Wrapid Blog

QR Codes, get with the programme NOW!

2011-11-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Imagine commuting home and pre ordering and paying for your Indian take-away via the mobile. Walk in pick up or deliver at a set time, no credit cards and certainly no cash. Simply a text confirms your order and approved payment credentials. Payment is made via a mobile coupon and the charge appears on your mobile bill.
Recent research in the U.K. and U.S. by mobile transaction network mBlox found that British shoppers use mobile coupons more than their American counterparts – 29% vs. 15%.
However, these figures are destined to rise as 71% of British and 42% of American consumers expressed an interest in having coupons delivered to their mobile handsets.
“2011 is poised to be a huge year in the advancement of mobile for retail,” said Sean M. Alexander, technology analyst at IHL Group. “iPhones, iPads and Android devices have all moved past the stage of being cool and into the mainstream.”
The coupon has shaken of any stigma attached to its use, perhaps in part due to the convenience of electronic and mobile formats. While only 1.5% of all coupons are currently distributed digitally, redemption rates are impressive at around 10-15% compared to an overall 1.2%.
Clearly the phone is challenging the way business is carried out in our new mobile world.

Stephen Minall of Moving Food Ltd says:
“The EPOS providers have had it their own way for long enough say Technology experts in the USA, after all most FPOS/EPOS systems are not complicated technical pieces of kit running equally complicated programs any more (the fear factor within) ..They are only overly priced PC’s with a cash drawer”.
If you assume this stance from the beginning you can begin to appreciate the huge cultural change in how Restaurant and Hotel Brands will take orders or payment or do stock control in the very near future. From the how employees will track orders, how consumers will pay for goods and even to the how CRM/Loyalty schemes will change from paper and plastic cards to mobile screens, this viral existence, this dramatic change, will come with next generation mobile phones and the launch of iBooks. In Australia to USA this is already happening. In the UK our present Blackberry’s, iphones and 3G networks could handle this system now.

Consider Trevor Seeman (President of www.smartertakeout.com), his touch screen ordering system for customers, has built in average spend evaluation software with a fully integrated loyalty program. It is helping change many brands in the USA, but already Trevor has written the system for iPhone and ipod use, thinking way ahead of most of Europe.
Trevor says, “ Its not the front end alone but the MIS behind this that grabs both customer and brand owner alike” In other words the total solution is fundamental, easy to use for the customer and providing the auditing trail and management control for the brand operator.
If you really want to see the potential of pre order/pre pay by text then look no further than companies like www.readyping.com or txtandtell, developed by www.touchworks.com. Here the enticing images and quick response times can be programmed to suit eat in or carry out customers, built in loyalty schemes and live data on spend per head, voucher redemption and impulse marketing are standard software options. We are not talking APPS here by the way, but through your personal non verbal link to your favourite restaurants/hotels/retailers. Take a good long look at www.corethree.net an advanced British company based in Watford Herts and appreciate where the independents could take this.
If specific programs are being written for mobile phones, then clever, practical and unique programs will evolve. Take a look at www.ywaiter.com this is already evolving into a fully integrated system.
www.franchisepayments.net is a very clear leader and clever mobile phone system allowing Franchise Brands to attract orders by phone, but with payment processes also. Again viral marketing built in, this even tracks lapsed users and reminds them “they” have not visited in X number of days.

If you want a modern look at touch tone technology look no further than www.T1visions.com, Marco Ventura the CEO showed off this impressive booth, “based on total inter active solutions” says Marco.
Picture this journey: Booths or tables seat 4, the touch screens can be inverted and split 4 ways so all customers can touch activate them individually around a specific menu of drinks, starters, entrees and desserts, the menu items can be tapped and full ingredients are listed, ask for a recipe card and the menu item will be printed BOH and brought to the table. Choose a wine and the intelligent program will choose a wine that suits all entrees. Off to see a film ? Touch cinema, up pops the movie selection will poster links, tap and a 30 second video of the movie will play, ask for a discount and a voucher for the cinema, one can be printed. A built in web cam takes pictures, can even turn them into cartoons, ask for the occasion to be remembered, a photo can be taken and printed back of house. Your order is remembered in detail, you are invited to become a member and your meal/drinks data is stored. Next visit sign in with your code and you get a reminder of your last order, further access is available to MTV via video, this matches your music choice and of course games technology is standard…now get this you designers this is all built into a table top less than 4 inches thick and USA price with software is a mere $5k per booth. In the States the average check on this system has gone up 25%; pay back on each booth less than 9 months…
So where does this take us here in UK ? It’s time for a rethink so be prepared for change. Just Google mobile payments and read the worlds move to this technology. If Japan has it, as does Scandinavia how long before we order our pizza not by APPS but by simple text recognition. Pixel Codes, these new square chequered boxes we’re seeing increasingly in advertisements, on products and in our papers can hold millions of pieces of data, the best CRM/Loyalty embedded in programs for mere pennies. The airlines and the rail authorities are already issuing these as e-tickets.
Moving Food and Juniper Research estimate 15 billion e-tickets will be issued by 2014 in the UK alone!! (from cinemas to stadiums to air/rail and events)
The scary thing is, and this really does challenge the till providers, most of these mobile systems are free, no infrastructure costs, no maintenance fees and no hard ware to break down…the user pays for the system through their mobile/text charges. In Finland, already advanced in mobile pre-order, the first €20 Euro’s for goods can be charged to your phone not your credit card, so buying fast food, paying for parking, ordering drinks goes to the mobile phone bill. In France this is now €10. This obviously challenges the Credit Card companies and the banks hold on this sector – what will they do to combat the threat to their own revenue streams?
Checking into Hotels and pre ordering payment of the room and checking out already exists in Scandinavia, with built in CRM and is coming into the UK in 2011..
How powerful will this be ? Understand one thing, its here, its gaining momentum fast so be prepared to trial…move with it or be left behind.
No doubt there will be more to follow on this very interesting subject.
Stephen Minall – Director Movingfood.com

Good things take a little skill

2011-08-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

At Wrapid we take the time and care and use great skill to make our Wrapid Wraps and Burriito's taste great.

Maybe we will hire this guy

Re Cycle in 2011

2011-03-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. The woman apologized to her and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day.Back then,they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store.The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over.So they really were recycled.

But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she’s right.They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right,they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the post, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right,they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water.They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the bus or tram and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
People sat down and wrote letters and cards, the personal touch too, not printed off Xmas form letters and posted out by the hundreds!
It’s a crying shame that we didn’t have “the green thing” back then!

Sandwich Market. Yoiur update not mine

2011-03-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Sandwiches provide bread and butter revenue to many caterers – but how has this British classic adapted to an age of consumer thrift? UB talks to some of Britain’s most significant brands, and discovers how customer focus has helped them win a bigger slice of the student market.

Sliced bread is one of modernity’s most lauded achievements. So much so that it has penetrated our speech – becoming the figurative yardstick against which all other triumphs are considered the best thing since. Despite this consensus, asking what particular filling should be wedged in-between it proves extraordinarily divisive. Ask your customers ‘sandwhich?” and you’ll receive a smorgasbord in response.

This eclecticism begins to make sense when you analyse the gob-smacking size of the industry. Over 11.5 billion butties were eaten by us in 2009, according to the British Sandwich Association (BSA). Despite recession fears, the BSA measured a 4% increase in pre-packaged sales that year, indicating a negligible impact “Indications are that sandwich purchasing was initially affected at the start of the recession, but quickly bounced back as consumers became bored with their own made-at-home sandwiches”, confirms Simon Ambrose, Editor of International Sandwich & Snack News. “While retailers have had to adapt their offers to meet the demands of the recession with budget offers” he continues, “there is also increasing demand for more expensive, indulgent or gourmet sandwiches at the other end of the spectrum.”

2009’s sandwich revenues totalled £6 billion, offering a scrumptious proposition for franchises such as Subway, who dominate the UK market. The country’s 2.3m students comprise a significant portion of it, with food their second highest expense after accommodation. Vying for their custom are two main types of outlet: fresh deli bars offering bespoke and gourmet options, alongside retailers vending pre-packaged types. Students are presented with a clear choice at point of sale: freshness or convenience?

Catering to the latter desire is fundamental to Ginsters, a brand which has become a virtual synonym for the packaged savoury. It’s a significant presence at universities, having sold 3m sandwiches and wraps on campus in 2010. Off-the-shelf sandwiches offer benefits which are clearly relevant to students, argues John Want, Brand Manager at the firm. “The grab & go nature of lunch and 'between lectures' occasions mean a well stock range of chilled FTG [Food to Go] is essential to drive loyalty and footfall” he asserts.

Offering nearly 30 sandwiches - from entry-level £1.79 items to £3.49 big eat XLs, Ginsters has experimented with fresh options, but concentrates its business around the convenience model. Fresh delis take “a very specialist retailer to make them work, such are the requirements for food safety, training, stock & waste management, in-store facilities”, Want comments. Absence of these resources may preclude the deli option for some units. “They work in a number of locations very well, but are not the best route for the majority of traditional 'shops'”, Want concludes. For those seeking to offer a deli-style food fix within existing premises, Ginsters Panini range – which can be heated in a microwave – offers a pragmatic compromise.

Value is an important trend Want identifies, though this doesn’t imply qualitative compromise. “Value … doesn't necessarily mean just low price, but being seen to give bang for your buck” he elaborates. This has been a more discernible than buyers opting for cheaper items. Want continues: “Consumers don't seem to be willing to scrimp on the quality they get … and so actively look for deals, offers and discounts”. Evolving to accommodate the prudent student, Ginsters offers a ‘Meal Deal’ within NUS outlets.

Buyers also expect increased choice, and Ginsters has diversified to entice with explorative palates. John Want perceives that “There is an increasing need for a variety of world flavours, both due to the diverse nationalities on campus but also due to the growth in travelling and the demand for spicier flavours.” In response, Ginsters has begun to market ‘special edition’ sandwiches, its recent offerings including New York deli style beef and cheddar & chilli jam. “Consumers still like their core favourites” says Want, “but want increased choice if they fancy something different.”

Mr Want’s conclusion is validated by a BSA survey of UK sandwich preferences. Favourites are fashion-led, but the top 3 entries – chicken salad, prawn mayonnaise and egg & cress – are all stalwarts, betraying no hint of faddism.

Wrapid is another campus retailer which has also successfully plied students with exotic flavours. Embracing ethnic cuisine, Wrapid’s top selling wraps are chicken fajita, pepperoni pizza and red Thai chicken. The product’s simple construction makes for timeless takeaway. “A wrap is a perfect portable product”, eulogises Stephen Minall, director of the firm.

Wrapid franchises have a presence at 9 HE establishments in the UK, consolidated by 24 ’whistle stop’ sites at railway stations and in convenience stores. Vendors set tariff for Wrapid’s products, with its core range of hot wraps typically selling between £3.00 and £3.75. These can also be offered direct from fridges, offering a 6 day shelf life - a longevity which may offer distinct advantages to HE vendors.

Convenience is key to the brand’s success, Minall vouches. “The volume remains in “express” product choice”, allowing for impulse buys. Furthermore, “Made to order is fine, but does not manage queues well or allow for volume.” Creating, and delivering their products entirely ‘on demand’ helps to reduce wastage at Wrapid, making their refrigerated portfolio a budget-conscious option.

Carefully balancing product selection is perhaps the most important activity caterers can undertake to increase sales, he suggests. “70% of consumers know which sandwich they are looking for prior to approaching the fixture. If they can’t find that product then potentially the sale is lost.” For example, the UK’s multicultural composition means that certain flavours will be unpalatable to some groups of students. “Where there is a high Muslim mix, tuna based products tend to increase in sales mix as these are a safe purchase, whereas Chicken based products are not trusted as to their Halal source”.

Understanding – and managing the dynamics – of meal deals and margins is a consideration he considers equally paramount. Rather than “single item GP needs”, Minall urges them to develop in such areas as “group values in meal deals, capturing loyalty and offering loss leaders to increase traffic flows”.

Feel-good, healthy eating options are also in demand, although, he counters, “when price is brought into the equation, price invariably wins”. Moving Food - a business linked to Wrapid – has recently launched a £1 RSP sandwich in convenience stores, but Minall insists displays should offer diverse selections. “Every fixture should have a balance of “extreme value products”, together with indulgent products to appeal to all tastes and spending occasions” he relates. “The same person can want to indulge one day and penny pinch the next.”

It’s perhaps worth remembering that, originally, the sandwich was designed to cater for the demandingly esoteric tastes of an Earl.

A recent arrival on the student scene is Urban Eat, a brand created by Food Partners Group. Available through TUCO and NUS outlets, Urban Eat’s diverse range offers upper crust ‘gourmet’ varieties (fillings include crayfish and rocket with lemon mayo) alongside cheaper wraps and ‘basic’ and ‘everyday’ varieties. Explaining this broad strategy, Ben Smeal, Marketing Manager for the label, cites a study of student lunching spends. It revealed that 40% spent less than £2 a day, with the same proportion outlaying between £2 and £3.49. Only 20% of students paid more than £3.50 – indicating deli options may well be off-budget for all but the elite. Accordingly, their portfolio caters for both polarities of the budget spectrum.

Urban Eat’s product is designed to seamlessly integrate with different retail environments. “Customers can really tailor the range” Smeal details. “For example, the Gourmet range, combined with hot eats can really boost the offer of a coffee shop or coffee based environment.”

Smeal concurs that speed, convenience and value are all current motivating factors for consumers, but also perceives expanding vegetarian demand and a tangible drop in demand for meat fillings. To accommodate this, Food Partners supplies universities with a range of ‘Cranks’ sandwiches and salads, marketed under the strap line “Real feel-good recipes”.

Another company value that may accord with student sentiments is a ‘green’ approach to packaging – which comes at no additional cost to the consumer. “Environmentally friendly packaging is part of the brands core values ... this approach has clearly proved popular with our student consumers” Smeal attests.

Whilst pre-packaged suppliers clearly cater for a vast swathe of the market, there’s another demographic which is prepared to wait – and pay a premium – for a sandwich made their way. And – worryingly for some – it’s a sector being eyed by one of the UK’s commercial heavyweights.

Opening early in 2011, Sainsbury’s quietly opened a “Fresh Kitchen” store on London’s Fleet Street, serving a variety of hot and cold food made on premises. Though defined by the grocer as a ‘concept store’, market expectation is that the pilot will eventually unroll nationwide, competing with established players such as Greggs and Pret-A-Manger. There’s no indication of a move into the HE sector – yet – but the low-cost deli model may well appeal to thrifty students formerly deterred by typically higher prices.

A spokesperson from Sainsbury’s commented that “The UK lunchtime market is worth over £13 billion, and as Sainsbury’s already has a fantastic reputation for fresh food combined with great value, this trial store represents an obvious opportunity for us. We are sure that Sainsbury’s famous quality and the fact that the food is prepared on site at fair prices will ensure that The Fresh Kitchen is a real hit with customers”.

Fresh Kitchen’s sandwich pricing starts at £1.29, rising to £4.50 for a freshly made baguette. The outlet offers a variety of daily specials, and its product values incorporate nutrition, value and all-important convenience. “We’re targeting customers that are looking for a quick and healthy meal on the go”, the spokesperson clarifies.

When queried about Sainsbury’s plans, Wrapid’s Director sounds a cautionary note, recalling that other retailers have mooted similarly expansive plans in the past. “Marks and Spencer launched their Food to go offer some time ago” he remembers, “which was met with much noise in the press after they stated they would be doing hundreds of the outlets and creating many jobs. This never happened - as their concept was over complex”.

Whatever forms it assumes, the humble sandwich – going strong since the 1700’s – will no doubt continue to evolve. As flavours proliferate, and growth appears at opposite ends of the market, its success remains intimately linked to the practical benefits which it embodies. Simple, available and affordable – values of yesteryear which continue to define student lunching needs today.

Mood Food

2010-11-07T02:01:00.000-08:00

What we consume influences our stomachs and our minds. Just look at the Romans, who claimed that oysters stimulated their amorous side, or how in modern times we use coffee as a mental wake-up, or red wine to relax with.
While still a small market, projections of growth for “mood foods” or health beneficial ingredients are predicted to be a key strategic move for our industry in the next decade. Arriving in early 2011 are “mood” ingredients that university chefs can add to their own recipes to enhance their students’ wellbeing. As overfishing renders Omega’s 3 and 6 a rarity, turning to flax and rapeseed oils to get this valuable brain and heart improvement substance makes sense.
Mood foods are becoming a trend, and food manufacturers have cottoned on, adding these ingredients – found in and often outside of nature – to basic daily items like confectionary, ready meals, sauces and even desserts to improve our overall wellbeing. From aiding our emotional status, encouraging agility, even to improving our sex life, herbs, vegetables and natural enzymes as additives are a real growth industry.
Although of course stimulant drinks have had a firm hold on the market for several years now, ranges of drinks to relax you are growing in popularity; drinks like Malava Relax and chocolate drinks with added sleep benefits. Burgeoning trends include chocolate with lime blossoms to relax you, herbal teas that wake you, tire you and make you happier.
So eat at Wrapid® and our Omega 3 enriched flatbreads will change your day. With Christmas upon us, come on you catering departments: cook that turkey in rapeseed oils to have a truly “happy” Christmas.

Management Made Easy

2010-08-22T07:57:00.000-07:00

We have a simple approach to our way of managing in Wrapid, "just do it and ask for forgiveness later" when it comes to pleasing customers thats our approach..we also feel everything about dealing with people is learned very young, but some how never applied in basic managing training schools or any restautant training manuals I have read..try this on for size and pass it on...

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in pre school or kindergarten (as we call it today) Wisdom was not at the top of seminars, management books or taught in any business school I attended. It was not found in the memoirs of great politicians actually. If only our politicians could apply these basic principles, surely they were taught in similar primary or pre schools as me?

These are the things I learned:
Share everything
Play fair
Don’t hit people
Put things back where they belong
Clean up your mess
Don’t take things that aren’t yours
Say you’re sorry when you hurt someone
Wash your hands before you eat
Flush
Biscuits and milk can be good for you
Live a balanced life
"Learn" and "Think" some everyday
Draw and Paint and Sing and Dance and Play and Joke and Work some every day.

Also taking naps every afternoon seemed a good idea (it is in Spain and Saudi Arabia) When you go outside watch for traffic, hold hands, stick together.
Be aware of wonder, remember the little seed in the plastic cup, the roots go up the roots down, no one really knows why, but we are all like that…as we grow up remember how important your roots are.
Goldfish or hamsters or white mice like the seeds in the cup die, we all do…

Then remember the book about Dick and Jane, the first words we learned were 'Look' (See)

Everything was there really, Golden Rules, Love, Basic Sanitation, Ecology and Politics and sane living….

Think how wonderful the Cabinet or the Peace Processes would be if we all had milk and biscuits at 3pm and then lay down together for a nap or in our nations to put things back where we found them or cleaned up our own messes first. Imagine if our forced training seminars or training sessions were run the same way.

It is still true today when you go out into the world holding hands and sticking together it definately makes it safer..a happier place to work or live..

mood foods

2010-05-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Romans claimed the oysters stimulated our amporous side, many wake to coffee to kick them into touch, at the end of the day the heart benefits of red wine are widely used as an excuse to relax..what we consume influences our stomachs and our minds.
Even the couch potato's are getting mood foods without even knowing it!
These mood foods are becoming a trend and many food manufacturers are adding ingredients to basic daily items like ready meals, sauces and even desserts , ingredients found in nature to improve our over all well being.
From aiding our emotional staus to aiding in agility and flexiability to improving our sex life, herbs, vegetables, natural enzymes are a growth industry.
The Big Brands are at it too with enhanced Waters or Vitimin induced juices or smoothies. In The USA even the beers have been subject to Vitamin D being addded to ginseng to stimulate that inner being.
UK Manufactures like RDA Organics are proving not to be one hit wonders, the words Waken Up, Shape Up, "Get a Life" are the key words when promoting "enhanced foods"
Even a range of drinks to relax you , rather than energise you are growing in popularity (no not red wine) but drinks like Malava Relax.
Chocolate with lime blossoms to relax you, herbal teas that wake you, tire you, make you sleepy..or growing in popularity.
While still a small market projections of growth for adding ingredients for physical or mental health are predicted to be a key growth industry in the next decade.
These mood foods or functional food ingredients have been added to bread, yoghurts and beverages for years, but are now coming into their own and appearing in breakfast cereals, sandwiches and even good old water.
Over 33% of those interviewed in UK say they have tried functional foods in some format in past 12 months.
As Omega 3 and 6 become scarce from our oceans protein sourses (seafood) turning to flax and rapeseed oils to get this valuable brain and heart improvement package makes perfect sense. Cheaply added to cakes, biscuits, ready meals and breads, even milk can be bought with Rapeseed oil in it,this is already advertised as a healthy option or neatly hidden in those ingredient lists on our staple foods.

So it's here to stay, will be growing as a market segment and watch this space...."Can I get a rapeseed latte please with a dusting of happy mood powder please"
So eat at Wrapid® and our ingredients with their great enhancers will change your day..we have snuck a few mood foods into our ethnic ingredients....

New Business- Local Marketing Made Easy?

2009-09-25T00:54:00.000-07:00

If you are starting like us a new business, try launching thru Social networking.
Local Store Marketing-made easy

Local Store Marketing re Social Networks

Small to medium businesses need to get onto the power and economic efficiency of Social Networking and the power and ease of using the internet for ‘viral’ marketing campaigns.

Collating e-mail addresses between using professional bloggers (type Professional Bloggers into Google see what you get) to hiring of students, teenagers or your unit managers the process is simple and effective and of course legal.

LSM (Local Store Marketing) through the web approach is very powerful and is a better / wiser spend than printing of flyers, vouchers, ads in local papers or the church magazine…certainly more effective than waiting for the New Beer launch with the same old Point of Sale if you’re a pub or adding yet another A Frame to a cluttered high street or road side campaign…

If £100 could get me 20 hours of Local Store Marketing per week, could I really not afford to do it?…

Finding blog sites is easy, some will work, getting recognised or mentioned here, encourages the hits on your web site (you need to have one!) Subtle mention is better than down right corporate spill, which will be spotted, so example “ whilst sitting enjoying a pint in the Dog N Duck at Evesham, I was thinking about my tired feet so was wondering what advice as a reflxologist you can give me”…

Some blogs have thousands of readers, a keen community and see the author as an expert. Getting your company on these blogs will result in a lot of traffic to your website.

Search for your subject in Google and add the word 'blog' to the request. Try searching with and without quotes to see the difference in the results. You can also try different variations on your search such as,
a. Reflexology blog
b. Foot massage blog
c. Foot rub blog

Be creative and you should end up with a good list of potential blogs. What you are looking for is bloggers who have been writing content for over a year posting articles at a steady rate such as once a week. Good blog should have a healthy list of comments from the readers and good debates going on about the posts. If you find a good blog go into the ‘about’ section of the blogs and look for the author’s contact details.

Blogsearch.google.com

Another good tool to find blogs about your topic is to use Google’s blog search tool.
You can sort the results by relevance or date. Above the blog search results it will give you a list of blogs it thinks are most relevant. If Google thinks that the blog is relevant then it usually is popular and will have a good amount of readers.
Technorati (www.technorati.com) is a good resource for finding high traffic blogs related to your topic. Technorati visits millions of blogs each day and checks for updates to add to its index.

E-Mail Database

Now the simplest and cheapest route is via e-mail addresses, these you can harvest by the thousand via the internet, here are the easy steps for FREE, other than your time…or hire a student or young Mum and they can do it in their own time, this is a 24/7 activity to suit any ones time table, work from home Mum’s are a great idea, late night students love to earn money or free food or drink this way!
At a mere £5.00 an hour, in that time a good person with average IT skills can harvest 100 to 150 e-mail addresses from local sources…

If you have a University or College near you, go to their web site, hunt around for faculty or staff details and up will pop personal e-mail addresses for each of the faculty, maybe specific departments , in Leeds University that would be over 3000 e-mail addresses alone! They will in the Education sector all look like this : John.smooth@leeds.ac.uk

Drop them a simple e-mail, keep it very simple, the “Subject” section embedded in the e-mail should not be complicated as it could get blocked or filtered if attachments are added, simply say Hello or Drop by…add in the content of the e-mail the offer, often attachments are never opened in fear of viruses or again blocked centrally (you will find this to in a great many company and local business e-mail addresses) SPAM is what they are attempting to stop remember..
So say:
“Glass of wine on us this Thursday when you buy our Hot Pot for a fiver…circulate this offer to friends and family just like confetti if you like, after all they have networks too, as do your employees and local suppliers, change the colour of the words and add Thanks from Frank or Sue or Ta from the Dog n Duck at Evesham…remember busy people have 3- 6 seconds to scan this offer.
Be aware that redemption is not necessary a pre requisite to printing off your e-mail offer, you could request this, but traffic flow will be reduced by up-to 70+%, as many University or Companies ban the copy or printing off of ‘junk’ mail…so offer the freebie with proof of Company Idea or a simple code word...mention the word Dog and get the free wine with meal ordered.

Using the internet can reap thousand of local addresses, go to YELL.COM, type in Solicitors in your area, many will have a web address or enquires@, info@, sales@ simply invite them in with a unique offer. You can harvest the actual address and send them a flyer or use an e-mail address for later offers or sales campaigns.
In a Search engine of your choice, type in Associations, Clubs, Sporting Clubs, Airplane Enthusiasts in your town or area, up will come loads and loads of different organisations, with that to quite often the entire committee members e-mail addresses will pop up too!
Try Churches, Industry, Manufacturers, Consultants, Advisors, Personal Trainers, Media, Printers, Cross Dressers, the list is endless. Astro- physicists to Zoologists!

Moral Issues- If the e-mailed recipient asks to be removed from your database, you must oblige then simply reply saying, “ will do immediate, please drop by for a Free glass of wine on me for the inconvenience caused, simply print off this e-mail and bring it by” (never miss a chance to gain a customer, disgruntled or otherwise) Besides they may circulate it to a few hundred friends to P you off, they think, but to your advantage surely, gets you those customers…

Disciplines

To be effective understand these rules:
1. Redemption levels on any e-mail or voucher campaign are always less than 1% (1 in every 100) just ask McDonalds. A Good e-mail campaign can get you above 4%, in the brand WRAPID, a small Fast Food operation with limited budgets, see www.wrapid.com, they get 6% with their viral marketing, but they have been at it a while.
2. Learn what works or does not…trial and error here.
3. Cleansing e-mail returns are very necessary
4. Discipline yourselves to get 40-50 e-mails out daily
5. Only hit the database once a month, maximum 15 offers per year
6. Business card collection at site is paramount, these contain mailing addresses and of course new e-mail addresses.
7. Retain a day time e-mailer and a night timer, they will find different sources of information.
8. If you are e-mailing Hikers or 60+ year old associations like Bowls Club, match the offer, i.e. Lunch/Weekend for Bowlers and Hikers, but Rugby Clubs or Car Enthusiasts could be early evening…experiment its almost free!
9. Suggest you collect Birthday info too if you can, day and month only please, create your own Birthday Club capture, simply add info re e-mail address and birth-date onto a calendar and mail offers off 2 weeks prior to the persons birthday, great way to build local customers…
10. Monitor what works, not always via redemptions, but if business slowly improves….worth the effort.

Simple Web site rules

o Your site maybe only one page, pictures are better than words.
o Make sure the pictures of your pub or restaurant, café, bakery are with customers in them, people like to associate with ‘their tribe’- my kinda of place…
o When do the hits on your web site come? - after 9pm, this may show you who is interested, after 10pm normally indicates an under 30 year old clientele.
o 55+ age profile highest users of broadband and social comment sites.
o Get your self, your site onto YOUTUBE, MYSPACE and social chat lines, check out www.guttereats.co.uk as an example…
o 1 in 5 e-mails need not always be an offer, share a local antidote, offer the ‘meeting space’ for Free (to associations)share a recipe...

IDEAS:

o Perhaps cross promote with another business, “ if Shopping in Classic Shoes, bring your receipt in and get a £1.00 off your sandwich?
o Attack the big boys too- Bring in your Subway receipts and we will give you X, or bring in any fast food coupon/voucher and we will give you Y
o Show us your company or association access or membership card and we will give you X..…log how many you get, this will help to show what works….
o A Frames a problem re planning permission?- well if you are on the high street, simply get a good artist or good employee with hand writing skills ,go chalk in different colour on the pavement your daily offer (dry days only or water resistant chalk) Big chalk offer on the pavement pointing to your pub…gets attention and does not break planning rules!

Go for it, if you want to discuss or offer views contact

Our High street Blues...

2009-07-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Not so Mellow Yellow…..Wrapid High Street sites

We are reading a great deal these days about the high street, lack of sales, night time binge drinking, security/safety issues, congestion charges; lack of parking and the list goes on….

Having attended recent local authority meetings, senior level discussions with Transport for London and meetings with various Property Search Companies in Leeds and Manchester a disappointing message comes through….there is no long term strategy and no joined up thinking in regards to the health of our high streets. Even more disappointing is the fact that no one has considered looking at the effect of all the policies against the consumers need to park and thus to shop or eat or visit the much needed chemist. All we read about is the down turn is due to the internet or the down turn in consumer spending and the economy. The community as a whole and their needs are not really understood.

Let us consider any high street in any district of our major cities or small towns in the UK, what we find is a high street that has double yellow lines on it’s main thorough fare and it’s side streets, we have a growth of no parking zones (permit holders only) due to local residence demands to park their second car on or in front of their home, we have a huge growth in parking meters being installed (sadly at £1 for 20 minutes) or pay by phone parking schemes. On top of this the quick free parking that used to exist at the local station is now controlled and prices have risen since 2005 by 500%, certainly this is the case from York to St Albans to Brighton and across the UK.

The local hotels have also put up barriers or controls the local residence parking…get the picture? So what we have is a ‘situation’ here. That situation has been created by local and government policies that do not act strategically, by alienating the car, the consumer has been driven (excuse the pun) away from the high street. This in turn creates a lack of high street traffic and therefore a lack of sales, causing the likes of the regional Boots, WH Smiths and necessary commodity brands (local butcher, chemist, banks, dry cleaners) to close down in our local high streets. This then is reflected in a drop in rateable values, collections of VAT, and sales taxed related income for town councils. This drives the councils to create new income streams, so they inflict car parking policies to drive income from parking permits, traffic related parking tickets via the double yellow line and the infamous parking meter charge. This is happening also at hospitals, Universities and of course in Supermarkets and on the motorways re parking at Welcome Break type operations….Considered an easy target and a easy income stream. This in turn shuts off consumers from the high street as it is no longer as convenient to shop, the type of shops become non core or secondary brands (down market) and a downward spiral begins. In effect we drive farther to shopping malls and mega stores so we can load up our wares!

So let us take a typical Mum, she arguably needs to park close to the shops to jump out of the car collect the dry cleaning or pick up the prescription from the local chemist, often directly outside as little Jonny ,the son, is in the car seat fast asleep. This she can no longer do.
Or lets look at the 40+ year old couple who decide to go out to dinner or lunch (by the way 40-60 year old market is the fastest growing), they still have the same issues, the cost or convenience to park is restrictive, meters often charge for 18 hours a day, besides the local Indian or Italian is now a take away to accommodate the Yates late night trade, so actually theirs no where decent on the high street left to eat anyway. The youth will train it in or car pool so the intimidation factor is high from 7pm-1am; just go to York on a Thursday night and find a pub, bar or restaurant that does not have a doorman (polite 2009 speak for bouncer) at their entrances, what does that tell you?
Students suffer too, local high streets do have the right shops to fit their needs either, due to the yellow mellow policies!

So we have this ‘situation’ the car is black listed, the taxable income for towns and cities is shrinking, the smaller towns get empty shops, the high street deteriorates and the consumers go to out of town for shopping, eat at home or shop via the internet. Interestingly the local village or small out of or off town gastro pubs are doing a roaring and rural trade…not due I would argue to the economy but due to ease of parking… but we have to drive there…
Lets not debate pollution issues, but really, where is the common sense…

Can you find a successful local cinema operating on a high street? Can you find a high street where the local paper is not discussing Boots/WHSmith or the local chemist closing?. Is this totally due to consumer demand or changing shopping habits…absolutely to a certain extent but the car and our love affair with the freedom it delivers or should deliver needs to be put into local town planning policies? Perhaps sacrificing rent or rates on a high street location in consideration of free 30 minute parking is worth considering. Perhaps having a planning policy that says we need a mix of local, branded retail outlets and tax breaks for cinemas and theatres. Perhaps even the local Italian is important to the community? A high street gym or health club is finding it hard to make ends meet due to restrictive parking policies. These businesses create footfall and support the high street infrastructure.
I will leave you with this one thought. ‘Is not the heart of a high street and it’s mix of businesses something to consider in planning a policy and thus the consideration of parking to create a healthy high street worth an overall policy change?

So as we grow older, we mellow but we face the dreaded yellow lines of authority…. If you have a view, contact me …Stephen@wrapid.com

Plastics , an issue or not?

2009-07-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

Plastic- solution or not?
Wrapid views are ours…of course you choose yours…

When you say plastic is everywhere you mean everywhere, Plastic- solution or not?
Wrapid views are ours…of course you choose yours…

When you say plastic is everywhere you mean everywhere, in food containers; in bottles used to feed infants; in raincoats; in eye glasses and safety helmets; in phones; in clothing; in toys; in bandages; and in cosmetics and some medicines.

Many scientists say man made components in plastics- particularly in a group of compounds called phthalates and a chemical known as bisphenol A or BPA - can leach harmful chemicals, which are absorbed into the body. Some even blame plastics for increased rates of cancer, asthma, neurological disorders and infertility.

The Centre for Health Environment and Justice (CHEJ) speaking recently in Dubai said they were seeking a total ban on these consumer products. Needless to say our plastic and related vinyl industry refers to this as scare campaigns.

So for us in the Food Catering arena and at Wrapid, we discuss at length what we can do what does this mean for our brand :
Firstly BPA, its in bottle tops to dental sealant to food packaging, some 93% of us will have BPA in our urine (survey in 2008 on 3k people) this means it is in your body chemistry and body tissue and blood stream, arguably for decades….this could mean that our bodies know how to expel it or not? Before it hits our urine what is it doing to our tissue?
Clearly we know BPA’s leach out of containers when heated, so from bags of pasta sauce to soups to gastronorms of ingredients would be affected in Catering Services industry, but also in ready meal containers. How many products on pub to restaurant products come chilled or frozen that are micro-waved or reheated in their plastic containers in our domestic or catering ovens?
Phthaltes, the other component in plastic is even more controversial, of this compound two are under international scrutiny, DEHP, found mostly in medical products and DINP found in toys, plastic cutlery, some containers in the airline catering field. These affect the reproductive system and endocrine systems….not in Wrapid packaging or in our ingredients by the way…

The debate continues but here are the bullet points:

1. Do not place plastics into any hot environment
2. Remove food from plastic wrap/trays/containers before thawing or reheating in a microwave
3. Check recycling codes for clues, Code 3 indicates types of phthalates, known as DEHA, code 7 has BPA
4. Canned Foods contain in their lining BPA’s too
5. Avoid use of polycarbonates or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) both contain BPA’s, choose containers with codes 1, 2, 4 or 5
6. If you use Nalgene Bottles, sippy cups (used for coffee /soup vending) or water bottles, do not heat, warm or add or contain heated liquid in them…in storage above 28 degrees C results in contamination…
7. Even nail polish, girls contains phthalates!

∆ If the triangle has a 1 in it with PETE underneath - 2 in it with HDPE – relatively safe.

If you it has 5 or 4 inside the triangle and under 5 PP or under 4 LDPE also relatively safe.

Wrapid just cares, so we inform…

in food containers; in bottles used to feed infants; in raincoats; in eye glasses and safety helmets; in phones; in clothing; in toys; in bandages; and in cosmetics and some medicines.

Many scientists say man made components in plastics- particularly in a group of compounds called phthalates and a chemical known as bisphenol A or BPA - can leach harmful chemicals, which are absorbed into the body. Some even blame plastics for increased rates of cancer, asthma, neurological disorders and infertility.

The Centre for Health Environment and Justice (CHEJ) speaking recently in Dubai said they were seeking a total ban on these consumer products. Needless to say our plastic and related vinyl industry refers to this as scare campaigns.

So for us in the Food Catering arena and at Wrapid, we discuss at length what we can do what does this mean for our brand :
Firstly BPA, its in bottle tops to dental sealant to food packaging, some 93% of us will have BPA in our urine (survey in 2008 on 3k people) this means it is in your body chemistry and body tissue and blood stream, arguably for decades….this could mean that our bodies know how to expel it or not? Before it hits our urine what is it doing to our tissue?
Clearly we know BPA’s leach out of containers when heated, so from bags of pasta sauce to soups to gastronorms of ingredients would be affected in Catering Services industry, but also in ready meal containers. How many products on pub to restaurant products come chilled or frozen that are micro-waved or reheated in their plastic containers in our domestic or catering ovens?
Phthaltes, the other component in plastic is even more controversial, of this compound two are under international scrutiny, DEHP, found mostly in medical products and DINP found in toys, plastic cutlery, some containers in the airline catering field. These affect the reproductive system and endocrine systems….not in Wrapid packaging or in our ingredients by the way…

The debate continues but here are the bullet points:

8. Do not place plastics into any hot environment
9. Remove food from plastic wrap/trays/containers before thawing or reheating in a microwave
10. Check recycling codes for clues, Code 3 indicates types of phthalates, known as DEHA, code 7 has BPA
11. Canned Foods contain in their lining BPA’s too
12. Avoid use of polycarbonates or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) both contain BPA’s, choose containers with codes 1, 2, 4 or 5
13. If you use Nalgene Bottles, sippy cups (used for coffee /soup vending) or water bottles, do not heat, warm or add or contain heated liquid in them…in storage above 28 degrees C results in contamination…
14. Even nail polish, girls contains phthalates!

∆ If the triangle has a 1 in it with PETE underneath - 2 in it with HDPE – relatively safe.

If you it has 5 or 4 inside the triangle and under 5 PP or under 4 LDPE also relatively safe.

Wrapid just cares, so we inform… you decide?

Wrapid Blog- by The Maven (look that one up)

2009-07-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

Well as we end 4 years at our Leeds Central site on Albion Place, we move onto to opening our new sites in Manchester Airport (opens in Terminal 1 on August 31st) Sheffield University, Newcastle, Poole and our 4th Site in Dubai….Tony our Manager at Leeds who also was our FLO-Wrap, Franchise Liaison Officer looks forward to his time in Dubai helping the Franchisee get maximum sales from those sites…back in mid August …

We are busy getting the 44 Whistlestop sites (in Rail Stations from London to York, Liverpool and beyond) to run an exciting campaign to reward our customers with a promotional competition running from August 20th thru September 24th 2009, go buy our cold range of wraps and win some cash…

Scott our Marketing man is busy building up the Facebook links, we have been poor doing this I am afraid, but it will get better –promise.

Our University locations like LSE/Imperial Colleges in London and Colchester with Essex University continue to operate over summer recess, looking forward to a big boost when “you lot” come back in September and October…did you know all these sites are open to the public, Imperial and LSE are right on the high street for easy access…

Our man who holds the secrets to our unique naan bread baked in a secret bakery in Southall hidden amongst the Indian Community, has some new ideas and we will be adding a few more lines once the creative ethnic chefs have finalised recipes. It takes us about 3 months to get the ingredients and breads right as our brick based ovens use infra red to crisp the outside and get the ingredients to the desired temperatures, this without compromising our high levels of taste sensation…we treat “street food” development very seriously at Wrapid you know…

Poole, Dorset ( yes we do, as old joke goes, -say Dorset fast like endorse-ah forget if we have to explain the joke!) will open soon , goes live week of 27th July, here in the Sports Bar known as Dundees on The Quays you can sample our top selling wraps while enjoying the Sports Bar scene or watching the boats go by…

We continue to support Plan UK with donations to help children from around the world and love learning about their local flatbreads and techniques in cooking…

We smile with pride and humour as the Fast Food boys promote their wraps, served very luke warm with a piece of fried chicken and some sweet spiced sauce and bang they call it Ethnic!- but it grows awareness for little old Wrapid..

So my days are spent looking for opportunities, working on the University sector to introduce Wrapid, if you want one write loads of mail to the Catering Departments at your College and/or University, saying if Leeds, Imperial, LSE, Colchester, Sheffield and Newcastle can have one- WHY CAN’T WE?

Let me know any recipe ideas and if the healthy side to our Wraps like the added benefit of vitamins, nutrition and Omega 3 and 6 means much to you, we think it adds a little something to our recipes, maybe we should make more of it?

My thought for this blog is “ If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you”…