Nod for Foyles at Retail Week awards

Foyles is a finalist in the Customer Innovation of the Year category at the Oracle Retail Week Awards.
 
The retailer is shortlisted for its "digital shopping service" Foyles Book Search .

The awards, in their 20th year, will be made in March. The Customer Innovation of the Year award has been newly added this year and aims to honour a company that has created services designed with the customer at their core.
 
Foyles Book Search is a “digital shopping service” that enables customers to browse stock availability and locate books in its flagship store at 107 Charing Cross Road using an interactive map. It automatically appears in the browser of smartphones when customers connect to the store’s WiFi and can instantly search and check the availability of Foyles’ 200,000 books, as well as CDs, DVDs, sheet music and gifts. The tool was developed in partnership with Oxford digital agency White October and is the UK’s first digital in-store search facility with mapping. 

Sam Husain, c.e.o. of Foyles, said: “At Foyles, we are always looking for ways in which technology can improve our customers’ access to books, without detracting from the pleasure of browsing in our bookshops. Foyles Book Search has the potential to create delightful new paths of discovery in our new bookshop, and it complements our knowledgeable booksellers who are always on hand to make personal recommendations and answer any questions.”
 
The shortlist will be judged by a panel of industry authorities, including Alex Baldock, chief executive officer at Shop Direct; Andy Clarke, president and chief executive officer at Asda; Peter Ruis, chief executive officer at Jigsaw; and John King, chief executive officer at House of Fraser.