Thursday, July 08, 2010

If you go down to the stores in the next few days...

...You might be in for a big surprise!

Well, that is, if you are in or near Poundland Worcester over the next week or so.

Because, after many stops and starts, our grant supported proof-of-concept consumer research for RE:tie has at last been signed off, and the team from the University of Worcester Business School Research Department is today being briefed ready to head off and tackle the public for their views.

It's a big deal for Junkk.com, as RE:tie is our best shot at some actual decent commercial revenue, not to mention being a potentially awesome poster child for the potential of designed-in reuse.

It's also a time of great anticipation, if tinged with nerves. This is totally independent research. I have even been banned from attending, as it seems I am a potential contaminant of the methodology and results. It will be based on store-exit surveys using our Video Pitch and a brief questionnaire regarding green shopping habits, plus of course the disability assist feature.

Anyway, once the results are in I'll of course share them, and am keeping all digits crossed that it will be a) good, and b) at last enough to help get onside the hard-nosed number crunchers in brands and retailers who have been saying up to now: 'How can we be sure the public will see this as a worthwhile benefit?'

Meanwhile, many thanks to all involved, and especially Poundland for being so supportive in helping with this research by providing the venue. It is especially appropriate that they be involved, as of course the Junkk.com URL is featured as a source of eco-info on their products' packaging, and in the period since they kindly added this, thousands of their customers have as a consequence signed up to the Junkk.com site.

There will be more on this, and I will be PR'ing it up the whazzoo, especially as a great example of public/private collaboration, with a regional flavour which will hopefully pique the interest of the media around here.