Where did T-JAM take place?

Microsoft London (Cardinal Place)
100 Victoria Street
London SW1E 5JL

on Wednesday 5th August from 7pm - 9pm.

What’s the nearest Tube or Rail Station?

Victoria Rail Interchange is only about 100m

from Cardinal Place. The building is easy to spot

because of its distinct shape (see image right).

(Image from user “.Martin.” on Flickr)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martinrp/246586850/

Why do answers to the rest of the questions here make

me think that TJAM is yet to happen?

I simply haven’t re-edited the words into past tense!

What can I expect from the evening?

In the first hour we’ll have some introductions and background to T-JAM, then we’ll open up the ‘marketplace’ where you can wander round the auditorium looking at the various ideas that have come from customers. There will be people on hand to describe some aspect of an idea if you don’t fully understand it.

In the second hour we’ll sit you down and demonstrate various ways of accessing the Tesco.com Grocery API to use it to best advantage. We’ll aim to show you in two or three different programming languages such as C#, Java, Flash, we may even try to write a quick iPhone app. Then we’ll take you through terms and conditions of use, and how to join our affiliates scheme so you can make money through your application if you wish to.

Will I be fed and watered?

Absolutely. We’ll have mounds of pizza and similar food items, with vegetarian options. 300 tubs of a popular brand of premium ice cream will be arriving about 7pm. You’ll be able to eat as you wander round the ‘marketplace’ (7:15pm - 8pm). Suspend the diet for the evening.

Do I have to pay to take away any ideas?

No, the ideas are free. The whole evening’s free in fact. We are asking you to create great applications and we are basically giving you free access to what customers are actually asking for. Simple as that.

Can I build on or alter any ideas, or even have my own?

Absolutely. Remember that the evening is about getting some customer insight which may guide you towards applications that will make you the most affiliate money and bring us more new and loyal customers. But you are a customer too, whether loyal or potential, so coding what you would want to use is just as good a starting point. If your idea takes off, great.

I’m more a creative person that programmer. I’m into design and great user interfaces. Can I come?

The evening event is for developers but the daytime event is for customers and creative people like you Email Charles Cooper-Hall Charles.Cooper-Hall@uk.tesco.com for more information about the T-JAM daytime event.

Is it just about grocery?

Yes, because the API only supports our grocery service at this time. We’re looking at an API for our Tesco Direct (catalogue) service too, but that’s not available just yet.

Will you impose conditions on what I can do with your API?

Yes we will but they’re not onerous. We’re drafting them now but basically a new set of terms will be published which you will need to agree to before you start to use the API. You'll be pleasantly surprised about what we will be letting you do! Price comparison? Selling your apps? Yes do whatever you like.

All we won't let you do is:

1. • portray Tesco in a bad way politically,
   

2. • nor store private info without customers permission,
   

3. • nor sell insight on to competitors from customers using your applications,
   

4. • nor use Tesco branded logos other than those that will be provided to you,
   

5. • not write applications that involve Tesco in certain genres (e.g. adult entertainment),
   

6. • nor attempt (by accident we hope) any form of denial of service.
   

Apart from that you can do what you like using our API.

Can I just turn up? and

I manage an IT company that would like to take on an idea - can I come?

No you can’t just turn up - and people who do try and do that will be turned away. The fact is, we’re looking for enthusiasts who can bring their own skills to bear to bring great applications to customers. We want to find true real developers who can code, so we will be doing a small amount of vetting. We don’t want salesmen turning up, or managers (even IT managers), or ‘someone who knows someone who can develop’. That would be unfair on true developers as we have spaces for only around 150 people (health, safety and security). The registration page will ask what IT skills you have.

I am in an IT development company - do I have to represent them or just be myself.

We don’t mind - up to you.

I’m an IT developer who works for a grocery competitor, can I come?

Of course! Why not? You could be coding for us in your own time. Just don’t tell your boss. And try not to code your Tesco app in your work time as it might get you into trouble.

I am an ex-employee of Tesco. Can I come?

Welcome home, great to see you again.

I am current employee of Tesco / Tesco.com - can I come?

We have some room for our own staff in addition to the official places - don’t register on the site but email Nick Lansley directly. It’s OK, you’ll still be able to code in your own time and make affiliate money. Just try not to code in work time or you’ll get me into trouble.

I can’t come! Can I code and join your affiliates scheme anyway?

We will open up the API to everyone but only attendees will be able to join the affiliates scheme at this time. We need to be sure that the affiliates mechanisms work and this may require some manual hand-holding to start with. We are using T-JAM’s attendees as a control group which we keep in touch with.

We are an IT development company and I’d like 2 or 3 colleagues to attend.

Sorry, we would only allow 1 person per company as you would be taking up places that could be used by others.

How much will you pay in the affiliates scheme?

We working on this at the moment but ballpark figures are:

      £5.00 for each new customer who places an order

      £0.10 for every checkout above a certain value floor (say at least £50).

Our company end-of-year results show that we delivered an average of 250,000 orders a week last year and it grows all the time. If your app took on 0.1% of that amount (250 orders a week) and you added 10 new customers a week then you would make £75 a week using the above figures.

Be sensible, though: Your application would be great until something better comes along. There will be winners and losers. Keep your feet on the ground and focus on what customers are really asking for.

Sorry for being cynical but aren’t you just trying to get applications coded on the cheap?

Quite the opposite - the objective here is to get Tesco.com applications built and in front of customers on all kinds of devices and web sites as soon as we can. We haven’t got the time or resources to do it all ourselves. By paying an affiliate fee for every new customer and every checkout we are encouraging best-of-breed applications as these will make the most affiliate money. Some seriously successful applications are likely to end up costing us a lot more than us developing it in the first place, but we it also means we are taking the orders and having a great relationship with the developer.

Why is it at Microsoft? Is this a Microsoft marketing event or something?

No it’s not a Microsoft marketing event. We happen to enjoy a good relationship with Microsoft and they have kindly allowed us to use their great venue and have supplied the catering for the evening. However we’ll be looking at Flash, Java and maybe rustle up an iPhone app in the demo. Microsoft like the fact that we have written the API in Microsoft.Net on our Windows servers (and on their new Azure cloud platform) but are happy as anyone to show that that APIs written in their development environment uses open standards and works with anything.

Will you steal my application or demand the source code if I take part?

Absolutely not. What you code, you own. The only assets we own are any Tesco logos we allow you to use - and you don’t have to use any. Your work. Your ownership.

Will you support my application?

No we won’t - that’s your job, and the terms and conditions will say that you have to make sure customers are aware of this. If we get lots of calls to our call centres complaining about your application then we’ll have words with you and in extreme circumstances suspend your application’s access to our API until you fix the problem.

Once a customer has placed an order through your application we’ll email them to let them know that the order is in our system - at that point we take over the responsibility for picking and delivering the order.

Will you market the applications you like the most?

Yes we are planning to showcase the best applications on a page linked to the tesco.com home page. Now that’s serious traffic volumes.

Aren’t you worried you’re going to end up with 100 iPhone applications?

By paying an affiliate fee for every new customer and every checkout, we don’t mind that happening across 100 iPhone apps! Soon feedback will sort out the best applications for the purpose and the best will make the most money. Let market forces decide. Astute developers will look for niche markets where their application will stand more chance of being visible.

Will you vet my applications?

If you wish your application to make you money from our affiliates scheme, then yes we will apply some quality assurance criteria - which basically means that we will check that it follows the terms and conditions of use. Don’t worry, these are not onerous. We do this today with our marketing affiliates who put our click-through web-adverts on their web sites. For example, we don’t want to appear on certain genres of web site (for example, adult entertainment).

Can I write several different applications that use my identity in the affiliates scheme?

Yes you can.

Can I use the API right now?

Yes you can - register on the API developer portal website (which allocates you developer and application 'keys' for use with the API) at:

https://www.techfortesco.com/tescoapiweb/

What other resources will be available?

The best place to go is the TechForTesco Innovation Forum at http://www.techfortesco.com/forum where you can read the latest news and discuss all kinds of topics regarding the Tesco.com API. Also, why not read Nick Lansley’s Tesco for Tesco.com blog at

http://techfortesco.blogspot.com and follow @techfortesco on Twitter. Both will give some insight as to the progression of the Tesco.com API's development, and much more besides.

I have a question not answered here.

No problem - email Nick Lansley at nick.lansley@uk.tesco.com

Where do I register?

You can’t; it’s over. Sorry.