Grocery and the Digital Shopper

Great little read from the folks at FMI.

For the folks who don't know the Supermarket retail sector here is a quick note to help you.  "Grocery" is not the store you go to.  That is called a "Supermarket".  Grocery is all the stuff in boxes, bags, plastic or glass bottles, etc. in the center of the store.  Combine that with fresh produce, meats, deli and bakery and you get more than just a "Market" you get a "Supermarket".  Hard to order your fresh apples online, but easy to get that box of diapers.  Yes?  Yes.

Read the whole story here:

http://www.fmi.org/digital-shopper

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0246 - Artificial Intelligence - Computers Playing Poker (and winning)

Best Reading of the Day

AI is certainly a subject we'll be hearing a lot about, now, and very soon.

Like card games?  How about Poker?

That game has been a real barrier for computers over the years because of the uncertainty, and the "bluff" factor that coincides.  No more, thanks to Artificial Intelligence.

What you say?  This isn't relevant to me?  Yes it is.  AI will soon be fueling all kinds of things, such as automating jobs (eliminating jobs) around factories and warehouses, etc. If you are part of the public that thinks trade is eliminating jobs in this country you really need to look at AI.  It is and will continue to be the real job killer.  Only going to accelerate.

This is a good read:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-31/inside-the-20-year-quest-to-build-computers-that-play-poker

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Four of the best professional poker players in the world spent most of January holed up at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, losing. They’d show up before 11 am, wearing sweatpants and stylish sneakers, and sit down in front of computer screens. Each of them was supposed to play 1,500 hands of heads-up no limit Texas Hold ‘Em online before they could go back to the hotel for the night. This often meant working past 10 p.m. Over the course of the day, Starbucks cups and water bottles piled up next to the players's keyboards. Chipotle bags lay at their feet.

Every time one of the players made a move, the action was transmitted to a computer server sitting five miles away at Carnegie Mellon University.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE** This headline caught my eye as a great supplement to the story I provided above:
A Mystery AI Just Crushed the Best Human Players at Poker
https://www.wired.com/2017/01/mystery-ai-just-crushed-best-human-players-poker/

Sears Utilizes IBM Watson and NOBODY CARES

Wow, talk about focusing on the wrong problem.

Pain in your neck?  Put your foot in a cast.  Right?

No.

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-news/Sears-Utilizes-IBM-Watson-s-Artificial-Intelligence-108611

Dead company walking. The stores are falling apart with zombie employees and empty shelves and they are implementing Artificial Intelligence.  Okay.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PayPal has Strong Mobile Payments Showing

PayPay, the online payment company, is gaining in store.  This is pretty significant news, both for PayPal and for mobile payments.

Read more:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/paypals-strong-q4-precedes-an-increased-dedication-to-its-one-touch-platform

Here is a snippet from the piece:

PayPal Holdings Inc. Q4 results revealed a 17 percent increase in revenue and optimism for its One Touch platform, an outcome that might lead competitors to speed up rollout of frictionless payments.

During the PayPal earnings call, the company proposed a few of its priorities for the upcoming year, including expectations that its One Touch platform — PayPal’s fastest mobile checkout experience — will continue to experience strong adoption.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Reinventing Printed Publications

I recently subscribed, digitally, to the Washington Post and was struck by the mobile app experience on my iPad.  Had I known how good it was I probably would have subscribed sooner and that struck me.  Traditional media publications are reinventing themselves and some are having great success.  The Washington Post just posted a profitable quarter, hugely profitable, and announced the hiring of many dozens of journalists.

So maybe the traditional newspaper isn't dead yet. What I really love about this app is how it respected but updated the traditional newspaper browsing experience.  Just like reading a paper you merely continue "turning the page" to get deeper and deeper yet you have sections ready to grab as well.  Take a look:

Here is a little story on that mobile app:

http://www.talkingnewmedia.com/2015/07/14/first-look-at-the-new-the-washington-post-app-for-ios/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

...the new iOS app for The Washington Post cannot be expected to radically change the formula. What it can do, however, is play around with design and navigation, rethinking the way it wants to present its content.

Here is a great story on how the New Yorker is reinventing itself:

https://www.poynter.org/2017/how-the-new-yorker-brought-the-soul-of-the-magazine-to-the-web/447007/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

...The New Yorker has undergone a massive digital remaking. It's established a separate web operation that's unchained writers and editors from the time-intensive print edition. It's colonized platforms like podcasts, YouTube, mobile applications, Instagram and Snapchat. And it's built a digital staff of about 40 people, hiring several full-time journalists tasked with writing primarily for the website.

The north star for this transformation: Breathing the soul of the 92-year-old magazine onto the internet without compromising its essence.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Sears ...

Do I need to say anything?

Okay, I visited Sears this past weekend looking for a particular screwdriver. First time I've visited a Sears in a year or more.  What a mess.  Death knocking.  Felt like I was in a funeral home.  Am I alone in this?

Not even close.

Read on:

http://www.businessinsider.com/sears-failing-stores-closing-edward-lampert-bankruptcy-chances-2017-1

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Business Insider spoke with more than a dozen employees, ranging from store clerks to senior executives, about the unraveling of Sears. Many spoke on the condition that they not be identified for fear of legal retribution from Lampert and Sears, including one person who specified that she would only speak off the record upon the advice of an attorney. Some said they had signed nondisclosure forms barring them from sharing information about the company.

The content of this article was described in detail to two Sears spokesmen, both of whom declined to comment when asked.

Oh, and they are selling their Craftsman brand to help pay the bills shorter term. Selling Craftsman?!!?  What is left to care about there?

I do think Sears is interesting to watch for one key reason: their focus on digital. Clearly ONLY having a digital strategy to turn a retail company around isn't working.  If the stores are dirty and shabby looking, with irrelevant products that are poorly arranged and too often out of stock, and employees shambling around like they are waiting for the funeral to end, nothing else you do will matter.

Happy Reading, or Not,

J.W. Gant

Internet of Things (IoT) for Retail by Intel

Intel, the computer chip maker, wants to help retail with the shopping experience.

Read on:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2017/01/17/retail-to-get-internet-of-things-twist-with-100m.html

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Intel wants to take your shopping experience into the future by building a retail-focused Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform and investing $100 million in the retail sector.

The Santa Clara-based chip maker will create a common set of sensors, software kits and other components that will aid brick-and-mortar sellers with inventory tracking, shopping habit feedback and creating personalized shopping experiences. The technology will be a part of the company’s new Responsive Retail Platform...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant