Can the Introduction of Eircodes Revolutionise Irish eCommerce

13th July 2015 saw the launch of Eircode, Ireland’s new postcode system, which has the potential to revolutionise ecommerce deliveries for the Country.

Previously addresses in the Republic of Ireland were less specific and rural addresses were formed by the county, nearest postal town and the townland.  A townland is specific area only found in Ireland, it is a small division of land of ancient Gaelic origins.  This method of creating an address means that the same address can be used for a number of premises.  This is complicated further as not all rural properties have house numbers or names so identifying a destination could prove problematic to those unfamiliar with the area.

The problems is lesser in urban areas as addresses are specified by County, town or city name, road name house number and flat or apartment number.

Now with the Eircode system every home and business will have a unique postcode.  The system, developed by Capita Ireland, has caused a divide in support as the codes are comprised of an area coded, called the “routing key”, consisting of a three characters and a unique identifier which is a generated four character code made up of a selected set of numbers and letters.

The nature of the formation of these codes means that neighbouring premises will almost certainly have different postcode endings, so an input error or transposition of a part of the code has the potential of sending you far from where you need to be.  Which is not ideal in an emergency, for example.

However, a positive side is that with the correct details you are guaranteed to locate an exact destination using an Eircode, which is unlike the systems in use in many other counties, where a postcode is used for a range of addresses, and you are reliant on a house number or name to find the exact address.  So, the Eircode system has the ability to improve the speed and accuracy of deliveries which will support ecommerce growth and can make navigating journeys more efficiently; that is if the system is embraced by all individuals and companies, as at present the use of Eircodes is optional.

Apple Pay Launch in the UK

Technology is advancing at such a pace currently.  The latest offering is Apple Pay, but what is it?  How do you use it?  Finally are you able to use it?

Apple Pay is Apple’s version of a contactless payment option, similar to contactless payment bank cards.  It has a key feature that make it more secure than many contactless payment options in operation to date, in that it utilises the finger print recognition technology on Apple devises.

To use the Apple Pay system customers need to go to the settings option of their phones and open the Passbook & Apple Pay section, here they are able to add a credit or debit payment card.  There is an option to use the same card details that are saved on users iTunes account, or details can be manually typed in.  Better still users can touch a camera icon and take a photo of their payment card and the devise will extract the data it needs from the image and will import the information it requires.  Then after accepting the Terms and Conditions and entering a billing address, then, in theory, you are ready to go shopping

It’s an exciting development, but unfortunately it is not available for all Apple customers.  It only works on the more recent devises, which have a near-field communication (NFC) chip installed during manufacture.  So if you have an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus, Apple Watch, iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3, you’re in luck.  You will also need to be 13 or over to use the Apple Pay service.

At the moment transactions are limited to £20, but this is set to increase to £30 from September 2015. 

To make a payment you will need to bring your devise in range with a payment reader, you can choose either your default card or select a different card, then place your finger over the finger print reader and that’s it, you have paid for your item.  It certainly sounds like a sleek operation, but the launch itself didn’t go as smoothly as it should.  Consumers were set to make their first purchases only to find that not all banks were working with the new payment service, which lead to a fair amount of disappointment.  I’m sure these banks will be on board soon.

Terry's Teas London's Noted

There’s nothing like a good cup of tea and our friends at Terry’s Teas certainly know a trick or two about blending a fresh tasting cuppa and we are so pleased to be involved in the process that makes the magic happen.

The creativity behind Terry’s Tea London’s Noted is Austin and his brother, the owners of the fabulous Terry’s Café in Great Suffolk Street, near Borough Market, London.  The inspiration behind the brand is Terry, their late father, who was a former Smithfield meat trader who opened Terry’s Café in 1982 when a cup of tea was 20p.  A tradition that has been kept to date as long as you order food.  Terry had a fond interest for antiques, memorabilia and period furniture and his style is proudly maintained by his sons.

Terry’s Café is renowned for its use of quality ingredients, sourcing the best from both Smithfield and Borough Markets and the same ethos is used in the selection of the teas used and the blending of the flavours.

The teas have been carefully selected from a plantation in Sri Lanka, where the tea is picked by hand before it is dried, processed then blended and packaged to preserve the freshness of the product.  Then CSM work carefully with Austin and his brother to import the final product, ready for consumers to enjoy.

The four blends currently available are English Breakfast Tea, Green Tea and Jasmine, Chamomile and my personal favourite, Earl Grey.  These varieties are enveloped in packing with a traditional feel, it’s as if there was a friendly nod back to the 1830’s during the designing process, allowing us to remember the days when tea was truly celebrated, through afternoon tea parties. 

We at CSM then store finished product and fulfil orders with our pick and pack service before making sure all orders are delivered in a timely fashion.

There have been a few events where you could pick up boxes of teas, including the Vintage Car Boot Sale and The Open Streets Launch Party at Suffolk Street, London and most recently at Open Garden Square Day just a few weeks ago.  As their father before them, the brothers clearly have a keen eye for detail as the stalls are always bursting with retro British personality.

You can currently order boxes of Terry’s Tea London’s Noted online at www.present-london.com, although I understand the tea has been flying off the virtual shelves recently.  If you are in our fair Capital, why not pop into to Terry’s Café for a bite to eat and pick up a box then.

Great news for the future, the team are working on launching their own website, so soon the tea will be available to a wider audience – so it’s an exciting time for tea lovers everywhere!

Pictures reproduced from Terry's Tea Blog with our thanks.