Marketing Technology - Data Analysis

What's the saying in digital marketing circles?  You don't need a "growth hacker" you just need a marketer who understand data.

Yeap.  I'm onboard with that view, pushed by the best minds at Google and many other places.

Here is a great little piece to that end:

https://www.clickz.com/6-changes-marketing-measurement-will-impact-2018/206222/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

“One of the biggest pitfalls for performance measurement is to measure the ‘part’ with ignorance of the ‘whole,’” wrote Pearl Zhu, author of the Digital Master book series. Her quote perfectly reflects the growing realization of marketing measurement’s critical role. We see a requirement to evolve beyond attributing the value of a conversion to single customer touchpoints (the ‘part’) toward an understanding of marketing effectiveness throughout the ‘whole’ customer journey.

Multi-touch attribution delivers change through modeling all of a brand’s customer interactions to attribute fractional credit for each conversion to each unique touchpoint.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  Welcome to 2018!

Improving Retail Mobile Apps

Continuing the discussion on retail mobile apps.  I've been in and around this game for many years.  What I see is a new kind of "Tier 1" retailer. 

There's the classic Tier 1, but then there is a superpower level.  That retailer has it all: great retail stores, great mobile app, great online shopping.  Which ones qualify?  Walmart, Amazon, Target, Starbucks .... anyone else?

Here is the story:

https://www.clickz.com/retailers-improve-app-experience/207018/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Most retail apps leave something to be desired, according to Jim Cusson, President at retail marketing agency Theory House.

“I think of that quote from Field of Dreams: ‘If you build it, they will come,’” he says. “A few years ago, there was this rush to build apps and everyone wanted one, whether it had a true purpose or not. You see a lot of injured soldiers on the battlefield now because companies have invested money in an app that’s obsolete.”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Retailers and their Mobile Apps

Recently found a great little website for all things related to digital marketing.  Worth checking out:

https://www.clickz.com/

Here's one of the stories that grabbed my attention.  6 retailers who have outstanding mobile apps:

https://www.clickz.com/6-retail-brands-nailing-app-game/207024/

Here's a snippet from that piece:

Earlier this year, the app market data and insights company found that the typical consumer uses 10 apps per day. For most people, it’s unlikely that many of those 10 are retail apps. Amazon is the category’s sole representative on Apple’s Top Chart.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Search for Shopping Tilting Back to Search Engines from Amazon

What happens when you open a search engine such as Google and type in a product you want to buy?

For many years now you've largely been provided links to related products on Amazon.com.

As the world has shifted to mobile consumption of the internet certain challenges and opportunities have presented themselves to digital companies.  Google has altered its approach to search to be far more mobile friendly.  The result?  Click-throughs are now much more likely to go to Google than straight to Amazon.

Read the full story here:

https://www.retaildive.com/news/amazon-slipping-in-search/513775/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Amazon is slipping when it comes to search. The e-commerce giant took 49% of consumers’ initial product searches, down from last year’s 55%, with search engines taking 36% (up from 28% last year) and other retail sites taking 15% (16% last year), according to a study by consumer research firm Survata first reported by Bloomberg.

It is important to note that Amazon is still getting about half of all such clicks.  Very strong, but declining and that is significant.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  This may be my final post from 2017.  Hope 2018 is a great year for everyone.

TargetPay is Here - Wallet

Following years of investment in mobile wallet through the now sold off MCX and the CurrentC mobile payments solution, and well after Walmart enacted its Walmart Pay solution Target has theirs in place. They call it simple "Wallet".

This is the beginning of furthering a huge divide between the top of the Tier 1 retailers and everyone else.  We may need to create a new designation like "Super Power" when mere "Major Power" was no longer enough.

The biggest merchants will have a strong physical presence, eCommerce presence, vertically integrated merchandising, strong mobile, and strong mobile wallet capability. Think Amazon and Walmart.  Now Target.

Everyone else?  Well, this speaks to the huge need for a white label solution for all of those merchants not big enough to handle all of this on their own.

Anyone?

Here is the story:

http://www.businessinsider.com/targets-mobile-wallet-is-finally-here-2017-12

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Target launched its long-anticipated mobile wallet for in-store payments on Monday, according to TechCrunch. The product, which will be barcode-based and housed in the existing Target mobile app, is known as Wallet. Two key features distinguish Wallet and could help optimize it for use:

The wallet is only available to store cardholders.

...

That’s especially true because it expands upon existing app functionality.

...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Amazon - Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Two stories from Business Insider tell this story.

First up is how Amazon did on Black Friday and if you had any doubt, they rocked:

http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-dominates-thanksgiving-and-black-friday-online-sales-2017-11

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Amazon pulled in 45% of all online transactions — or purchases — on Thanksgiving Day, and 54.9% on Black Friday, according to Hitwise data cited in Dealerscope.

Next is Amazon on Cyber Monday ... and ... they rocked:

http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-says-cyber-monday-is-biggest-shopping-day-in-history-2017-11

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Amazon says Cyber Monday was its biggest shopping day in company history.

"Amazon customers shopped at record levels... ordering hundreds of millions of products from toys to fashion to electronics and Amazon devices," Jeff Wilke, Amazon's head of worldwide consumer, said in a statement. "Customers ordered nearly 140 million items from small businesses alone and this is just the beginning of the holiday season."

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Black Friday 2017

Business Insider is a site you should be checking out pretty much every day.  I'll be posting twice with three stories from them covering the holiday shopping season.

First up is Black Friday:

http://www.businessinsider.com/black-friday-2017-sales-surge-stores-remain-empty-2017-11

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Many stores were empty this Black Friday — but retailers have no need to panic.

Some shoppers were surprised to find empty Targets, Best Buys, and Walmarts when they showed up for Black Friday shopping.

When Business Insider's Sarah Jacobs arrived at the Atlantic Terminal Mall in Brooklyn early Friday morning, she found a meager line outside waiting for the mall to open, and even fewer people outside Target and Best Buy.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant