Is Macy's a Disaster?

According to BizJournal it is.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Macy's has been falling apart.

The once beloved department store has reported five straight quarters of plummeting sales. Sales most recently dipped 7.4%.

In the past, Macy's — and others — have blamed myriad reasons for the department store's woes.

The weather was too warm for fall and winter apparel.

People aren't spending money on clothes anymore.

Amazon is eating into the market share of the apparel industry.

We went to Macy's to find out why the brand is floundering. What we found shocked us.

Here is the full story:

http://www.businessinsider.com/macys-tour-and-business-analysis-2016-5

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Apple Watch Apps Not Happening

New data on the development front is quite interesting.

Very, very few new apps for the iPhone are also providing a watch app companion.  Not a good sign when you are Apple trying to get a new platform up and running.

Read on:

http://watchaware.com/post/17232/realm-developers-losing-interest-in-the-apple-watch

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Mobile Loyalty Providers Growing

Third party loyalty programs using mobile as their primary platform are seeing significant growth.

Not unexpected.  I'd especially view Tier 2 and 3 retailers as targets for such efforts.

Read more here:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/mobile-paves-the-way-for-multi-retailer-loyalty-adoption-in-us

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Coalition loyalty programs are gaining speed in the United States with multi-retailer programs such as Plenti, Spring and ShopYourWay substantially growing now that mobile technology has broken down geographical barriers.

Mobile is allowing U.S. loyalty programs that span a wide range of brands and retailers, rather than being specific to a certain store, to thrive after the strategy saw years of wide spread adoption in other countries. While consumers are just starting to get on board, an innovative mobile strategy can spur exponential growth for coalition programs.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Amazon Private Label Takes on Grocery

In a not at all unexpected move Amazon is continuing its efforts to make its own brands.

Read the full story here on Re/code:

Amazon is going to start selling its own brands of snacks, diapers and detergent — a move lots of traditional retailers have already made.

But Amazon isn't a traditional retailer, so this move could be very meaningful for Amazon and its competitors.

The e-commerce powerhouse will soon begin selling its own packaged goods exclusively to Amazon Prime members under brands like Happy Belly and Mama Bear, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Here is a snippet from the piece:

http://www.recode.net/2016/5/15/11680080/amazon-happy-belly-mama-bear-private-label

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

MCX's CurrentC Delayed Indefinitely and ChasePay Delayed

Mobile payments news.

After months of silence, with no major news this year until now, MCX has made some news.  Their mobile wallet capability, live now in Columbus, OH, will not be rolled out nationally any time soon.

Read more:

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/After-Eight-Months-of-Testing_-MCX-Postpones-CurrentC-Rollout_-Lays-off-30-Staffers

Here is a snippet from the piece:

After eight months of experimentation in Columbus, Ohio, Merchant Customer Exchange LLC on Monday issued a statement from chief executive Brian Mooney announcing it is putting off a national rollout of its CurrentC mobile-payments service to an unspecified date. Mooney added that the Boston-based company, formed in 2012 by many of the country’s biggest retailers, also has laid off 30 staffers in light of a need for “fewer resources.”

In other, somewhat related news, ChasePay is delayed:

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/Chase-Pay-Delays-Launch-to-Fourth-Quarter_-Amazon-And-Google-Talk-Technology

Here is a snippet from the piece:

JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Chase Pay mobile-payment service, announced in October, will have a phased-in launch in the fourth quarter, according to Kim Fitzsimmons, head of global e-commerce and large omnichannel solutions at Chase Commerce Solutions.

Looks like MCX wants to get out of the mobile app business and act as a switch between retailers and financial institutions.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Energizer Selling More Batteries through Beacons

Beacons.  That little nugget to engage with mobile devices that move in to the area.  Cool right?

Check out what Energizer is doing with these:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/energizer-sees-400pc-lift-in-purchase-intent-through-in-store-beacons

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Energizer elicited 411,641 in-store engagements through a beacon-powered campaign that served nearby shoppers, who were leveraging various shopping applications such as ListEase and Ziplist, an in-depth look at its EcoAdvanced batteries.

The battery brand leveraged in-store beacons to get the word out for its new product by sending push notifications in shopping assistance apps ListEase and Ziplist, targeting consumers during the most effective time during their customer journey. Through various checkpoints within store locations, users were prompted to go down Energizer’s aisle to check out the product.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Walmart Pay now In-App

This is rolling out slowly around Walmart and is now in their app as of late April.

Read the quick story here:

http://www.digitaltransactions.net/news/story/6055

Here is a snippet from the piece:

The app update, available on the iTunes store, says Walmart Pay will be “available in all stores soon,” without being more specific. Since the mobile wallet’s introduction in December, acceptance has been limited. Currently, more than 100 stores in northwest Arkansas, Kansas City, and other areas of Missouri are accepting Walmart Pay, according to a Wal-Mart spokesperson. Chainwide acceptance will be complete "this summer," she adds.

Meanwhile, what is MCX doing with Currentc?

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0243 Mobile Commerce Changing Major Retailers

Best Reading of the Day

Great story over on Forbes.com:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarathau/2016/04/30/how-mobile-commerce-is-changing-the-face-of-the-nations-biggest-retailers-from-wal-mart-to-macys/#1d826c0b668d

Here is a snippet from the piece:

It would not be hyperbole to call mobile devices, namely smartphones, the most disruptive lifestyle shift birthed by the Internet revolution.

And that disruption is carrying over into how consumers shop for goods.

The still-unfolding changes in consumers’ mobile shopping behavior is forcing established retailers to think on their feet and divert capital spending from stores to mobile — and quickly.

Bloomberg Intelligence senior retail analyst Poonan Goyal shared with Forbes how legacy retailers Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart and Target TGT -0.17% are leading the mobile charge.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

What Does it Mean that Apple's Revenue has Declined?

Pretty huge news in tech just a short while ago as Apple posted its first decline in revenue in 13 years.

Wow.

If a company isn't growing it is declining. Nothing in business remains stable for more than very short periods of time.

Here is one report on the story:

http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/26/11510312/apple-q2-second-quarter-2016-earnings

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Don't say they didn't warn you. Apple posted a year-over-year decline in revenue today, the first time the company's failed to grow its business in 13 years. It brought in $50.6 billion in revenue for the second quarter of 2016, and $10.5 billion in profits. That compares with $58 billion in revenue and $13.6 billion in profits during this period last year, a drop of 13 percent for the revenue. It is projecting another revenue decline for next quarter, a 15 percent year-over-year drop.

Just google the words "Apple Decline" to see how the stock is faring ... not good.  Now CEO Cook has publicly stated the pipeline of products is very exciting and all is well.  Okay.

Apple Watch.

Apple TV.

Apple Car?

Internet of Things?

????

What this really means is the period of explosive smart phone growth is behind us.  We now have a mature market.  What is next and will Apple be at the center of the customer experience for the next big thing?

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant