1. What benefits are provided to the shopper by Peapod’s services? How does their innovative product/service combination provide additional benefits beyond the average grocery store with delivery service?

2. Toy walls could be found in malls, airports, and movie theatre lobbies during the 2011 Holiday season. Why were they featured in these locations and what additional locations would be ideal? Explain why.

Businesses aiming to expand, gain a larger market share, or compete with competitors can accomplish these goals through reducing costs, raising barriers to market entrants, or creating new products or services. Additionally, each of these goals can be accomplished through the use of innovative technologies. When companies explore uses for innovative technologies with a specified goal in mind, they can experience tremendous results in their attempts in shaping consumer behavior, changing their shopping experience, or even altering the backhouse operations. Other times, when technology reaches maturity, it has other unforeseen uses. In both of the following short case examples, the exhibited company uses technological innovations to either differentiate itself in the market place, attract new customers, lock in customers, offer a new product or service, or some combination of the previous.