Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0088 Beacons and Connected Lighting Systems

Huh?

A network of lightbulbs that can help track phones (and their users) through a store to add personalized value for marketers to leverage.  Okay, it is actually the light "fixtures" but still.

Wow.

That and more can be read in this piece:

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/17276.html

Here is a snippet from that:

...some marketers are working around the privacy concerns of tracking in-store shoppers with even newer forms of technology.

Light bulb manufacturer Philips, for example, is piloting a light-based service in European retailers. Consumers can download a stand-alone app, which works with the in-store LED lights to serve consumers offers throughout the store.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PayPal and Samsung for Mobile Payments

Interesting news continues to come out in the mobile wallet and/or mobile payments space.  PayPal has teamed with Samsung to deliver biometric enabled payments through Samsung's hardware.

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/4541

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Consumers carrying around the next-generation Samsung Galaxy S5 smart phone will be able to use PayPal with the tap on the device’s biometric sensor.

The smart phone, scheduled for release in April, will have a fingerprint sensor that enables consumers to use their online PayPal accounts to pay for purchases in stores and on mobile-commerce Web sites that accept PayPal. An upcoming smart watch, albeit without the biometric capability, also includes a PayPal app.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

News on Mobile Wallets - LevelUp, Dash, and Chase

Can you say ABC?

The alphabet soup of mobile wallet options continues, though some are also branching out a bit.  Today I'll pop news up about 3 options.

First is Boston-based LevelUp that has specialized in the Quick Service Restaurant space around Boston.  They're introducing an option to pay online that continues the tie to marketing campaigns executed on through their mobile wallet.

http://www.pymnts.com/briefing-room/consumer-engagement/Loyalty/2014/levelup-goes-online

Next is a mobile wallet option for diners in New York City restaurants:

http://www.pymnts.com/briefing-room/mobile/mobile-payments/2013/dash-changing-payments-one-bar-tab-at-a-time/

Finally is an entry by Chase and this one is pretty significant.  I question whether one player has the chops to go solo in this space but perhaps this is a play to gain a seat at the table once consolidation begins and ends.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/chase-takes-a-stab-at-mobile-wallets

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0087 Space Shuttle Rescue Plans

The folks at ArsTechnica have some fantastic writing overall covering broad topics with an emphasis around science, technology, and more.  Today is an article that tells the story of space shuttle Columbia that tragically broke up on re-entry in 2003.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2014/02/the-audacious-rescue-plan-that-might-have-saved-space-shuttle-columbia/

Here is a snippet from that article, well worth reading all the way through:

At 10:39 Eastern Standard Time on January 16, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A mere 81.7 seconds later, a chunk of insulating foam tore free from the orange external tank and smashed into the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing at a relative velocity of at least 400 miles per hour (640 kph), but Columbia continued to climb toward orbit.

...

In reality, the impact shattered at least one of the crucial reinforced carbon-carbon heat shield panels that lined the edge of the wing, leaving a large hole in the brittle ceramic material. Sixteen days later, as Columbia re-entered the atmosphere, superheated plasma entered the orbiter's structure through the hole in the wing and the shuttle began to disintegrate.

The core of the article is a result of the aftermath.  The review board asked for a theoretical plan that might have saved the crew members of Columbia, had the damage been identified prior to the re-entry attempt.  The result is riveting reading as good as or better than Apollo 13 material.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Target Misses on 4th Quarter Sales

News today is in for Target's 4th Quarter sales and it appears the data breach is doing damage.

This piece my Multichannel Merchant has some details:

http://multichannelmerchant.com/news/data-breach-affects-targets-4q-u-s-sales-26022014/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

What did the major data breach at Target mean for the merchant’s bottom line? It meant fewer consumers shopping at the mass merchant, as well as a $17 million net expense related to the data breach investigation.

Target announced this morning that sales for its U.S. segment in the fourth-quarter decreased 6.6% to $20.9 billion from $22.4 billion the prior year.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0086 Mobile Payments Revolution?

The people at Mobile Commerce Daily have a good piece on the revolution coming through mobile payments.  The title says a lot:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/payments-companies-will-mobile-end-the-party

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Most multichannel players do a majority of their business offline in their stores but find that online is growing faster than in-store. The payment businesses are categorized into several areas such as issuers, acquirers, processors and others.

What is fascinating is the huge difference in the respective mechanics of how each of these segments creates enterprise value. And, specifically, how mobility disrupts the payments business.

Is mobile technology the silver bullet that has finally arrived which will change the rules and be a catalyst for redistribution of value creation from the payments players to the merchant segment?

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

News: MasterCard, Apple iBeacons, and an Amazon.com Competitor

Three points of news I found quite interesting.

First is news by MasterCard on the acquisition of a mobile wallet company:

http://www.mobilepaymentstoday.com/article/228433/MWC14-MasterCard-picks-up-m-wallet-developer-C-SAM-partners-with-German-telcos

Here is a snippet from that piece:

MasterCard chose the February 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to announce its acquisition of mobile wallet provider C-SAM. The global payments firm also said it is adding support for in-app payments to its MasterPass digital wallet, and announced a German m-payments partnership with Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone, and a geo-location service with Syniverse Technologies.

Next is a quick bit on Apple's iBeacons for BLE Technology:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/apple-releases-ibeacon-specifications-under-nda/

Here is a snippet from that one:

Apple has just released the iBeacon specifications for everyone who is a member of the MFi program, Apple’s program for hardware partners (“Made for iPhone program”, etc.). You’ll have to sign an NDA to read the specifications. BEEKn first spotted the news. The company also reiterates that you can’t use the iBeacon brand without prior consent. You have to register to the MFi program, submit a request and get approved by Apple. It’s free for now.

Finally is a bit of investment advice by Cramer from CNBC:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101443994

Is that what the future state of eCommerce looks like?  Will we see, rather than one giant eCommerce system, many competitors that all differentiate via excellence in one slice of retail?  That makes sense.  Here is a snippet from that piece:

CNBC's Jim Cramer says he's finally found a company that can beat Amazon at its own game: Zulily, the online shopping portal that offers daily deals for moms and children.

"This is the first company that has said 'we can beat Amazon,' and I believe them," Cramer said Tuesday on "Squawk on the Street." "I think they can beat Amazon. Why? Because they are a technology company in the women's apparel business. It's a revolutionary company. I urge everyone to take a look at ZU."

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0085 MWC '14

Mobile World Congress 2014 is getting underway today in Barcelona, Spain.

Here is an excellent primer on what to expect:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/mwc-2014-rumors-and-news/

Here is a snippet from that article:

The Vegas sun has set on CES, but get ready for a blast of Barcelona, Spain. We’re attending Mobile World Congress again this year, the world’s largest mobile show, with more smartphones, tablets, wearables, and gadgets than you can see in a week. And this year, it will be home to some of the year’s biggest announcements from Samsung, LG, Sony, and more. Here’s what may debut at MWC 2014, which starts Feb. 24. 

ArsTechnica has an excellent write-up as well:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/02/galaxy-5s-blackphone-what-we-expect-from-the-mobile-world-congress/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Microsoft to Re-emphasize the Desktop

In an announcement that is no surprise to this writer Microsoft publicly acknowledged the need for Windows to better provide for the needs of desktop users.

This article on Computer World illustrates the statement:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246526/Microsoft_concedes_Windows_8.1_needs_more_for_mouse_keyboard_customers

Here is a snippet from the article:

Microsoft on Sunday publicly acknowledged what leaks had already shown, that the company will issue an update to Windows 8.1 this spring that provides more tools for owners of traditional PCs controlled by mouse and keyboard.

In a press conference at Mobile World Congress (MWC) and an accompanying blog post, Joe Belfiore, the executive in charge of Windows Phone's and Windows 8's user experiences, announced that the update will launch this spring, but did not put an official name on the revision or reveal a timetable.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

NFC and ISIS News Impacts Mobile Payments

Yesterday's news informed us of moves by MasterCards and Visa to circumvent the need for mobile carrier security in mobile payments.

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/4530

This is a major blow, and some would argue the final nail in the coffin, for ISIS.  The carrier solution to mobile payments now has no reason for being, essentially.

This take on the subject questions the viability of ISIS following the move by the major credit companies:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/mobile-payments-smackdown-did-google-wallet-just-outplay-isis

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The Host Card Emulation feature in Android KitKat for driving near-field communications mobile payments just got a big boost in the form of support from MasterCard and Visa, which could spell trouble for Isis.

One last article speaks of the new forms of payment now opening up because of this move:

http://www.realcleartechnology.com/articles/2014/02/20/coming_soon_a_new_way_to_pay_with_your_phone_989.html

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Facebook News and Apple iPhone News

A couple points of interest.

First, Facebook is in the news for the biggest spend in the history of the known universe.  Or something like that.  $19 Billion with a 'B" for a little company with several hundred million users.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304914204579393452029288302

Here is a snippet from that article:

Facebook Inc. agreed to buy messaging company WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock, a blockbuster transaction that dwarfs the already sky-high prices that other startups have been able to recently command.

Next up is news on the kind of person who is buying an iPhone.

http://appadvice.com/appnn/2014/02/higher-income-earners-are-more-likely-to-select-an-iphone

Here is a snippet from that article:

Of the 121 million smartphones sold in the U.S. in 2013, 45 percent were iPhones. This was an increase of 1 percent from 2012, according to AppleInsider.

The NPD Group survey of the top U.S. smartphone brands shows that Samsung took 26 percent of the market in 2013. They were followed by LG (8 percent), HTC (6 percent), and Motorola (4 percent).

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0085 Wearable Devices and Mobile Payments

Google Glass.  The iWatch.  What else?  Wearable devices, and the "internet of things" is coming our way.  How will this change things?

It is possible wearable devices could become the perfect platform for payments.  Replacing the smart phone as the device of choice.

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

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/wearable-devices-might-push-aside-smartphones-for-mobile-payments

Here is a snippet from the article:

As mobile wallets continue to struggle to find adoption through smartphone applications, some are now looking to wearable devices for more efficient and secure payment mechanisms.

With the first native Google Glass payments app coming to market, the wearable device is surfacing as a possible mechanism for mobile payments. However, there are still many challenges that need to be dealt with before the market is totally upended.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

iBeacons Rolling Out

The first retailer other than Apple to do a complete rollout of iBeacons, using the latest BLE technology, has made their announcement.

http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/aggregatedcontent/why-alex-ani-embracing-ibeacons-all-its-stores

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The rush of retailers rolling out iBeacons is beginning. On Thursday, the jewelry store Alex and Ani announced it's using the sensors in its 40 stores nationwide, which is believed to be the first full deployment of iBeacons in a retailer aside from Apple.

This article from Mobile Commerce Daily is a bit more informative:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/alex-and-ani-scales-ibeacon-to-aid-in-product-education

Just a bit more news on the iBeacon/Beacon front.  Major League Baseball is all set for opening day.

http://pocketnow.com/2014/02/14/mlb-ibeacons-ready-for-march-game

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0084 QSRs and Mobile Ordering

Quick Service Restaurants such as Taco Bell and Dunkin Donuts want you to place orders on your smart phone.  This should accelerate the ordering process and increase accuracy creating a better experience for customers, and increasing throughput at these locations.

Digital Trends has an article about Taco Bell's efforts:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/taco-bell-wants-order-food-using-smarpthone/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Making it even easier to order a ridiculous number of Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme after a late night out at the bars, Taco Bell is testing a mobile application that allows customers to place an order for food and pay for the meal before even arriving at the fast food chain. According to the Los Angeles Times, the mobile app is currently in a closed beta test at five Orange County, California locations and will be opened up to a larger group of consumers within the next few weeks. Beyond that, Taco Bell’s corporate management is interested in launching the application for all locations before the end of the year.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Target Hackers Used Phishing to Gain Access

Krebs on Security has more on the Target hack:

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/02/email-attack-on-vendor-set-up-breach-at-target/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The breach at Target Corp. that exposed credit card and personal data on more than 110 million consumers appears to have begun with a malware-laced email phishing attack sent to employees at an HVAC firm that did business with the nationwide retailer, according to sources close to the investigation.

This story reads like an old cold war espionage tale.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

MCX, Paydiant, and Wendy's

News in the mobile payments space.  I first found this on Stores.org.

The Merchant Customer Exchange company, MCX, has signed with Paydiant for mobile technology.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcx-adds-paydiant-to-power-mobile-payments-and-expands-qsr-reach-with-wendys-245184751.html

Here is a snippet from that release:

BOSTON, Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) today announced that it will add Paydiant'scloud-based, white label platform to its custom developed mobile commerce infrastructure. MCX is a group of leading merchants dedicated to improving the shopping experience by offering consumers a widely-accepted, customer-focused and secure mobile commerce platform. MCX merchants represent more than 70 prominent brands with 110,000 locations that process more than $1 trillion in payments annually.

Two new owners of MCX were also announced: Acme Albrecht grocery and Wendy's.

MCX also announced that Wendy's® and Acme Fresh Market are among the latest merchants to become MCX merchant members. With restaurants nationwide, Wendy's is the world's third-largest quick-service hamburger company. Acme Fresh Market is a regional grocery store chain with locations throughout Northeast Ohio.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**
A good write-up on this with quotes from a mobile "expert" on this move's implications:
http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/4521

One more, less interesting but containing good blurbs from MCX CEO Dekkers Davidson:
http://www.paymentsnews.com/2014/02/mcx-adds-paydiant-to-power-mobile-payments.html

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0083 Regulating Geolocation Technology?

The Gartner hype curve for beacon technology, BLE, is at the peak of the curve at the moment but the ramifications of this technology are only just beginning to be understood.

Should a store be able to track your every movement, through your smart phone, once you've crossed the threshold?

What about stocking inventory based on the person and how they move through the store?  Does that raise questions of discriminating based on demographics such as race or income levels?

New regulations may be coming as the Federal Trade Commission will meet on February 19th to discuss these questions.  Mobile Marketer has some information on this:

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/legal-privacy/17160.html

Exciting time, and sometime scary.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**

Good read from the folks at GPShopper, via Mobile Commerce Daily
http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/reality-of-beacons-separating-fact-from-ifiction

Here is a snippet from that article:

As geo-location technologies continue to evolve, it is important for regulators, marketers and mobile users to understand several key facts about BLE beacon technology.

Understanding fact from iFiction will help allay the fears of both customers and fair-minded privacy advocates without needlessly stifling innovation.

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0082 Amazon Image Recognition

Showrooming is the act of visiting a brick & mortar store to get the hands on experience with a product, in the showroom, then getting online to buy it for the best price.  This has been driving traditional retailers nuts for a while now.

My personal experience regards books and traditional bookstores such as the Borders that used to be across from 500 Boylston Street in downtown Boston.  First I would just snap a photo of a book that caught my eye, then visit Amazon.com to purchase it.  Later the Amazon.com app introduced barcode scanning, in-app, to better facilitate this practice.

Now Amazon has upped their game by introducing image recognition for the same behavior.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/amazon-takes-showrooming-to-next-level-with-image-recognition

Here is a snippet from that article:

Amazon is tightening its grip on showrooming with a new image recognition application feature that cuts down on the number of steps it takes for a consumer to find and buy a product.

The new image recognition feature is called flow and builds on a previous bar code-based app technology that let consumers scan UPC codes on products to then shop them from Amazon. Amazon’s newest iteration of app-based showrooming comes at the same time that the company is trying to cozy up to retailers with a possible mobile point-of-sale service.Happy reading,

Another little story is worth digging in to regarding aggregated couponing:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/219066/retailmenot-shopping-app-posts-huge-gains-claims.html

Here is a snippet from that article:

Apparently I am not alone in letting RetailMeNot’s geofenced app ping me whenever I pass or enter my mall parking lot. The coupon and offers Web site has only had its app in market a couple of years, with geofencing active for little more than a year. But according to its latest financials, mobile accounted for 13% of net revenues in fiscal 2013, up 213% to $26.6 million. For the fourth quarter alone, it saw mobile account for 15% of revenues, for a 179% gain to $11.7 million. In the fourth quarter, 88 major retailers were partnering with the company -- up from 65 just three months prior.
Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0081 HBO, Amazon Prime and Netflix

The changing landscape of motion pictures and television in the United States, and globally, is all due to the internet and the ability to take the internet with us everywhere we go via our smart phones.

Wired has a piece on the money HBO is making vs. that of Netflix but it also delves a bit more in to the more esoteric elements of what is playing out in this space.  Well worth reading.

http://www.wired.com/business/2014/02/netflix-makes-less-money-hbo-long/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

With its HBO Go app and on-demand offerings, HBO is by necessity making itself look more and more like Netflix. But Netflix has a head start. Its product is seamless, whereas HBO is fragmented. It sets the pace while HBO follows. Those advantages haven’t made Netflix more profitable yet. But the recent history of new digital technologies and the new business models they spawn shows it’s the inventors who win, because they set the terms.

In that context, the biggest threat to Netflix’s future success isn’t so much HBO as Amazon. For Prime customers, Amazon’s streaming video app is the 21st-century equivalent of changing TV channels. But Amazon has the advantage of letting you stream any video you’ve bought or rented through Amazon Instant Video, which Netflix can’t match, and which studios probably like better. Along with scoring some exclusive deals, Amazon is making its own dive into original self-produced shows.
Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Target Hackers Broke in Using a HVAC Company

Krebs on Security has the news on this one:

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/02/target-hackers-broke-in-via-hvac-company

A third party service company responsible for helping Target maintain its heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, etc. had access to Target's systems.  Those access keys were stolen and used to ultimately get to 100 million or more customer accounts during the holiday season of 2013.

Wow.

If that article is too dense read this ComputerWorld article instead:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9246074/Target_breach_happened_because_of_a_basic_network_segmentation_error

Retail Information Systems has a small piece about the money criminals are making through retail POS systems.

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-news/Huge-Criminal-Profits-Are-Being-Made-from-Retail-POS-Says-FBI90986

This story is a good one, and you just knew it would be.  Cloak & dagger through and through.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Paydiant News, plus Beacons in the Super Bowl

A couple more news points.

Paydiant has publicly stated it will be announcing a new partner that will enable its mobile payment solution to be made available in 100,000 retail locations.  Wow!

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/4497

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Another large retailer, with as many as 100,000 locations, will begin using a mobile payments app developed by Paydiant Inc. within the next few weeks, Jed Rice, senior vice president of business development, told attendees at the Northeast Acquirers Association conference last week in West Dover, Vt.

Next up is news regarding the use of BLE Beacons during the Super Bowl.  This technology is shooting on straight for the stratosphere, so far.

http://www.pymnts.com/briefing-room/commerce-3-0/playmakers/2014/beacons-shaped-super-bowl-experience/

That piece links to a much better write-up in Business Insider:

http://www.businessinsider.com/beacons-at-the-super-bowl

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Microsoft Names New CEO

Many months have passed but we know who will be taking the reigns at Microsoft.

Satya_Nadella

Bill Gates is departing as Chairman of the Board effective immediately.  He will take on a technology advisory role.

Cramer, the investment guy, over on CNBC has some thoughts on this and calls for Microsoft to spin off at least one unit.  He generally thinks this selection was a good one for Microsoft:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101388161

Here is a snippet from that news:

Nadella seems well-positioned to help the company, Cramer said, given his experience with the cloud-computing division of Microsoft.

"I do think the cloud division of the company is the one part of the company that kind of seems to have the thesis of where America is going," Cramer said.Next up is a write-up on part of the challenges the new CEO will face:

www.zdnet.com/mobile-vs-desktop-microsofts-least-significant-challenge-with-windows

Here is a snippet from that piece:

As big as the Windows XP installed base is, the Windows 7 segment is even larger. Microsoft wants to get this huge group moving forward to Windows 8, too.

How to get these two massive segments onto Windows 8 is no doubt a major focus in Redmond. It not only impacts Microsoft's business but that of its partners, too.

Exactly.  How does Microsoft reconcile the desktop with the tablet?  That is what I've written about already as the major issue with Windows 8.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant

Super Bowl XLXVIII - Tweets as Marketing

The big game has come and gone and as always there are winners and losers.  My selection for the best Monday read on the subject comes from Boston.com and the obnoxious Boston Sports Guy:

http://www.boston.com/sports/blogs/obnoxiousbostonfan/2014/02/10_things_we_learned_on_super_bowl_sunday.html

Digorno was brilliant in their twitter usage throughout the game as can be seen from the example below:

The best entry in that blog may be #2: Defense Wins Championships.

Having grown up in Spokane, WA during the Steve Largent era of Seahawks football yesterday's win felt pretty good.  Still would have preferred my New England Patriots taking home the trophy but that is a good 2nd place for me.

Happy reading,

J.W. Gant