Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Hello Everyone,

I'll be on vacation all of next week to enjoy Thanksgiving in sunny Florida.  I hope each of you will be among friends and family during this time of year.  I won't be blogging during the week so I'm going to pop this final post up.  Seems Black Friday is the theme that makes the most sense and there is plenty of good writing and/or news on the subject.

First up is a piece on Amazon.com and their preparations for Black Friday (and ostensibly Cyber Monday):

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/213982/amazon-amps-up-for-holiday-win.html

Next is a piece on Wal-Mart starting Cyber Monday early:

http://chainstoreage.com/article/wal-mart-starts-cyber-monday-early

Finally a question I find easy to answer: Should Retailers be Open on Thanksgiving?

No.

Here is the article:

Should_Retailers_Open_Thanksgiving

Hope you enjoy your turkey and have a fun and safe holiday.

Best regards,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0061 iBeacons, Best Buy and Amazon.com

Three pieces of news and/or articles really stood out to me today.

First up is a piece on the importance of the new "iBeacon" technology Apple introduced in iOS 7 and how it will impact retail:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/213842/why-apples-ibeacon-will-reinvigorate-a-faltering.html

Here is a snippet from that one:

Goodbye, coupon clipping -- say hello to the digital future. Imagine walking into your favorite retail store like Macy's, H&M or Target and instantly receiving customized coupons and promotions sent automatically to your mobile phone. New technology released by Apple will allow just that -- giving advertisers and retailers the ability to transmit personalized offers directly to consumers who want them most -- and advertisers embrace in its potential to reshape and revitalize the retail industry.

That article actually links to a write-up by one of the providers of beacon technology, GigaOM.

http://gigaom.com/2013/09/10/with-ibeacon-apple-is-going-to-dump-on-nfc-and-embrace-the-internet-of-things/

Next is news on Best Buy, the turnaround they've achieved, and their embracing of both showrooming and the mobile platform.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/showrooming-has-not-killed-best-buy-yet

Finally news on Amazon.com moving to provide private label products similar to what supermarkets have been doing for decades now.

http://allthingsd.com/20131119/amazon-expanding-its-own-private-label-offering-to-supermarket-goods/?mod=atd_homepage_carousel

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0060 State of Smartphones in 2013

ArsTechnica has an excellent write-up of the current state of smart phones:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/11/the-state-of-smartphones-in-2013-part-i-of-the-new-ars-ultimate-guide/

Here is a snippet from the article:

It's been just under a year since the last time we examined the state of the smartphone. The intervening months have brought us the expected annual hardware refreshes and software updates, but it's striking just how similar things are at a high level.

Apple and Samsung are still standing at the top of the field, and at the moment there's not a strong third-place contender in sales or in reach. HTC continues to be down on its luck despite the critical darling that is the HTC One. LG is still taking pages from Samsung's playbook, trying lots of odd ideasin an effort to differentiate. Microsoft is still struggling to improve Windows Phone 8's standing with consumers, developers, and hardware partners. All of this is more or less as it was a year ago.

I recommend anyone interested in smart phones, anyone considering shopping for a new phone, anyone interested in the mobile internet should read this article front to back.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

PC Sales Seen Bottoming Out

Gartner is now saying the year over year decline in PC sales may be nearing the bottom.

The Wall Street Journal has a short write-up of this:

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/11/19/gartner-says-pc-industry-nearing-bottom/

Here is a snippet from the report:

The PC industry may be nearing a reprieve from the double-digit declines in shipments it has suffered for much of the past year.

Gartner analyst Tracy Tsai predicts the global slide in personal-computer shipments will slow in the fourth quarter to a 3% year-on-year drop, compared with an 8.6% fall in the third quarter.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0059 Amazon vs. Walmart plus Misc

Several good articles have accumulated over the last few days.

First we have some thoughts on the current battle between Amazon.com and Wal-Mart for dominance in eCommerce.  There will be winners and losers alongside the road as this plays out.  Where are you?

Next is news that Apple is implementing its new "iBeacon" technology in its retail stores.  Very interesting play and continues the drumbeat of BLE.

Finally, a view of the Dunnhumby model of personalized shopping as viewed through Safeway supermarkets.

If any of these pique your interest you can find the article linked below:

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/amazon-walmarts-battle-dominance-future-retail-stake/

http://9to5mac.com/2013/11/16/apple-stores-to-implement-ibeacon-location-technology-to-improve-service-boost-sales/

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-supermarkets-offer-personalized-pricing

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0058 Apple vs. Samsung Usage

Usage data is an important avenue of understanding regarding mobile devices.  Mere market share only tells part of the story.  Let's say we had exactly 50% of the market to Apple and 50% of the market to Samsung.  Which device is used more frequently, to make more purchases, and interact more via the mobile internet?  That is also an important measurement.  For some time now Android devices have held greater than 50% of the market share in the United States, and closer to 80% world-wide.  However the crown for usage goes to Apple.  That is still true even when looking narrowly at only Apple vs. Samsung devices:

apple-samsung-divide-mobile-cosmos-but-evoke-different-activity

Here is a snippet from the article:

Apple has been holding relatively steady in U.S. smartphone market share this year, even as Samsung eats everyone else's pie of the pie to lead in growth, according to the latest Digital Consumer Portrait from InsightExpress. More than 1300 U.S. smartphone owners were surveyed in early October. But while iPhone at 39% share and Samsung models at 36% share are almost on par in U.S. reach, the activities occurring on these two manufacturers' handsets are quite distinct. Device brand and OS still matter considerably when it comes to basics of mobile marketing and commerce.

Compelling.  Anyone building an app should look to the iPhone first and all other devices second.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Bluetooth Low Energy Drumbeat Continues

The news coming out about new initiatives to take advantage of BLE, Bluetooth Low Energy, is starting to sound like a drumbeat.  The hype machine is definitely kicking in but there are also real world benefits to utilizing this technology as I've written about in these pages.

The latest is word from Nokia about Windows Phone 8 enabling of the technology.  Bluetooth has been in place as a hardware component in most all smart devices for many years.  This software update makes it a low energy, and therefore ubiquitous or "always on" option.

Here is the short article announcing this:

nokia-to-add-bluetooth-le-to-all-windows-phone-8-lumias

The author completely misses the importance of this as another entry in enabling BLE for payments, etc. but correctly speaks to the accessorizing capability of it:

...the low-energy technology lets you pair your phone with special accessories designed for health and fitness, among other areas...

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0057 Misc

Three decent articles stood out to me as I caught up on my reading following my business travels this week.

1. A scanner item you attach to your fridge to catalogue empties for purchasing
2. A smart shopping cart that ties to your shopping list and interacts with you in the store
3. The updated FatWallet platform is ready for Black Friday

If any of these pique your interest then select the link below.

Scanner Item For Your Fridge

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/24/hiku-handheld-barcode-scanner-for-groceries/

Smart Shopping Cart

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/27/sk-telecoms-smart-cart-syncs-to-phones-reminds-you-to-buy-milk/

FatWallet

http://www.consumerelectronicsnet.com/article/FatWallet-Readies-For-Record-Multichannel-Mobile-Shopping-This-Holiday-2916125

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0056 Google Research on Paths to Purchase

Google research, an arm I find valuable though slanted to favor "search" behavior, is out with another research piece.  This one is a bit shorter than many previous entries and deals with the path prospective customers take to ultimately purchase items while using their mobile device.  Of course this research points to the value of searching.  However, I was quite struck by how many people initiate their search within a branded app.

Here is the full piece:

http://www.google.com/think/research-studies/mobile-path-to-purchase-5-key-findings.html

Here is the slide that most struck me:

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0055 Mobile for Holiday Shopping Retail Strategies

This is a good time to take a look at the real world utilization of mobile to support Holiday sales.

Multi-Channel Merchant.com has a nice write-up on the topic:

7-ways-support-holiday-sales-mobile-strategies

Here is a snippet from that piece:

After a disappointing sales season this fall for Victoria’s Secret, Costco, and American Apparel, among other merchants, the stakes are high for retailers heading into the crucial holiday shopping season. While it’s difficult to predict which retailers will reign supreme during the most crucial selling time of the year, one thing is certain: mobile devices will play an even bigger role in supporting retail sales this holiday.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0054 Mobile Websites

The information age now has a variety of channels people can use to access information.  Search engines such as Bing and Google lead people to information on the brand or company they are looking for.  The company's web site may pop up as a leading result on that search and the device being used to search is increasingly some form of mobile smart phone.

This leads to the need for mobile websites.

Marketing likes to think of conversion rates and a funnel that leads prospective customers to an actual purchase.  The mobile website is just one layer, one access point in that path but it is more commonly used than any app the company has made available.  A person seeking information on the company is far more likely to first use a mobile website to gather information, and only then get the app for that company.

MediaPost Publications has a short article on this behavior:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/212877/apps-vs-mobile-websites-the-consumer-choice.html

Here is a snippet from the article:

Consumers may lean to either apps or mobile websites for commerce depending on what company they’re dealing with.

A new study finds that, depending the brand, consumers will lean one way or the other.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0053 Tablet Usage

We are beginning to see some data come together around how and when people are using tablets versus laptop users.  This MediaPost story has the latest information:

tablet-laptop-search-conversions-beginning-to-look-same

"Tablets are beginning to feel more like laptops, confirming an assumption made by Google execs when launching the Enhanced Campaigns paid-search platform -- that eventually, consumers would behave in a similar way on both devices and that conversions originating from each would look the same."

In my blog entry from five months back I posed a simple question: "Is It Truly Mobile?"  In that white paper I challenged the description that tablets were "mobile" devices.

The way I describe it goes about like this: Five years ago people would sit on their couches browsing the internet on their laptops and buying stuff from Amazon.com.  Today people are sitting on their couches with their tablets browsing the internet and buying stuff from Amazon.com.

The latest data supports that notion.

Two key areas to continue to watch in the coming months and years: (1) the mid-size tablet or "phablet" area and (2) the inexpensive advent of wireless carrier support for tablets such as LTE 4G networks.

The mobile internet is upon us and everything we do is changing.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Google Sidesteps Wireless Carriers for NFC

Google has released a new version of the Android operating system, version 4.4, it is calling it KitKat.  One piece of interesting news coming out of this update is a new piece of functionality that allows Near Field Communications (NFC) chips in Android devices to bypass the security layer imposed by wireless providers such as Verizon (and imposed by Google itself in 2011 it should be noted).  Software developers can now use something called "tokenization" to accomplish the security piece.

Wikipedia says:

Tokenization is the process of substituting a sensitive data element with an "easily" reversible benign substitute.

Tokenization is fast becoming the industry standard for cloud-based activity requiring a security component.  My first exposure to it came while working on payments products at a local ISO.

This new piece in the Android OS opens up the operating system for software developers to more freely create apps that use the NFC chip without incurring the cost of engaging in the security layer created by Google and the wireless providers.

What is the major problem here?  Apple still doesn't support NFC in its hardware.  This is, in my opinion, too little too late for NFC.  Some other huge event is required to bring back NFC.

Karen Webster of Market Platform Dynamics has a good piece on this over on pymts.com:

Is-HCE-NFC-s-Killer-App

Her opinion is pretty much in lock-step with my thinking.

...if you hear a stampede back to NFC just let me know. Of course I’ll probably tell you it was more likely the sound of your kids running down the stairs to check out the Loch Ness Monster that was spotted frolicking in your swimming pool.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant