The Subscription Economy

Interesting read on the shift to steady revenue streams vs. one-time transactional revenue streams. Do you have a Netflix account?  Yeap.  Bet you used to rent from Blockbuster one movie at a time didn't you?

http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/subscription-economy-change-price-pay/307966/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Should a customer in New York pay a higher price than someone from Ohio for the same service? And should a doctor in Ohio pay a higher price than a New York taxi driver? Should a Mac user be steered to a pricier hotel when shopping online? Hint: It's already happening.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Starbucks Crafts Deeper Engagement and Loyalty

Two stories about the digital activities of Starbucks are worth your time.  Combined they paint a picture of Starbucks continuing to enhance loyalty and engagement with its most loyal customers.

First up is a new loyalty points capability integrated with Lyft, the Uber ride competitor.  Possibly coming as a part of this, according to the article, is a "lyft" for Starbucks employees who need a ride to work.  Mostly though it allows Lyft users to earn Starbucks loyalty points.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/starbucks-partners-with-lyft-on-shared-loyalty-program/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Creating an opportunity for customers to earn points for food and beverages by simply using the Lyft ride service, coffee-giant Starbucks has entered into a multi-year partnership with Uber’s main competitor, Lyft. Using the My Starbucks Rewards program as the core centerpiece of the loyalty program, anyone that takes a Lyft car to a destination can earn those reward points according to the announcement on the Starbucks Newsroom.

Next is news of Starbucks integration with the New York Times, offering articles within the Starbucks app.  I only use the app for mobile payment to the point where I often forget I have a reward.  Efforts such as this one are meant to get people to use the Starbucks app and use it more often.

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/starbucks-boosts-mobile-loyalty-program-with-new-york-times-content

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Starbucks is expanding its partnership with The New York Times to bring top daily articles to its mobile application users and reward loyalty members with points when they purchase print and digital subscriptions, reflecting the growing importance of top-notch content for merchants on mobile.

While the beverage giant has previously tapped The New York Times to bring free content to its customers, this marks the first time Starbucks is integrating the partnership with its loyalty program, which currently boasts 10 million members.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 202 New York Times Mobile

If you have heard the term 'Mobile First' and are living in the 21st Century in the United States of America you'll completely understand what the New York Times is doing.  They're pulling from ALL areas in to mobile.  Taking from all else and adding to their digital mobile presence.

Smart move?  Probably but they're still trying to figure out the business model that delivers the dollars.

Here is the story on AdAge (be sure to sign up for an account to get full access on a tiered basis):

http://adage.com/article/media/york-times-shifts-resources-mobile/297664/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Ad Age: Are you shifting more resources from inside the company?

Mr. Levy: Yes, the whole company is shifting resources toward mobile at every part of the company.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

MS Windows 10, Beacons, PayPal, and the New York Times

Quite a few pieces of news.

First is word on the next iteration of Windows, dubbed "Windows 10" by Microsoft recently (yes they jumped from Windows 7 to 8 to ... 10).  I'm on record saying Microsoft badly handled the advent of tablets with Windows 8, leaving desktop users and the Enterprise out of consideration.  Here is a good article on Windows 10:

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/windows-10-undoes-the-disaster-of-windows-8-mostly-98835840904.html?src=rss

Next is news on eBay spinning off PayPal.  Looks like the move to integrate PayPal with Samsung TouchID technology spurred Apple to kick PayPal out of Apple Pay.  The NYT is stating Apple Pay is changing retail permanently.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/technology/apple-pay-signals-new-era-at-cash-register.html

Beacons are in the news again in a few ways.

Beacons deliver for Marriott Hotels:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/235116/beacons-deliver-local-perks-at-marriott.html?edition=76551

Shopkick is acquired:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/shopkick-acquired-amid-growing-importance-for-beacon-enabled-shopping

Macy's doing much more than just Beacons:

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-news/Macy-s-Rollout-Goes-Beyond-Beacons95568

Facebook has added the ability to purchase items directly from your news feed.  As someone who cut back to weekly or monthly visits to Facebook I view this as one more bad idea from Facebook.

http://www.mobilepaymentsinsider.com/2014/09/26/facebook-adds-buy-button-to-news-feed/

Finally is a bit about the continuing problems traditional printed news is having. The New York Times is laying off staff to cut costs.

http://recode.net/2014/10/01/the-new-york-times-app-plan-isnt-working-so-its-laying-off-staff/

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant