Supermarket shopping via home computer has been around for a while but this new product from Ikan Technologies makes it a whole lot easier. It’s a countertop scanner that resides in your kitchen. When you’re done with a food product or other scannable item, you run its barcode under the scanner. This builds a list of items you need from participating merchants. When you’re ready to order, you can review the list before sending it wirelessly to your PC, which then transmits the order to the merchant. You can pick up the goods or have the market deliver them to you, depending on store policy.

This seems like a fantastic way to speed up shopping. Of course, it doesn’t come cheap. The Ikan scanner lists for about $399. But I see it as another way for smart retailers to engage their clients and solidify their loyalty. I can see applications even in non-food retailing, such as office-supply, athletic-goods, pool-supply and other stores that stock disposable merchandise. You’d need to convince you clients that a system like this will save them time and money. I think many of them would agree.

Speaking of kitchens, this article cites a study that shows people who buy organics are much more receptive to new products and ideas than the rest of the buying public. Affluence doesn’t appear to be a factor when buying organically, even though most organic products sell for more than their non-organic counterparts. What this study says to me is that just by promoting a few organic products in your store, you might have a better chance of attracting new customers. Whole Foods Markets, for example, sell organic clothing, skin-care products and other goods along with its organic foods. I’m sure that the customers who buy that clothing are going to walk out of Whole Foods with more than just some hip new threads.

Keep abreast of the latest in scanning technology. And don’t overlook the organic market. Sounds like a winning combination to me.