Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0052 Amazon.com and Groceries

During the dot-com bubble of the early 2000's we saw a number of traditionally brick & mortar businesses attempt to bring the business to the internet.  A number of these were high profile busts.  A few made it.

Amazon.com is definitely a success story from this era.

Groceries online is not.

So what if Amazon.com started to handle groceries?  Bloomberg.com has the best article I've yet read on this move:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-29/would-you-buy-groceries-on-amazon-.html

Here is a snippet from the article:

“It’s a tricky business,” Merzbacher told me, “not to be entered into lightly.”

Of course, I’m never ready to count Amazon out: For one thing, it doesn't seem all that fixated on actually, y’know, making a profit; and for another, Jeff Bezos is a strategic genius with a relentless focus on flawless implementation. The pilot program in Seattle, Amazon Fresh, seems to be doing OK, and, according to the Wall Street Journal, it’s spurring add-on sales of other items.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0051 Apple's Planned Obsolescence

Planned Obsolescence

WikiPedia helps us define the concept: Planned_Obsolescence

Planned obsolescence or built-in obsolescence in industrial design is a policy of planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, that is, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time. Planned obsolescence has potential benefits for a producer because to obtain continuing use of the product the consumer is under pressure to purchase again, whether from the same manufacturer (a replacement part or a newer model), or from a competitor who might also rely on planned obsolescence.

This is a topic I've given a fair amount of consideration to.  Apple appears to want to be seen as the premier brand and they certainly treat their customers that way.  Want in to the Apple ecosystem?  Better be willing to pay, pay a lot, and keep paying again and again and again.  Ergo: planned obsolescence.

A New York Times Magazine article states it more explicitly:

Why Apple Wants to Bust Your iPhone

That is an attention getting headline.  The content tells the story to match the attention:

why-apple-wants-to-bust-your-iphone

Here is a snippet from the article:

At first, I thought it was my imagination. Around the time the iPhone 5S and 5C were released, in September, I noticed that my sad old iPhone 4 was becoming a lot more sluggish. The battery was starting to run down much faster, too. But the same thing seemed to be happening to a lot of people who, like me, swear by their Apple products. When I called tech analysts, they said that the new operating system (iOS 7) being pushed out to existing users was making older models unbearably slow. Apple phone batteries, which have a finite number of charges in them to begin with, were drained by the new software. So I could pay Apple $79 to replace the battery, or perhaps spend 20 bucks more for an iPhone 5C. It seemed like Apple was sending me a not-so-subtle message to upgrade.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**

Several more good articles I want to link to.

First, a list of smart quotes for retailers:
http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-insight-blog/Smart-Quotes--Inside-the-Best-Minds-in-Retail89138

Second, the layout of grocery stores as exampled by one store in South Florida:
http://wlrn.org/post/how-south-florida-supermarkets-move-customers-through-their-stores

Last, how Kroger uses data on their customers:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomgroenfeldt/2013/10/28/kroger-knows-your-shopping-patterns-better-than-you-do/

That last one is especially good.

Happy reading.

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0050 Misc

Two entries from today or the weekend are worth taking the time to read.

First up revolves around political campaigns, though we'll leave the politics out of it.  The Obama campaign is well known to have been at the technological forefront during both the 2008 and the 2012 campaigns.  Some of the details have been emerging over time and some of it is directly applicable to retail technology efforts.

The folks at Econsultancy have some lessons learned for us from the latest campaign that makes for worthy reading:

seven-lessons-obama-s-digital-team-learned-from-a-b-testing-emails

Here is a snippet from that article:

In case you’re a few years behind the times, you will be aware that Obama’s re-election campaign was a success.

But what is less well known is the detail of the testing process behind the email strategy that helped to raise more than $500m in online donations.

Next up is the old goodie known as the weekly circular and some efforts to change the landscape of this marketing effort:

retale-takes-a-stab-at-mobilizing-retail-circulars

Mobilization of the weekly circular?  Interesting.  Here is a bit from that article:

Bonial International Group today has launched a mobile application called Retale to help United States retailers deliver the traditional circular in a new format.

A number of other organizations such as the Associated Press have already tried to put out a centralized mobile circular app for retailers, but Retale is confident that it has created the winning solution. Bonial International Group has already launched similar apps in Germany, France, Russia, Spain and Brazil, and it has  accumulated more than 500 European retailers already.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**

BusinessWeek.com has a piece on the "Retale" app spoken to above.

the-surprisingly-simple-retail-app-that-could-juice-holiday-revenue

Looks like it is making waves.

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0049 Digital Marketing

Another excellent read by the folks at Econsultancy.  This article speaks to interesting digital marketing stats.

What is "Digital Marketing"??

The following is taken from the WikiPedia entry:

Digital marketing is marketing that makes use of electronic devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, cellphones, digital billboards, and game consoles to engage with consumers and other business partners. Internet Marketing is a major component of digital marketing.

Here is a link to the article:

10-interesting-digital-marketing-stats-weve-seen-this-week

Here is one of the ten from the article:

John Lewis predicts a mobile Christmas

• John Lewis has predicted that this year will be the UK’s first ‘mobile Christmas’ with traffic from mobile phones and tablets overtaking that from desktops for the first time on Christmas Day itself.

• Mobile made up almost 50% of all traffic to johnlewis.com on 25 December 2012, with the peak hour being 9pm.

• The busiest day on mobile last year was 26 December, with over 920,000 visits. Over 1m visits are estimated for this Boxing Day which will be a new record for mobile.

• Mobile now accounts for over 40% of traffic to johnlewis.com and traffic is up over 115% year on year.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**

Here is a great example of how digital is transforming marketing:
cvs-unveils-personalized-circulars

Here is a snippet from that article:

CVS/pharmacy is giving that venerable but perhaps a bit tired marketing channel -- the weekly circular -- a digital makeover. It includes personalized promotions focused on products of interest to consumers.


Have a great weekend.

New Mobile Loyalty for Dunkin Donuts

Digital marketing, digital loyalty, and the mobile internet.  These are all coming together in the efforts being slowly launched by Dunkin Donuts through their mobile loyalty program.

If that image isn't too distracting for you here is a snippet from the article:

The new, mobile-friendly program offers a simplified rewards system, with a platform that updates members' rewards balances in real time.

Guests will earn five points for every dollar they spend on qualifying purchases when they pay using an enrolled Dunkin’ Donuts card, either plastic or via the Dunkin’ mobile app. Once members accrue 200 points, they receive a coupon for a free medium beverage of their choice. 

To read the full article click here:

dunkin-starts-rolling-out-enhanced-loyalty-program

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0048 Misc

I have three items to share today.  Completely unrelated but interesting nevertheless.

First up is a great view by Econsultancy in to how to use Twitter for competitive analysis:

http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/63651-a-six-step-guide-to-using-twitter-for-competitor-analysis

Next is a view of what Staples is doing in mobile to provide a seamless experience between platforms:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/staples-redesigns-mobile-site-for-cross-channel-shopping

Finally, how the payment company LevelUp is seeing their SDK work for retail and QSR businesses interested in incorporating payment & mobile loyalty in to their apps:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/dunn-bros-coffee-caffeinates-loyalty-with-mobile-payments-app

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

What is MCX?

Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX)

What is it?

I'll look to several publicly available sources to describe this effort.

A visit to the official website is informative, especially to view the number of merchant brands currently signed up:

http://www.mcx.com/

Here is the line on that site describing what MCX is:

Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) was created by a group of the nation's leading merchants with a singular purpose:  offering consumers a customer-focused, versatile and seamlessly integrated mobile-commerce platform.

Development of the mobile application is underway, with an initial focus on a flexible solution that will offer merchants a customizable platform with the features and functionality needed to best meet consumers' needs. The application will be available through virtually any smartphone.

Which brands are on-board this effort?  Something like 45 brands from over 30 merchants representing more than $1 trillion (with a "T") in annual sales.  Wow.  Notice the verticals represented in this.  Restaurants, quick service, gasoline, technology retail, grocery, etc.  This is a huge effort.

I'll take up a moment to post some public timelines:

• March 2, 2012 - It was reported that Target and Wal-Mart had been working "for some time" on a mobile payments project
• August 15, 2012, MCX was announced and had merchants with $1UST already signed up
• July 18, 2013 the CEO, Dekkers Davidson, was announced for MCX

Here is a write-up by Mobile Commerce Daily on the effort:

mcx-makes-bid-to-win-over-small-merchants-as-rollout-date-nears

Here is one more view that should help:

mcx-and-the-giant-payments-networks

If you've been reading my blog and have seen posts on mobile payments, ISIS, MCX, etc. and haven't quite known what MCX is this post should help.  I've tagged this post with a couple labels.  You can click on them, below, and locate all other posts in my blog related to that tag.

Have a great week,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0047 Kohl's and MCX

The folks over at Mobile Commerce Daily do a great job capturing stories that have an interest to me in my new role.  The latest looks at the work Kohl's is doing to prepare for the holidays and what that is shaping up to look like in their iPhone app.


kohls-lays-groundwork-for-mobile-payments-with-holiday-investments

Here is a snippet from the article:

Kohl’s has unveiled its holiday marketing plan that centers around the retailer’s iPhone application, possibly hinting at a larger mobile payments plan from the retailer in the future.

...

Paving the way for mobile paymentsKohl’s is one of more than 30 retailers working with MCX to roll out mobile payments at point-of-sale systems (see story).

Some expect MCX to roll out this quarter in time for the holidays, and the mobile news from Kohl’s may give marketers a glimpse of what to expect from the service.

Very interesting perspective, outside looking in by the analyst at Mobile Commerce Daily.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0046 Two Stories For You

I'm posting two stories today, one that has been sitting in my queue for a few days.  Both are excellent.

Mobile is driving digital coupons, or mCoupons:
well-of-course-mobile-is-driving-digital-couponin

Aisle411 is partnering with iBeacon provider Estimote to create best in breed in-store navigation:
aisle411-partners-estimote-indoor-retail-mapping

Very interesting information overall and both are worthy of being the "Best Reading of the Day".

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

New iPad, the iPad Air, Announced

Is this big news?

It certainly does appear we've seen a plateauing of technology news.  Nothing really exciting came out with the iPhone 5S and nothing really exciting was announced today.

Que sera sera.

Here is a brief write-up from ZDNet on the iPad Air:

http://www.zdnet.com/apple-announces-ipad-5-heres-what-you-need-to-know-7000022267/

It will be at a starting price of $499 while the iPad 2 remains at $399.  The iPad Mini gets a resolution bump to the "Retina" display quality and a bump in price too: also $399.  Apple still prefers "premium" to any other title.

On of my favorite bloggers has a short bit on the plateauing of tablets that is worth reading:

http://www.zdnet.com/tablets-hitting-the-wall-for-innovation-7000022223/

Finally, here is a short bit on the iPad Mini:

http://www.zdnet.com/apple-pins-a-retina-display-onto-the-next-ipad-mini-7000022227/

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**

Good post on ComputerWorld.com:
new-ipad-air-ipad-mini-leave-plenty-room-windows-8-tablets-succeed

Here is a quick quote from it:
If you're looking for innovative new tablet form factors, you'll need to look to Windows 8 tablets, not to Apple. There are plenty of devices that don't even have proper names yet, sometimes called convertibles, hybrids, or two-in-one devices. Microsoft, HP, Nokia, Dell, Lenovo and others have all been experimenting with them. There's one common denominator among them: They all can function not only as tablets, but as ultrabooks as well. 

**UPDATE #2**

This is hilarious:
http://pocketnow.com/2013/10/29/nexus-versus-ipad

"Why do people buy Apple products?"

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0045 Walmart and Amazon.com

Excellent reading in the New York Times over the weekend.  Walmart has designs to sell all things to all people in all places around the world.  As much as anything they know eCommerce is a threat to their business but it is also an opportunity and they are moving.

to-catch-up-walmart-moves-to-amazon-turf

Here is a snippet from the article:

A plucky Silicon Valley company, forced to compete for talented engineers, is trying it all — recruiting billboards on Highway 101; workplace perks like treadmill workstations and foosball tables; and conference rooms named after celebrities like Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

The name of that arriviste company?

Walmart.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0044 Too Loyal

How much is too much?

The mobile internet is often thought of in marketing as the enabler for next generation loyalty.  That is probably the right idea but how much of a good thing is too much?

Mobile Commerce has some thoughts on that question:

retailers-misplace-emphasis-on-loyalty

Here is a snippet from the article:

Retailers that heavily invest in loyalty and neglect to create compelling mobile and online shopping features are missing the mark meeting in-store shoppers’ needs, according to a new report from Acquity Group.

Here is the study referenced in that article:

In Store Loyalty

Here is a short part of that write-up:

“The rise of omnichannel commerce has driven retailers to invest in strategies that engage consumers across channels,” added Knicker. “Our study demonstrates the importance of appealing to consumers’ specific preferences when targeting them across platforms. It also confirms that consumers’ preferences change both with age and as technology and design capabilities advance. Loyalty programs, once regarded as important to gaining and retaining customers, have been shown to be the least important when up against the time-honored factors of price, convenience, product availability and customer service, all of which can be delivered through a seamless omnichannel experience. It is clear brands that don’t align their experiences with evolving consumer expectations will miss out on revenue opportunities.”

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Microsoft Windows 8.1

My Thinkpad Tablet 2 with Microsoft Windows 8 has been cruising along quite well this year.  Some minor spotty issues but nothing an Early Adopter should get upset about.  Yet I was greatly looking forward to the release of the Windows update known as "Windows 8.1" that started rolling out yesterday.

One of the bloggers I follow over on ZDNet has a write-up that is tough to beat:

windows-8-1-makes-the-thinkpad-tablet-2-even-better

Great little device.  Here is a snippet from his write-up:

Before the Windows 8.1 update the ThinkPad Tablet 2 wasn't slow, but it was a typical Atom-based PC. The more tasks launched to run at the same time the more the tablet would slow down. This slowdown is just the way it is with Atom processors, they work fine to a point and then performance is impacted.

Since updating the Tablet 2, Windows 8.1 has improved performance across the board and that is surprising. I usually have a number of apps, both Metro and legacy desktop apps, running all the time. They now all run as smooth as butter with the entire system operation noticeably faster. The little lags that would pop up under Windows 8.0 are all gone.

What about Windows 8.1 overall?  The folks at ARS Technica have an excellent review:

windows-8-1-what-a-difference-a-year-makes

While the Start screen doesn't look much different from the original there are subtle differences and wonderful improvements in the interface:

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  If you are thinking of coming onboard the Windows tablet world keep an eye out for new devices in the coming months.  The Intel Haswell processors will be debuting again and again by several manufacturers such as Dell and Lenovo.

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0043 Push Notifications

The area of best practices for push notifications, those informational alerts that pop up on your smart phone, is a critical area for digital marketing.  CMO.com has a bit on this through TechCrunch:

http://www.cmo.com/content/cmo-com/home/articles/2013/10/15/the_precise_art_of_m.frame.html

Here is a snippet from the story:

“...the basic problem with push notifications is they are used [as] an email replacement. I can see marketers and growth hackers getting all hot n’ heavy realizing that they can now send the weekly “people you should follow” email that nobody reads as a push notification to your mobile device.”

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0042 Product Managers

It is good to occasionally step back and take stock.  Sometimes it can also be advantageous to take some time to focus on the basics, blocking & tackling as the saying goes.

What is a Product Manager?

The Next Web has a short write-up on this and it is worthy reading:

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/10/12/product-managers-mini-ceos/?fromcat=all

Here is a snippet from the story:

In the world of technology, it’s often the engineers and designers that are among the most celebrated. They are the people who literally build amazing products that we enjoy, such as Instagram, Gmail, Twitter, Android, iOS, and other software, hardware, and services. But it’s not magic that helps guide them to take an idea from start to finish — that heavy responsibility rests on the shoulders of product managers (PM).

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Mac Sales Falling Faster than Windows PC

Much has been made in the news over the last year or so about the precipitous decline in PC sales.  I've written about this as well ( best-reading-of-day-entry-0016  ).  However, when was the last time you saw the numbers for Apple products other than iPhones or iPads?

Well, turns out those numbers are ... well, aweful.

http://www.itnews.com/

Here is a snippet from that:

Mac shipments in the U.S. during the third quarter fell at a dramatically steeper rate than that of sales of other PCs, including those powered by Microsoft's Windows, IDC said Wednesday.

According to the research firm, Apple's personal computer shipments in the United States slumped 11.2% year-over-year to 1.9 million machines. The PC business as a whole contracted just 0.2% as sales picked up more momentum than had been expected, with all four of the remaining top 5 -- HP, Dell, Lenovo and Toshiba -- posting positive growth numbers for the quarter.

Apple's decline was 56 times that of the industry average.

Very interesting.  Are we seeing the death of the PC?  I still doubt it but we are seeing a strong rise in Tablets and Phablets that are cannibalizing PC sales under both the Microsoft and the Apple umbrellas.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0041 The Mobile Playbook by Google

Google is out with what they are calling a "Playbook" for mobile.  The idea is to make the case for action in the mobile space.  Excellent read overall.

http://www.themobileplaybook.com/en-us/#/cover

Here is a screen-capture of their conclusion by way of a checklist:

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

PayPal Payments with QR Codes

PayPal continues to make news, and make moves, in the brick and mortar payments space.

Mobile Commerce Daily has a short write-up on this:

paypal-backs-qr-codes-for-real-world-dominance

Here is a snippet from the article:

PayPal’s decision to support QR codes for mobile payments reflects the technology’s ubiquity while cementing the company’s aspirations to transfer its online success to bricks-and-mortar transactions.

The QR code push follows PayPal’s introduction last month of Beacon, an in-store payments solution leveraging Bluetooth technology. At the same time that PayPal continues its push into in-store payments, it faces growing competition online thanks to Amazon Login and Pay, enabling ecommerce retailers to let customers pay on desktop or mobile using their Amazon account.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

New Collaboration for Mobile Payments - Visa, MasterCard, and American Express

The pot keeps getting stirred as more and more players work more and more angles in the mobile payments space.

Two days ago Visa, MasterCard, and American Express announced a partnership to develop a new global standard for mobile payments.  Mobile Commerce Daily has some information on this:

mobile-payments-power-play-faces-significant-challenges

Here is a snippet from that article:

By teaming up to create a new standard that would streamline mobile payments, leading card networks Visa, MasterCard and American Express hope to ensure a prominent role in smartphone and tablet transactions while also driving overall adoption by consumers and retailers.

Very interesting news.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0040 Mobile Revolution

The Progressive Grocer web site has a good "Expert Column" up yesterday speaking to the Disruptive Mobile Revolution we are currently in the middle of.

expert-column-the-disruptive-mobile-revolution/

Here is a snippet from the article:

What just happened? During every revolution there is a moment in time when you reach the point of no return. As marketers look to reach consumers and affect their shopping behavior in an increasingly targeted way, that time is now, as mobile technology has exploded on the scene.

Smartphones and tablets have now reached critical mass to fundamentally impact shoppers’ behavior.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant