LBi International

Innovative salt app for Food Standards Agency

Posted by Mike October 21st, 2009

LBi has created an iPhone and iPod Touch application and mobile-optimised site called ‘FSA Salt’ to help shoppers calculate the salt content in everyday foods and make healthier food choices for their families. The salt calculator also comes with sound: when you shake the application you can hear salt being shaken and you are provided with useful tips to reduce salt in everyday foods. The app has been created for the FSA in support of their Salt Reduction Campaign after survey results revealed that 26 million adults in the UK consume too much salt in their diets.  This unique app can be used by shoppers and mothers easily when browsing the supermarket shelves.
 
The Salt Calculator is a ‘simple to use’ app that can be integrated into the lives of consumers with ease and acts as a handy nutrition tool when they are ‘on the go’. Users can simply look at the food label, select the appropriate level of salt per 100g and combined with choosing the weight of the serving from the scale provided, a traffic light system reveals instantly if it’s a healthy choice.  The app includes added features such as salt intake information for children of different ages and an inbuilt shake gesture that provides useful tips such as ‘Go for reduced-salt back bacon in your bacon sandwich’. ‘And try adding some slices of tomato instead of ketchup’.  The shake feature provides a built in sound effect of salt being shaken, which can be heard with each tip displayed.

Laura Jordon Bambach, Joint Creative Director LBi UK:  “Its always a pleasure to work on projects that are not only creatively pleasing but provide such a useful tool in promoting good health; and where we can use digital channels to create real benefit for consumers. We’re especially happy to be helping mums make the right decisions at point of sale, through our work with the FSA”.

Tags: app, iPhone, press release, UK

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HMV’s re-engineered search engine

Posted by Mike October 5th, 2009

Boosting HMV’s online sales with re- engineered search engine

As strategic technical partner to HMV, LBi has launched the first phase of HMV’s new e-commerce platform - a new search engine that will support the company’s growth plans and the anticipated increase in online purchasing from customers.  The new search engine will provide faster search, better search results, faceted navigation, improved ability to merchandise products, increased ability to personalise the user experience and will allow HMV to support increased growth in online sales.   The new search engine will enable consumers to find what they are looking for more easily, leading to an easier purchase experience.  Also, HMV will be able to get to know their customers as individuals and communicate with them about things that will interest them.

 HMV is the UK and Ireland’s leading specialist retailer of Music, DVD/Video, Computer Games and Related Products. The company operates around 200 stores in key shopping locations nationwide, equating to over 1million sq. ft. of trading space, as well as a successful online store at www.hmv.co.uk, operated by HMV Guernsey.   HMV is part of HMV Group plc, which as of April 2004 operated 366 HMV stores in eight countries across Europe, North America and Pacific Asia as well as 193 Waterstone’s stores principally in the UK and Ireland. All of the Group’s operations, both in the United Kingdom and internationally, are wholly owned.

We acted as strategic consultants and guided HMV through a detailed analysis which highlighted the limitations of the current e-commerce platform. LBi was named HMV’s lead partner and asked to deliver a 2-year programme of work to replace the existing platform and using a technology stack able to support the significant growth HMV have seen in the online channel.  We assisted HMV with vendor selection and chose Endeca as the search partner for this phase of work.  We are currently helping HMV to select and implement the remaining technologies within the new platform which will go live in 2010.

LBi and HMV have enjoyed a strong relationship since April 2007 which has spanned engagements in digital strategy, web design and build, search engine optimisation, technology, design and implementation, user research, testing and quality assurance. In 2008 we designed and delivered HMV’s new social discovery site: getcloser.com.  LBi were then engaged in late 2008 to help solve a critical business issue: the declining capability of its ecommerce platform.

Tags: e-commerce, HMV, News, press release, search engine, UK

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