Problem 1: What is the value proposition to the customer of web-based shopping? How does it compare to the other innovations in customer service that Ives mentions at the end of the case?
Problem 2: What new capabilities do the following innovations bring to customer service in the grocery industry: scanner data, loyalty card data, and web shopping?
Problem 3: What would you do if you were Ives? Should Upscale Markets implement online grocery shopping in the Dallas, Texas, market? How similar, or different, should it be from the Rice Epicurean initiative in Houston, Texas?
Problem 4: How sustainable is any competitive advantage for Rice Epicurean? For My WebGrocer?