Boston's Blizzards of 2015 - What Snow?

Have you heard the New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions this year?

What snow?

When it snows, just put a smile on your face.  It'll all be gone soon.

Happy happy,

J.W. Gant

Xiaomi Smart Phones Growing in Importance

What cell phone are you carrying around now?  An iPhone?  Android of some sort?  What will your next phone be?

How about a Xiaomi?

Maybe.

Here is a write-up on their latest phone.  Check out the headline:

Xiaomi’s Mi Note phablet outclasses the competition for half the price

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/02/xiaomis-mi-note-phablet-outclasses-the-competition-for-half-the-price/

Here is a snippet from the review:

Xiaomi (roughly pronounced "Shiao-Me") is probably the most important company in the smartphone industry right now. The upstart OEM is the number one vendor in the world's biggest smartphone market—China—where it makes five of the top eight models. Xiaomi saw 227 percent growth last year, and, despite only doing business in about six countries, it's currently battling for third place in worldwide share behind Samsung and Apple.

The company caught our attention last year, and when we reviewed its flagship, the Mi 4, we were expecting a cheap iPhone knockoff. However, we came away extremely impressed by the device—especially the build quality. That was a 5-inch device, but now Xiaomi is targeting the iPhone 6 Pluses and Galaxy Notes of the world with a high-end phablet, the Mi Note.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0198 Bricks & Mobile

Brilliant!

I should have coined that phrase.  We have seen the impact of eCommerce on bricks & mortar retailers and we are now seeing the benefits of mobile for the same.  It was time for a change from the (now old) 'omnichannel' reference.

Bricks & Mobile.

Wish I'd thought of it, but an executive from Target did.  Over at eTail West this executive described the modern retailer:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/target-exec-bricks-and-mobile-commerce-experience-is-logical-next-step

Here is a snippet from that piece:

During the “Keynote: Defining The New Retail Experience – Stores And Mobile” session, the executive admitted Target’s initial reluctance to take risks and change along with the increasingly digital-oriented consumer, although the brand’s heavy focus toward mobile has now placed it as a frontrunner of the retail industry. The Target mobile app’s features were specifically designed to form a streamlined shopping experience, inspire consumers to purchase more items and help the brand take another step to become a bricks-and-mobile store by blurring lines between the physical and digital.

“Retail is going through an incredible transformation,” said Jamil Ghani, vice president of enterprise strategy at Target, Minneapolis, MN. “All of these different touch points are blurring together.

I'll be at Target HQ next week for some work and I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of what they have cooking.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  I thought the coinage was so interesting it deserved further investigation.  I found this Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth paper from 2011 on 'Bricks & Mobile' that is well worth your time to read:
http://digitalstrategies.tuck.dartmouth.edu/digital/assets/images/Mobile%20Shopping(1).pdf

YouTube for Kids - Brilliant!

Have kids?  Thought so.  Do you find them constantly getting a hold of one or more of your devices such as your smart phone, and doing whatever they can while they have it in hand?  Yeap.

YouTube knows this as well and is releasing a kid-friendly app just for them, and for the parents out there.  Brilliant!

http://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/youtube-kid-friendly-app

Here is a snippet from that piece:

YouTube is set to release a new app next week called YouTube Kids that will contain only child-appropriate content and feature a kid-friendly interface with big icons and minimal scrolling.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Beacons and Grocery, Plus RetailMeNot

More news today of another grocer rolling out beacons in-store. County Market in Illinois will roll out beacons to all 45 locations.

https://www.internetretailer.com/2015/02/19/grocery-store-rolls-out-beacons-ping-shoppers-smartphones

Here is a snippet from that piece:

County Market will equip its 45 supermarkets with beacon technology this year. The retailer will use the technology to offer its customers coupons. Success has varied during testing.

Picking up a loaf of bread from the grocery store just got technical.

Niemann Foods Inc. piloted a beacon program in eight County Market grocery stores in Springfield, IL, in February 2014. It then made 20 changes to its app based on customer feedback and now is deploying beacons to all 45 of its County Market stores by Q3 2015, says Nathaniel Jones, electronic marketing manager at Niemann Foods.

Here is a great story from eTail West and the RetailMeNot folks on beacons:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/expressretailmenot-execs-beacons-still-in-testing-phase-but-projected-to-take-off

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Executives from Express and RetailMeNot at eTail West 2015 predicted that, while beacons are still in the testing phase, retailers can expect to see them take off in the next few years, alongside enhanced in-store Wi-Fi services.

During the “In-Store Panel Discussion: The Digitization Of In-Store To Maximize Revenues” session, the executives highlighted challenges their brands have experienced while working towards a cohesive mobile and in-store strategy. They also tapped beacons as the tactic to watch in the next several years, although transparency is paramount for retailers wanting to entice consumers to enable Bluetooth on their mobile devices and opt-in to the tracking technology.

Looks like the testing phase has concluded for many retailers and we'll see major rollouts this year.  The drumbeat of beacons continues to roll.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Buy Technology Center in Seattle

Following in the steps of other major retailers Best Buy is forming a technology center in one of the major technology hubs in the United States.  Rather than the San Francisco area like Target and Walmart they've chosen Seattle.

http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/aggregatedcontent/best-buy-open-engineering-center-south-lake-union

Here is the Seattle Times with the full blog entry:

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/jontalton/2015/02/18/best-buy-to-open-engineering-center-in-south-lake-union/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Best Buy today said it would open a technology development center in South Lake Union, taking the top floor of the Seattle Times Building. Set to begin operations in late spring, the office will employ more than 50 engineers, product managers, web architects and developers in the next year and is expected to expand to more than 100 e-commerce professionals over time.

Over at eTail West we have news of a Target exec coining the phrase 'Brick & Mobile' rather than 'Brick & Mortar'.  That certainly points to the growing power of mobile, and technology, in the modern retail space.  I'll have a blog entry on that shortly.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Samsung Entering Mobile Payments With LoopPay

Samsung has been effectively teasing their new flagship smart phone, the new Galaxy S6.  Looks like they're following Apple Pay to enter mobile payments as well.  This might put Samsung, with its Android devices, further at odds with Google.

Here is a look at the approach Samsung has taken towards announcing their new phone:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/18/8060127/samsungs-galaxy-s6-teaser-changing-brand

Here is a snippet from that piece:

A dozen days from now, Samsung will unveil its latest flagship Galaxy phone, which will set the company's course for the rest of the year and beyond. Building up to such a momentous event is never easy, but Samsung has landed on a winning strategy by combining teasing blog posts from its engineers on the Samsung Tomorrow website with equally intriguing images and videos on its social channels. What makes this combo work is that we all know the Galaxy S6 is coming, so when Samsung's camera chief pledges amazing innovations and its principal mobile engineer talks about breakthroughs in wireless charging, we can attach these nonspecific promises to a specific device. I like that Samsung is setting high expectations. Good technology deserves bullish promotion just as much as bad gimmicks deserve to be exposed.

Here are two stories regarding Samsung's acquisition of Boston-based LoopPay:

ArsTechnica first: http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/02/samsung-buys-looppay-in-warning-shot-to-apple/

Re/Code second: http://recode.net/2015/02/18/samsung-acquires-payments-startup-to-compete-with-apple-pay/

Here is a snippet from that second piece:

Samsung thinks it has found its Apple Pay competitor, and it’s acquiring the startup to make sure no one gets access to it.

The giant phone maker said on Wednesday it has acquired LoopPay, a U.S.-based company whose technology transmits payments to retail store systems without having to swipe a card. The technology can store and mimic a card swipe, making acceptance easier for merchants since most don’t have to swap out their systems.

Re/code broke the news in December that the companies were in talks to embed LoopPay’s technology into the latest Samsung phones.

Here is a piece on using LoopPay in the real world:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/22/7415221/looppay-cardcase-hands-on-review-mobile-payments

Here is a snippet from that piece:

I made a handful of purchases with the LoopPay CardCase here in New York City, and like last time, cashiers were skeptical and confused. I had to explain what this device was and how it worked — ideal if you're a conversationalist, cumbersome if you're in a rush. I experienced a few hiccups as well, but it's safe to say that the errors can be pinned on the fact that the people who rang me up had never seen or even heard of LoopPay.

This is an interesting move that chips away at NFC as the standard solution for mobile payments.  CurrentC has not announced support of NFC either, and we already have Starbucks, et. al. using bar codes.  What about bluetooth?  I'd expect a form of mobile payment to use that technology as well, eventually.  Hmmm.  Interesting times.

LoopPay always felt like it was a play to get the hardware in to an existing smart phone. Just too clunky as a 3rd party ad-on to phones.  Looks like it worked. Good for them. I bet a few champagne bottles were opened at their offices recently.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS Here is the front page of LoopPay:

LoopPay, Samsung, and the Digital Wallet Platform

Dear Friends,

Today is a great day for LoopPay and all those who have supported us over the last few years. I’m excited to let you know that LoopPay has signed an agreement to be acquired and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics America, Inc.

With our earliest supporters at our side, we have been at the forefront of contactless payments to create a platform that brings together issuers, merchants and consumers that facilitate a seamless and rewarding digital wallet experience. We will continue to innovate and operate as an independent team from Boston, Massachusetts.

Thanks to our customers, staff, management team, families, partners and investors who have made LoopPay the world’s most accepted mobile payment solution which leverages existing magnetic stripe readers to receive payments from consumers’ mobile devices.

Our vision of inspiring consumers to transition from a physical wallet to a truly digital wallet will continue. I’m most excited that Samsung shares this vision and has chosen to help change how we shop and pay for goods and services. We look forward to working with Samsung to offer the world’s most secure and compelling mobile platform.

The road ahead is an exciting one, and we look forward to continuing this journey together.

Will

Mobile Chat and Facebook

$19B is what Facebook spent on an app called 'WhatsApp'.  Wow.  How has this played out?

Facebook currently has 4 of the top 21 apps on both the Apple and Google app stores (4 of the top 11 on Apple's).

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102435643

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The $19 billion price tag for WhatsApp was — and remains — a head-scratcher for some. But putting price aside, the acquisition makes a ton of sense. Facebook seems to have put aside their plan to build their own smartphone and what do you do if you can't compete on hardware? You compete on software. Google recognized this when they acquired Android in 2005 and Facebook did the same after acquiring companies like Instagram and WhatsApp.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Sears is in Trouble - Yeap

Don't we already know this?  Oh.  This story predicts it will be the next retailer to fold:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/sears-turnaround-seen-failing-by-traders-in-credit-swaps-market

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Billionaire Eddie Lampert’s quest to revive Sears Holdings Corp. is looking dubious to credit-swaps traders.

It now costs more to insure against a Sears default for a year than for five years, a dynamic that indicates traders anticipate a credit event such as a default in the near term. The relationship was reversed as recently as last month, according to prices compiled by CMA in the privately negotiated market for credit swaps.

The 129-year-old company, which has lost $7 billion over the past four years, is trying to avoid the fate of RadioShack Corp., another once-iconic retailer that filed for bankruptcy protection this month. Sears has divested assets and received cash infusions from Lampert, one of its largest shareholders. In November, the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company said it was considering the sale and leaseback of as many as 300 stores as part of its turnaround effort.

Sears has to regain its footing.  If they can do that by stopping the bleeding they buy time.  Their options for buying time are running out however so I have to agree with the traders here.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0197 Digital Marketing by Walmart and Sports Chek

Two stories out of Mobile Commerce Daily are worth reading, on the same overall subject, and from the same source at eTail West

First is the required shift in thinking to go digital:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/brands-should-shift-focus-from-creative-to-content-on-digital-fgl-sports-exec

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Sports Chek was able to ramp up sales by converting its weekly print circular, which only 17 percent of consumers read regularly, to a digital circular viewable on Facebook. The company claims that it saw a 16 percent increase in sales each time it tapped Facebook for a social media promotion.

Although the move required Sports Chek to take a risk by pulling the allotted thousands of dollars for the print circular and giving it all to Facebook, the profit was ultimately twice as high.

Next up is a Walmart exec's take on search engine marketing, a subset in many ways of SEO:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/walmart-com-exec-claims-mobile-bidding-deserved-starring-role-in-sem-product-searches

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Mobile bidding should also be at the forefront of retailers’ minds, although A/B testing is also paramount.

“Before, your ad group was used to write ads,” Mr. Gadacz said. “Now, your ad group is all about mobile bidding.

“Mobile is so big that it really does matter, and to be able to control your efficiencies, this is an absolute must.”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Bluetooth Beacons and JCPenney through Shopkick

This article over on Mobile Commerce Daily is the best narrative I've yet seen on the use of beacons to drive in-store engagement with consumers (participants).  JCPenney is making news by its upcoming use of beacons tied in with the new 'Cinderella' movie:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/jcpenney-finds-in-store-mobile-is-right-fit-for-cinderella-promotion

Here is a snippet from that piece:

From March 6 to 19, customers in JCPenney stores with a Disney shop will be able earn rewards and enter sweepstakes by using the shopkick app on their smartphones to scan the bar codes appearing on special glass slipper signs throughout the stores. The mobile in-store activation is part of a bigger promotion around JCPenney’s Cinderella tie-in that also includes social, digital and other mobile elements.

Here is a quick look at a Business Insider report on beacons and how they might impact retail in 2015:

http://www.businessinsider.com/beacons-will-impact-billions-in-retail-sales-2015-2

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Traditional retailers have become much more adept at using technology to push back against online-only e-commerce sites.

Beacons are among the most important new mobile technologies helping real-world merchants win back sales. These low-cost devices communicate with smartphone apps indoors through a Bluetooth signal. Last year saw tons of retailers testing beacons, including Macy's and Target. This year, hundreds of big retail chains are turning those devices on and using them to communicate with mainstream consumers in store.

In an all-new report, BI Intelligence takes an in-depth look at beacons in large retail settings, discussing sales influence, addressable market, and examining the top applications, including offers, coupons, data-collection, as well as loyalty, payments, and digital-marketing programs.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Boston's Blizzards of 2015

Blizzards is now plural as the 4th major storm, and 2nd blizzard, of the year has just concluded.

It is a slow news day and nothing caught my eye today during my daily research so I'll take a minute to talk about the snow.  First for some numbers.

Here is the National Weather Service with some historical figures:

Seasonal Average = 41.3 inches

     Greatest Seasonal Snowfalls       Least Seasonal Snowfalls
         107.6 1995-1996                   9.0 1936-1937      
          96.3 1993-1994                  10.3 1972-1973
          89.2 1947-1948                  12.7 1979-1980
          85.1 1977-1978                  14.9 1994-1995
          83.9 1992-1993                  15.5 1988-1989
          77.2 1944-1945                  17.0 1931-1932
          64.9 1922-1923                  18.1 1985-1986
          63.0 1963-1964                  19.1 1990-1991
          62.7 1933-1934                  19.4 1946-1947
          61.8 1981-1982                  19.7 1920-1921

So the most snow Boston has recorded in its history for the entire season is 107.6 inches in the '95-'96 season.  That season saw many snow events spread out over the entire season.

What has happened in Boston this year?  95.7" with most of that falling in the last 3 weeks appears to move this year to the #2 slot.  That is the most snow ever in a 30 day period, the most for a February, and is nearly the most for any winter.  We've seen more snow the last 3 weeks than Chicago has ever seen for an entire winter.  Wow.  Even more snow is in the forecast with an event tomorrow that will bring a couple inches and another this weekend.

A big challenge is it isn't warming up in between events.  None of this is melting.  The real concern may be yet to come as this will all melt eventually.  It could be a very wet spring.

For me this is a winter wonderland.  I love it!  We'll be talking about the Blizzards of 2015 for the rest of our lives.  Awesome!

Happy snow day, Presidents Day, or whatever.

J.W. Gant

PS  The folks over at FiveThirtyEight have a great graph of what February looks like in historical context. Literally off the chart...

Love that graph!

Burger King Tests Mobile Ordering - The QSR Scramble Continues

Quick Service Restaurants are running as fast as they can to solve mobile ordering and pickup, at the drive through or otherwise.  Burger King is the latest to get moving hard in that direction.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/burger-king-takes-a-bigger-bite-of-mobile-with-ordering-test

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Burger King is skipping to the head of the line in mobile with a new ordering service enabling application users to select what they want to order, pay for it and watch a count down to when their order is ready.

The new service is reportedly already available at 10 Burger King locations in Germany, with another seven scheduled to go online next week. Mobile payment system Opentabs is powering the program.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Has Google Peaked? How Has Facebook Done Better?

Very good article over on SlashDot about Google and how their efforts in advertising compares to Facebook:

http://tech-beta.slashdot.org/story/15/02/13/0058234/peak-google-the-companys-time-at-the-top-may-be-nearing-its-end

This article references a NYT piece but I'm a fan of SlashDot.  Here is a snippet from that piece:

Farhad Manjoo writes at the NYT that at first glance Google looks plenty healthy, but growth in Google's primary business, search advertising, has flattened out at about 20 percent a year for the last few years. Although Google has spent considerable resources inventing technologies for the future, it has failed to turn many of its innovations into new moneymakers.

Time for me to eat some crow?  Here is what I predicted about Facebook 13 months ago:

http://thagent.blogspot.com/2014/01/news-from-2013-and-what-will-make-news.html

• Facebook will see big declines.  The "services" provided by Facebook have been chipped away at by a variety of other solutions such as Vine and Snapchat.  Overall the next generation of users has no interest in Facebook and this will begin to show itself this year.  Maybe the company will be mostly flat, maybe they'll find incremental ways to monetize their current offering, but the decline will be noticeable this year.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Loyalty Programs for CPGs and Jet.com Funding News

Two pieces of news are worth looking at today.

First, fast on the heels of news yesterday of improvements to the Coca-Cola rewards program is news of a new solution for CPGs that incorporates mobile loyalty:

http://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/news/bond-launches-cpg-mobile-loyalty-app-synapzeshop/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Loyalty marketing agency Bond Brand Loyalty has announced the launch of SynapzeSHOP, a new consumer mobile loyalty solution for CPG brands.

According to the company, with SynapzeSHOP, brands can offer consumers a convenient, personalized, branded mobile loyalty and rewards experience. SynapzeSHOP integrates a complete set of loyalty features with in-the-moment, location-based offers and messaging.

Next is news on competition to Amazon with Jet.com raising a whole lot of the green stuff to help them fulfill their vision.

https://www.internetretailer.com/2015/02/12/amazoncom-rival-jetcom-raises-140-million-new-funding

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Jet.com Inc. raised $140 million in a new funding round before rolling out its service, building up its cash hoard to take on rival Amazon.com Inc.

The financing, led by Bain Capital Ventures, adds to the $80 million that Jet previously raised. The round includes new investors such as Google Ventures, Goldman Sachs & Co. and Norwest Venture Partners.

$80 million in the early round(s) now sees $140M from private equity.  That is a long-term investment that means Bain believes this company has legs.  We are going to see a lot more about Jet.com in the months and years to come.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Google Payments in the News, Plus Forrester Research on Mobile Loyalty

Google Wallet is in the news with a couple of speculative stories about its future.

First is a story about Google testing a new payment style and references code name "Plaso":

http://www.mobilepaymentsinsider.com/2015/02/12/google-tests-new-mobile-payments-platform/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Google is rumoured to be testing a new payments service called Plaso which allows consumers carrying Android phones to pay for goods and services by giving just their initials to the merchant.

Next is the possibility Google dumps NFC and enables a Bluetooth payments capability, what I think is an iterative improvement over NFC.  This one also references "Plaso":


http://www.pymnts.com/news/2015/plaso-googles-slightly-unnerving-answer-to-apple-pay/#.VNzKK-bF_9Y

Here is a snippet from that piece:

It seems Google might be considering moving beyond NFC in its quest to compete with Apple Pay, according to new data published in The Information. The search-giant has reportedly been quietly testing a contextually-aware mobile, bluetooth-based payment system codenamed “Plaso” both in-house and with some select retailers like Papa John’s and Panera Bread.

Finally is a brief write-up on Forrester research about mobile wallets and the importance of loyalty program integration with payment:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/forrester-loyalty-programs-will-be-mobilized-as-digital-wallets-become-marketing-channel

Here is a snippet from that piece:

While mobile wallets currently offer significant value to brands, marketers must also look beyond those solutions and focus on mobilizing loyalty platforms to create branded moments and transform payment options into a viable marketing channel, according to a report from Forrester Research.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

New Facebook Ad Will Put You in a Trance

Be careful.  Going to Facebook to check your news feed just might hypnotize you in the very near future.  Their new ad format is kinda amazing to look at. I find myself in both a left brain and a right brain zone looking at these.  How are they doing this follows with wow I can't look away can I?

http://fortune.com/2015/02/12/watch-the-hypnotic-new-ads-that-are-about-to-take-over-facebook/

Here is a sample image to tantalize you just a little more:

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0196 PWC 2015 Consumer Retail Survey

Sit back and relax and enjoy some affirmation reading.  PWC has their 2015 survey out and it is a good view in to the current state of omnichannel:

Note: This link will download and open a PDF of the entire paper.

http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/retail-consumer/retail-consumer-publications/global-multi-channel-consumer-survey/assets/pdf/total-retail-2015.pdf

Here is a snippet from the paper:

As online shopping continues to grow at the expense of store visits, the premium in the future will be on creating unique, brand-defining experiences that keep customers coming back— whatever the channel.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Coca-Cola Launches Next Generation Loyalty

This story is a real eye-opener if you follow national brand CPGs and chain retailers, and is especially interesting for mobile and digital marketing specialists.

Coca-Cola is attempting to redefine loyalty programs with a revamped My Coke Rewards platform that features a bigger focus on mobile and suggests consumers prefer receiving perks and engaging with brands via bite-sized pieces of social media and personalized content over traditional rewards.

Here is the full story on Mobile Marketer:

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/strategy/19750.html

Here is another snippet from that piece:

“Increasingly, CPG brands are following Coke’s lead in establishing direct-to-consumer relationships, to engage those who buy their products in a way that doesn’t alienate those who sell their products,” Bond Brand Loyalty’s Mr. Robinson [senior director of loyalty consulting and solutions at Bond Brand Loyalty, Toronto] said. “And consumers are responding – higher trust, higher willingness to share personal info with CPG brands, higher satisfaction with CPG brand loyalty initiatives.

“Joint value creation: good for CPG brand, good for retailer partners.”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0195 Metrics for Engagement via Twitter

As the Participation Age has dramatically changed the way marketers should be looking at their interactions with consumers (participants).  However some of the metrics have remained unchanged, possibly for too long.  Here is a worthy story on one piece of that:

http://recode.net/2015/02/09/the-monthly-active-user-metric-should-be-retired-but-what-takes-its-place/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Twitter (unintentionally) took on an interesting challenge last week during its fourth-quarter earnings call: It tried to explain to investors why the company lost four million users during the previous quarter.

These users, who had been counted as “monthly active users” the quarter before, had simply vanished from Twitter’s total user count. Poof.

The simple explanation: The bulk of these four million people were not actually using Twitter. They were counted as part of a feature in the iPhone’s Safari Web browser that automatically pulled Twitter data whether the user was reading it or not. After the iOS 8 update, that automatic data collection was halted, and the people who were originally counted as “active” disappeared from the pot.

This loss of users who probably weren’t really users got me thinking: How accurate are the “monthly active user” metrics shared by companies like Facebook and Twitter?

If you wish to read more I recommend 'Marketing in the Participation Age' by Daina Middleton.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

The Future of Flying is JetBlue Today

Mobile payments is now a mile above us as JetBlue has provided iPad Minis to its flight crews to begin accepting Apple Pay in the sky.  This is a good win for Apple Pay.  Here is a news piece on this:

http://mobilemarketingmagazine.com/jetblue-apple-pay

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The new iPads, which can also accept traditional credit and debit cards, have been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, and will also enable staff to access information such as frequent fliers or passengers celebrating birthdays, as well as containing the entire inflight manual.

Apple Pay will first appear on transcontinental flights between JFK and airports in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with additional flights added in March, and all JetBlue flights set to accept Apple Pay by June.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Online, Brick & Mortar, and a Part of WalMart's Solution

Two related stories stand out to me as worth reading.  First is a take from 'strategy&' on how online can complement, rather than compete, with brick & mortar retailers.

http://www.retailleader.com/top-story-industry_news-how_online_can_complement_brick_and_mortar-3972.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Online commerce should be evaluated for its ability to complement, not compete with, brick-and-mortar retailing, according to a new report from consulting firm Strategy&.

The “2015 Retail Trends” report looks at the growth of online sales, especially in grocery, which it named as one of the three retail sectors where online sales have the least penetration (the other two are cars and gasoline). It noted the 15 percent annual growth rate of online retailing, but added that this will not necessarily come entirely at the expense of conventional retail stores.

Next is news that Walmart is expanding its order and pickup grocery service:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/2015/02/10/walmart-tests-grocery-pickup-service/23156605/

Here is a snippet from that piece from Arizona Central:

Three East Valley Walmart stores will allow customers to order groceries online and pick them up at the store for free.

The service begins today at one Walmart Supercenter in Chandler and two in Mesa. It also is offered at select stores in Bentonville, Ark., and Denver.

The service is a convenient option for parents, shoppers with mobility challenges and those who want to shop on their own schedule, Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala said. Plus, it offers shoppers a way to save time, he said.

Online grocery items have the same prices as store items, he said. Although there is a $30 minimum-purchase requirement, there are no fees.

Better get in to the swing of things if you are a modern retailer.

The only reason I located the piece on Walmart is because it was on the MorningNewsBeat blog.  I suggest you read his work daily.
http://www.morningnewsbeat.com/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Mobile and Omnichannel for Retailers

Three stories around mobile have caught my eye today and are worth reading. If you are a retailer in the United States and don't have a mobile strategy you are falling behind faster than ever.

First up is the evolution of mobile devices and how that impacts retailers:

https://www.internetretailer.com/2015/02/05/are-slowing-sales-tablets-harbinger-mobile-changes-co

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Tablet sales are slowing, tablets and PCs are converging, and smartphones are getting bigger. How will these changes, and the ones to come, impact how retailers measure mobile results and set their strategies?

In the fourth quarter of 2013, global shipments of tablets from manufacturers to retailers were still speeding along at 20% year-over-year growth, according to mobile and emerging technologies research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics Inc. In the fourth quarter of 2014, however, growth in tablet shipments worldwide just about came to a screeching halt, a mere 1%, the research firm says.

Next up is a Shop.org/Forrester piece stating retailers are making all things mobile their #1 priority for 2015:

http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/mobile-top-retailer-priority-2015-according-shoporgforrester

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Mobile is the top priority for retailers in 2015, according to the 2015 Shop.org/Forrester Research Inc., State of Retailing Online, with 58% of surveyed retailers placing it at the top of their list, up from 53% last year.

The survey found smartphone sales as a percentage of online sales grew from 8% in 2013 to 12% in 2014, an increase of 50%. Tablets’ share of the pie also grew from 13% of online sales in 2013 to 16% in 2014.

At the same time, digital marketing budgets remain modest.

Finally is MultiChannelMerchant with a piece stating consumers demand an omnichannel experience:

http://multichannelmerchant.com/executive-summary/2015-forecast-customers-demand-an-omnichannel-experience-25112014/?lc=1

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The message in 2015 for merchants is simple: if you haven’t developed an omnichannel strategy, develop one now. And if you have an omnichannel strategy in place, continue to refine it.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0194 Digital Marketing

Advertising Age is out with a great read that should be an eye-opener for those who follow national brands.

http://adage.com/article/digital/marketers-digital-cure/297033/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Mattel, Darden Restaurants, Heineken, Clorox, Big Lots and Burlington Stores have all talked about hiking digital spending on recent investor calls. But it's consumer packaged goods executives, once viewed as laggards of the digital revolution, that have jumped on this bandwagon particularly hard. Unilever, Procter & Gamble Co. and Kraft Foods Group have in recent quarters said digital accounts for 20% to 35% of their total media or marketing outlays.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Taco Bell Mobile Campaign

News of Taco Bell's very successful mobile campaign is good news for the struggling Yumm Brands.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/taco-bell-wraps-up-2014-with-app-order-amounts-20pc-higher-than-traditional-orders

Here is a snippet from that piece:

While Taco Bell’s parent company Yum! Brands saw an $86 million fourth-quarter loss, the taco chain is heating up sales thanks to its new mobile ordering app, which is seeing the average order come in at 20 percent higher than in-store orders.

Taco Bell engaged in heavy social media marketing tactics for the launch of its mobile ordering app, which enables users to customize their orders, pay via smartphone and pick up orders as soon as they arrive at Taco Bell bricks-and-mortar locations.

While I wonder if we are seeing cannibalization of their existing loyalty base this is still very interesting news.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0193 Forrester Branded App Recommendations

I've been traveling this week so these posts are a catch-up for much of the week's news and good reading.  This one is by far the most interesting to me.

Forrester research has just released a new analytics paper on marketing trends for mobile apps and there is a very good little write-up on Mobile Commerce Daily for those not willing or able to pay $499 to purchase the entire paper.

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/19673.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The new Forrester report, “2015 Mobile App Marketing Trends: Orchestrate Your Brand Presence, Beyond Your Own Apps, By Borrowing Mobile Moments,” explores marketers’ decisions to invest significant resources into building their own branded apps because research suggests consumers spend a majority of their mobile time on apps. However, new Forrester data shows that, on average, consumers in the United States and Britain use 24 apps per month but spend more than 80 percent of the time in their five most time-consuming apps.

What we know is there are segments of the population that have no interest in branded apps for their interactions, such as heavy social media users.  However, at least one high-quality study indicates there is at least one very important segment that does want a branded app, and these tend to be the most affluent consumers.  The guidance offered by Forrester appears to help fill the gap in understanding between a website, mobile web, and mobile apps.  Very good reading.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE**  Good read over on Internet Retailer:
https://www.internetretailer.com/2015/02/09/why-retailers-might-not-need-or-want-invest-mobile-apps

Twitter Video and HBO's Video Streaming Struggles

Two more stories are interesting news to read over.

First up is Twitter providing mobile video.

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/social-networks/19722.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Twitter hopes the introduction of native mobile video will boost the number of people who use its service, supplementing its new search partnership with Google and other moves aimed at broadening its appeal.

With its recent rollout of native video, which allows users to capture, edit and share videos within the Twitter mobile application, Twitter is taking its cue from Facebook, which is pressuring YouTube as the go-to destination to upload and watch video.

Next is a piece on the struggles of HBO to go to a streaming service model.

http://recode.net/2015/01/29/hbo-tech-executives-leave-ahead-of-internet-launch-as-networks-strategy-changes/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

The original plan discussed by the network’s top executives was to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to develop a sophisticated streaming platform that would make HBO, one of the best-known premium channels in the United States, capable of challenging streaming video services from Netflix and Amazon head-on. Berkes, who was also a cofounder of Xbox, was a key part of that ambitious project — he had been hired by HBO in 2011 to set up a new office in Seattle, initially hiring 80 engineers with plans to grow much bigger.

The idea was that the technology would support not only HBO but potentially other Time Warner offerings, such as Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Wendy's Mobile Growing

Great little article over on Mobile Commerce Daily about Wendy's and their mobile efforts.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/wendys-outshines-competition-as-common-pos-integration-opens-mobile-opportunities

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Wendy’s is already using mobile ordering in seven restaurants in Columbus, OH, and plans to covert the Phoenix market by the end of this month while a loyalty pilot program is underway in nine markets and a mobile payments pilot test expected to launch soon. While mobile alone is not the answer for brands, if Wendy’s can integrating messaging that is resonating with its mobile strategy, this could give the brand a boost.

Wendy's is involved in CurrentC and could have interesting work lined up.  Here is a bit more from that article:

Wendy’s is also a member of the retail consortium MCX, which is developing a mobile payments solution. The chain expects to begin a pilot test of the MCX mobile wallet, CurrentC, in the coming months.

Taken together with the mobile ordering and loyalty pilots, Wendy’s is clearly betting big on mobile.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Beacons and Supermarkets - Niemann

Supermarkets are making news as they embrace the potential in bluetooth interaction with consumers through in-store beacons.

Next up is regional grocer Niemann:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/niemann-foods-pushes-the-shopping-cart-with-ibeacons-in-all-store-locations

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Niemann Foods is teaming up with location analytics firm Birdzi and its Shopper Engagement Platform to roll out the technology to all 45 of its bricks-and-mortar stores in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa by spring 2015. The grocer has already seen several thousand more downloads of its My County Market app since employing Birdzi’s platform, suggesting that consumers are invested in receiving customized offers and access to features such as aisle location options and ability to create an in-app shopping list.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Amazon Brick & Mortar Begins

The first ever staffed order pickup and dropoff location opened on February 3 on the campus of Purdue University.

I matriculated at Krannert School of Management at Purdue from 2005-'07 and have fond memories of the campus.

Here is a piece from Purdue.edu (the photographer was in the '08 class at Krannert and is an outstanding individual):

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2015/Q1/amazon-launches-first-ever-staffed-campus-pickup-and-drop-off-location,-free-one-day-pickup-services-at-purdue.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

"We're excited to open our first-ever staffed pickup location at Purdue, making it more convenient and affordable for students to get everything they need for life on campus," said Paul Ryder, vice president of media and student programs at Amazon. "Whether students are ordering textbooks, laptops or mac and cheese, Amazon and Purdue are now providing a convenient and secure spot for them to pick up their stuff at hours that work with their schedules. We look forward to bringing this experience to more universities soon."
More university locations will be opening soon.

This news is hitting as Radio Shack is filing for bankruptcy and rumors abound of Amazon acquiring a number of those physical locations.  Looks like Amazon is accelerating its move in to physical commerce.  This is a necessary move.  As Walmart becomes more like Amazon, Amazon must become more like Walmart or it will plateau far short of its potential.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0192 Mobile Disruption

Great little read over on Wired.com:

http://www.wired.com/2015/01/smartest-richest-companies-cant-crack-mobile-future-belongs-anyone-can/

I recommend reading 'The Mobile Mind Shift' for a more complete version of this thinking.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

The Digital Super Bowl

I have seen a dozen stories on the advertising and social media of this latest Super Bowl. My story is a little different.

Thirty minutes before the game my NBC channel in New England went dark. I cut the chord a couple years ago so I'm open air. What to do?

NBC was streaming the video online. I turned on the HTPC computer connected to my 55" tv and got it going. Pretty good picture quality but not 1080i. The commercials were not the same but I watched the entire game streaming, and over my iPad too. A first for me.

Today and watching those commercials online to see what everyone is talking about.

Oh, and the New England Patriots are world champions. Feels good to write that.

Regards,

J.W. Gant