Peter Hall September 13, 2012 The Courier-Mail FAST food outlets are rolling out self-service registers and mobile ordering apps to speed up service and boost turnover. KFC has just installed touch-screen “kiosks” – already popular in Europe – at two of its busy Queensland outlets, the BP Caboolture North and South stores off the Bruce Highway. McDonald’s says it has moved on from the self-service tills and is preparing to unveil an app that will allow people to order and pay by phone. John Hands, chief supply and information officer of KFC’s parent company Collins Foods Ltd, said kiosks had been installed at several Queensland stores, including Caboolture, Moranbah, Mount Isa and Emerald. About a third of registers at some stores are now self-service, allowing customers to tap in what they want, with the order instantly appearing on a “packing screen” out the back. As diners paid by swiping key…

Elizabeth Knight September 13, 2012 The Age NEXT week Australia’s high-end department store, David Jones, will deliver its year-end results and update the market on aspects of its online strategy – a major part of which will be progress in price harmonisation between goods sold online and in its bricks-and-mortar outlets. Cosmetics is a major battleground between online only and traditional retailing – it’s a challenge that goes to the heart of supply chain and the deals done between manufacturers and their authorised retailers. No doubt DJs boss Paul Zahra will be keeping a very close watch on the legal stoush between one of his big cosmetic suppliers, Estee Lauder (and its brand offshoot MAC), and discount department store Target. MAC has accused Target of buying, advertising and selling counterfeit beauty products amounting to engagement in misleading or deceptive conduct and infringement of trademarks. The products were advertised at prices…

KATHERINE REYNOLDS LEWIS September 12, 2012 Andrea Mohin The New York Times Quick Tips: If you are monitoring only your traffic, you are wasting money. Place your phone number prominently on every Web page. Try to attract leads that are ready to buy and not just exploring. When potential customers search the Internet for Botox or laser hair removal in the greater New York City area, Verve Medical Cosmetics has long been easy to find. But the company’s Web site has been more successful attracting visitors than it has been converting those visitors into new customers, according to Michele Bracci, the company’s director of marketing and the wife of its founder, Dr. Stephen Bracci. So the Braccis decided to give the site a face-lift. They redesigned it last year to emphasize the qualities they believe make the business stand out from other nonsurgical medical aesthetics companies. They added before and…

Sep 12, 2012 CSNews Consumers are managing restaurant checks by cutting back on beverages and ordering only food at main meals. However, restaurant chains are now focusing on driving beverage-only occasions. According to The NPD Group, restaurant chains are driving incremental beverage-only occasions during other times of the day with the introduction of new beverages and beverage marketing efforts. In June 2012, the total restaurant visits were flat compared to the 2-percent decline in visits that included both food and beverage, reports NPD’s CREST foodservice market research. “Consumers are responding to new beverage introductions and the aggressive promotion of beverages, and as a result beverage-only has become a significant growth opportunity for the foodservice industry,” said Kyle Olund, director, foodservice product development at NPD. “There is, however, a complexity to beverage-only foodservice occasions and it’s important for foodservice operators and manufacturers to have a full understanding of the foodservice beverage…

MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM September 13, 2012 New York Times The New York City Board of Health voted on Thursday to approve Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s measure to limit the sale of large sugary drinks. Seeking to combat rising obesity rates, the New York City Board of Health approved on Thursday a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, street carts and movie theaters, enacting the first restriction of its kind in the country. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who proposed the measure, celebrated its passage on Twitter. Seeking to combat rising obesity rates, the New York City Board of Health approved on Thursday a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, street carts and movie theaters, enacting the first restriction of its kind in the country. the measure, celebrated its passage on Twitter. “NYC’s new sugary drink policy is…

NACSonline September 13 2012 NACS Daily News Coca-Cola’s Dasani Drops is a new addition to water flavor enhancer products. MONTEPELIER, FRANCE – Next month, Coca-Cola will launch a new line of water flavor drops under its Dasani brand, allowing customers to customize their H2O, Beverage Daily reports. Dasani Drops are zero-calorie beverage enhancers housed in a 1.9-ounce bottle (each bottle includes 32 servings) that allows consumers to customize their water in the desired strength. Coke will market the drops as a means of providing a “delicious, sweet way to enjoy drinking water throughout the day” and a “flavorful, fashionable accessory for busy moms and health-conscious people alike”. “Dasani Drops give people a new way to enjoy drinking water by pumping-up the taste of Dasani with a simple squeeze of the easy-to-carry bottle,” said John Roddey, vice president, water, tea and coffee for Coca-Cola North America. Coke will not be the…