We all know that mobile use in e-commerce is increasing. Both in forms of direct sales, information gathering and content marketing. So with the largest shopping day in the US coming up on Friday, November 23rd, how are the some sellers using this new medium?
Gilt Groupe, a large US based mobile discount company is offering 'free fall' at 11:45am, which offers randomized sale prices on various SKUs. The discounts offered will increase as time goes on, and stops at 9pm. They're looking to steal sales away from big box retailers, and is available on iOS and Android.
Macy's is offering a mobile app on iOS only. It features previews of deals, and Black Friday only shopping lists. It even tells you where the deals are with store maps, and department. They partner with Ebay on this one.
TGI black friday is an app that offers deals on all the local stores before the deals are released to the local media. It allows you to create lists and make strategic logistics to better your Black Friday experience.
Walgreens and Starbucks are partnering for a mobile app that will update automatically throughout the day to bring customers a "scratch and win" coupon. This will start at 12:01AM on Friday.
It will be interesting to see how this will affect sales, and how 2013 Black Friday will be changed.
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2012/11/19/mobile-apps-to-tackle-black-friday/
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/walgreens-and-starbucks-go-mobile-black-friday-145289#1
http://mashable.com/2012/11/19/gilt-groupe-black-friday/
Monday, 19 November 2012
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
LinkedIn allowing "Follow" feature for 150 members
LinkedIn, online's premiere professional networking site, is now offering "Following" features for high-status members. Some examples of these members are Richard Branson, and Ariana Huffington. Eventually, all members could be followed, like in the style of Twitter. LinkedIn has traditionally been a more enclosed website, rivaling other solely social networking sites.
What does this mean? Well, one that LinkedIn is going to become more competitive in a new way to Facebook, Twitter and the like. This will enable one-to-many communication where previously the site depended on one-to-one communications. The move is thought to entice members to stay on LinkedIn longer, closer to Facebook times, and to use LinkedIn as a casual site instead of a sole networking site. If they can increase the sticky time on LinkedIn, they can increase ad revenue.
The second part of this is the possibility of losing it's "professional" status in the online networking world. One of the appeals of linked in is it's closed off communication. One is able to effectively offer a solely professional profile, without worrying about what others post, tag etc. one in. If LinkedIn is moving towards other social networking sites, a new niche market may open for closed networking.
Cheers.
What does this mean? Well, one that LinkedIn is going to become more competitive in a new way to Facebook, Twitter and the like. This will enable one-to-many communication where previously the site depended on one-to-one communications. The move is thought to entice members to stay on LinkedIn longer, closer to Facebook times, and to use LinkedIn as a casual site instead of a sole networking site. If they can increase the sticky time on LinkedIn, they can increase ad revenue.
The second part of this is the possibility of losing it's "professional" status in the online networking world. One of the appeals of linked in is it's closed off communication. One is able to effectively offer a solely professional profile, without worrying about what others post, tag etc. one in. If LinkedIn is moving towards other social networking sites, a new niche market may open for closed networking.
Cheers.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
50% of Consumers Value a Brand’s Facebook Page More Than Its Website (from Mashable and Lab42)
A recent infographic (information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge) from Lab42, a research company out of Chicago, suggests that companies should abandon traditional informative websites in lieu of increasing budgets to social media campaigns. As both a soon-to-be marketing professional studying at KPU and self-assessed social media expert, I found the stats a little too good to be true.
First off, let us look at the sample that the research company derived their consumer opinion from. According to Mashable, Lab42 surveyed 1,000 social media users for this infographic. From the start, the sample population is biased. Of course social media users will rate Facebook profiles as more important than a website, they're already there! What about the users who choose not to use Facebook, Twitter and the like? They would obviously have a different opinion, as seeking out information would require an increased number of steps, or alienate the population entirely.
Why am I writing about this specifically? Because companies who take this information seriously can leave out a large chunk of the population (assuming over the minimum age required by most social media websites). In 2011, 62% of Canadians surveyed had participated in social media at some, while only 30% used social media daily. 80% of Canadians had regular access to internet at home, while 86% from anywhere. This is all from Ipsos Reid, studying general populations. Now, if only 30% of Canadians use social media daily, and 50% of those who use social media regularly say that the Facebook Page is more useful (a subjective term) than the website, that leaves us with a reliable ballpark of....
15% of the general population on a daily basis.
That is not to say that the information outlined in the infographic isn't useful to companies who are choosing what sort of information to place on their social media pages. It is more important to look at the opening line with a critical eye before perusing the subsequent information, which isn't Lab42's fault. That was Mashable posting the most eye-catching part of the infographic without offering equivalent important information. I will look further into the rest of the infograph for the next entry.
Cheers!
Info:
http://mashable.com/2012/09/24/facebook-brand-page-value/
Ipsos Canadian inter@ctive Reid Report 2012 fact guide
First off, let us look at the sample that the research company derived their consumer opinion from. According to Mashable, Lab42 surveyed 1,000 social media users for this infographic. From the start, the sample population is biased. Of course social media users will rate Facebook profiles as more important than a website, they're already there! What about the users who choose not to use Facebook, Twitter and the like? They would obviously have a different opinion, as seeking out information would require an increased number of steps, or alienate the population entirely.
Why am I writing about this specifically? Because companies who take this information seriously can leave out a large chunk of the population (assuming over the minimum age required by most social media websites). In 2011, 62% of Canadians surveyed had participated in social media at some, while only 30% used social media daily. 80% of Canadians had regular access to internet at home, while 86% from anywhere. This is all from Ipsos Reid, studying general populations. Now, if only 30% of Canadians use social media daily, and 50% of those who use social media regularly say that the Facebook Page is more useful (a subjective term) than the website, that leaves us with a reliable ballpark of....
15% of the general population on a daily basis.
That is not to say that the information outlined in the infographic isn't useful to companies who are choosing what sort of information to place on their social media pages. It is more important to look at the opening line with a critical eye before perusing the subsequent information, which isn't Lab42's fault. That was Mashable posting the most eye-catching part of the infographic without offering equivalent important information. I will look further into the rest of the infograph for the next entry.
Cheers!
Info:
http://mashable.com/2012/09/24/facebook-brand-page-value/
Ipsos Canadian inter@ctive Reid Report 2012 fact guide
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