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