data protection and supports the Chinese and Japanese languages.Attendees of this week’s 2008 International CES will be introduced to Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. The new software delivers a range of enhancements for customers who have embraced Windows Home Server since its launch last November, helping them protect, organize and share their digital photos, music, videos and documents.Microsoft Corp. is committed to continually enhancing the capabilities and benefits of Windows Home Server for partners and consumers. With Power Pack 1, the Windows Home Server Connector software for home computers is compatible with 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. This update release also provides a new way to protect data, in case of a disaster such as a fire or theft, by enabling the backup of a home server to external storage. In addition, Power Pack 1 improves its remote access features by providing a simple way to upload multiple files, presenting photo thumbnail views and enabling more control of remote user access.Todd Headrick, marketing director for Windows Home Server, talks to the Channel 10 team about the new features in Power Pack 1.With Power Pack 1, power consumption of Windows Home Server is more efficient, complementing the power management capabilities in Windows Home Server-based hardware products such as the Fujitsu Siemens Computers SCALEO Home Server and Tranquil Home Servers. Power Pack 1 also adds support for the Chinese and Japanese languages, and will be available to customers automatically in spring 2008 through Windows Update. More information about the update is available on the Windows Home Server blog at http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver.Unveiled by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at CES 2007 and launched in November, Windows Home Server represents a new product category embraced by both customers and industry partners. Forrester Research Inc. forecasts that home server adoption will reach 4.56 million households in the next five years.“Windows Home Server will spearhead the growth of an important new product category,” said J.P. Gownder,principal analyst at Forrester Research, in his December 2007 teleconference, “Forrester’s Windows Home Server Outlook and Forecast.”
“The proliferation of consumer digital assets creates a need for the functionality of a home server. And multi-PC households are growing rapidly, along with home networks.”Delighted CustomersCustomer demand for Windows Home Server has been strong; the HP MediaSmart Server, powered by Windows Home Server, sold out on leading retailer Web sites after it launched. Customers in more than 30 countries are now using Windows Home Server to help secure and enjoy their digital content and experiences. For example, in the United States, Brian Driscall used Windows Home Server to quickly restore all of his 9-year-old son’s progress on the “LEGO Star Wars” computer game, after his 4-year-old son had deleted the information.“I saved the day for my son,” Driscall said. “I love being able to stream music, videos and pictures from my home server, too. We had some friends over recently, and we were able to show them pictures from our Thanksgiving vacation on our TV.”Brian Irvin is a technical sergeant in the New York Air National Guard, stationed in Antarctica. He posts videos of himself to the server back home, so he can stay connected with his wife and children.*“The kids really love it. My 5-year-old daughter even talks to the computer while the videos are playing,” Irvin said. “I’m able to read my kids a bedtime story, even though I’m on the other side of the planet.”Partners Build On the Windows Home Server PlatformMore than 15 hardware makers around the world have announced Windows Home Server-based products. Third-party software developers have released or announced approximately 50 Add-in programs to extend Windows Home Server capabilities, including personal blogging, family Web sites, media sharing, home security features, home automation, and protection against viruses and malware.In its pressroom at CES, Microsoft will demonstrate Windows Home Server working with partner solutions such as the Sonos Digital Music System and CEIVA digital photo frames. In France, the OMSERVER from OMWAVE is a new Windows Home Server-based hardware product with home automation Add-in software. Information about other Windows Home Server-based hardware products and third-party Add-ins is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/homeserver.Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.* Use of Windows Home Server’s remote access features may require additional services from your broadband provider, such as access to certain “ports” that some providers may block for customers on some service plans. Contact your broadband provider if you have questions about their services or service terms.For more information about Windows Home Server:http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/homeserver (virtual
New relationship expands Mediaroom ecosystem and brings new capabilities for advanced connected TV services.Microsoft Corp. and Broadcom Corporation today announced a collaboration in Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) products. The collaboration includes Microsoft and Broadcom working together to enable the popular Microsoft Mediaroom™ IPTV client software to operate on next-generation set-top boxes (STBs) utilizing the Broadcom® BCM7405 system on a chip (SOC).This technology will permit service providers and original equipment manufacturers to support a range of features such as whole-home digital video recording (DVR), high-performance user interfaces, and photo and music sharing.The new alliance with Broadcom exemplifies the continued commitment by Microsoft and its ecosystem partners to deliver market leadership and innovation to Microsoft Mediaroom customers and to make new connected TV services a reality for service providers worldwide. Working together, Microsoft and Broadcom are leveraging the capabilities of the BCM7405 SOC to further enhance the performance of Microsoft’s Mediaroom platform in support of next-generation service provider requirements.“We’re providing our Microsoft Mediaroom customers with innovative connected TV services that help differentiate them in the marketplace,” said Christine Heckart, general manager of marketing for Microsoft TV.
“Broadcom’s high-performing chipsets provide our customers with greater choice while allowing us to deliver new, richer TV applications.”In support of these new connected TV services, Broadcom and Microsoft are also working to help ensure the highest level of security functionality on this new platform. This is especially important in deployments where multiple conditional access technologies must be supported, such as in Europe.“BT is very happy to see Broadcom join the Microsoft Mediaroom ecosystem of suppliers,” said Richard Griffiths, director of Technology Strategy and Development at BT Vision, a customer of Microsoft. “The [BCM]7405 SOC will enable us to offer our customers even more powerful applications and services on their TV through the BT Vision V-box.”“We are very pleased to be working with Microsoft on this important collaboration,” said Richard Nelson, vice president of marketing for Broadcom’s Broadband Communications Group. “Microsoft is driving the movement toward exciting and connected TV experiences, and we see increased synergy between the breadth of Broadcom product offerings and what Microsoft wants to enable within the whole-home DVR environment and beyond.”BCM74xx series SOCs from Broadcom can also be embedded into other consumer devices to allow users to choose from a variety of IPTV-ready receivers such as HD DVD players and television sets. This creates more opportunities to experience connected TV through other devices and services.“This relationship demonstrates how Microsoft Mediaroom ecosystem partners continue to drive innovation across the television industry,” said Michelle Abraham, principal analyst at In-Stat. “The combination of the Microsoft and Broadcom SOC will be especially attractive to service providers who want to stay ahead of the competition in delivering highly innovative connected TV services.”About Broadcom’s BCM7405 System-on-a-Chip SolutionBroadcom’s highly integrated low-power 65 nanometer solution leverages Broadcom’s proven track record and market leadership in set-top box technologies to deliver unprecedented levels of performance, system security and cost savings. It supports the latest in interactive features and a wide range of video compression standards (such as VC-1 and H.264), and includes support for new video compression standards such as China’s AVS. It offers support for multiple conditional access and digital rights management solutions, including Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10 and Mediaroom security requirements. The BCM7405 can decode and display simultaneous high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) video with picture-in-picture and mosaic support. Multiple planes of HD graphics, powerful content security, and support for peripherals including USB 2.0, SATA II, Ethernet and HDMI 1.3 are provided. A 64-bit 400 MHz multimode DDR2 controller is also provided, as is support for NOR and NAND flash.
Deals bring hit television content from ABC, ABC News, ABC Family, Disney Channel and Toon Disney along with film classics and recent blockbusters from MGM and United Artists.Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the leading high-definition video-on-demand service, is expanding once again, adding content from two major entertainment partners. Microsoft Corp. announced at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), 6/1-2008, that Disney-ABC Television Group and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) will be joining the more than 35 networks and studios offering U.S. Xbox LIVE members premium entertainment content via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store.“Disney-ABC Television Group and MGM are two of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, and this announcement helps continue to evolve and diversify the content offering on Xbox LIVE,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft . “The ability to offer such great content in high definition further expands Microsoft’s commitment to connected entertainment with Xbox 360.”Later this month, all U.S. Xbox LIVE members will begin to have access to select TV shows and movies from the ABC Television Network, ABC Family, ABC News, Disney Channel and Toon Disney as part of an agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group. More than 500 hours of content, in both standard definition and high definition when available, will be offered including hit ABC Television shows “Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Ugly Betty” and “Desperate Housewives.” Past and current ABC shows will be available on demand, with new episodes arriving on the service the day after they air on television. A variety of award-winning ABC News broadcasts and specials from its unparalleled archive dating back to 1963 and containing priceless interviews, stories and historical moments will be available for download as well.Viewers will also be able to enjoy shows from ABC Family, such as “Kyle XY” and “Greek, ” as well as popular Disney Channel series including “Hannah Montana” and “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” and select Disney Channel Original Movies such as “High School Musical” and “High School Musical 2.”“As a company dedicated to providing consumers with a variety of high-quality entertainment and news content that they can view at their convenience, regardless of time, place or platform, we are very excited to bring our programming to Xbox LIVE members,” said Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group.
“This new agreement will not only provide incremental viewing opportunities, but also provides a wealth of promotional opportunities to further awareness of our shows and brands.”MGM will be bringing its legendary movie library to the service, with classic films ranging from the “Rocky” series to “Dances with Wolves.” Action-thrillers such as “Terminator,” “Silence of the Lambs” and “The Amityville Horror,” comedies and broad-appeal titles such as “Legally Blonde,” “Barbershop” and “Agent Cody Banks,” and award-winning films such as “Platoon,” “Rain Man” and “The Usual Suspects” highlight the diverse launch lineup. United Artists, an MGM sister company, will be making films available as well. Many titles offered by MGM will be available in high definition.“The Video Store on Xbox LIVE Marketplace has proven to be very successful, and we are excited that MGM will be a partner in 2008,” said Jim Packer, co-president of Worldwide Television at MGM. “At MGM we are always looking for new ways to reach our broad audience, and partnering with Microsoft allows us to make our legendary library available to the millions of Xbox LIVE members here in the U.S.”The Video Store in Xbox LIVE Marketplace is the leading provider of high-definition video on demand, offering movies for video on demand and TV shows and music videos for electronic sell-through. With more than 3,500 hours of premium entertainment content from more than 35 studios and networks, Xbox LIVE Marketplace helps make Xbox 360 the center of connected entertainment in the living room. More information about content being offered on Xbox LIVE Marketplace is available at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/moviestv/?WT.svl=nav.
The American Geophysical Union got a peek at techniques and tools from Microsoft Research's eScience group.