Facebook Ad Placements are Crowdsourced

facebook ad placements

The Facebook ad placement changes in February  have been well documented by GigaOm and others indicating a number of important shifts in this critical space: Current Facebook Ads Ineffective in Driving E-Commerce Current FB ads have demonstrated very low click through rates and consequently relatively poor monetization outside the gaming world. The math is pretty …

[ Continue Reading... ]

Showrooming Data is Scary

showrooming using mobile phones

The Pew Research Foundation came out with a recent studycalled the Rise of In-Store Mobile Commerce calling out the impact of mobile smartphones on holiday 2011 shopping. The numbers speak to the scary impact of the showrooming phenomenon. 52 % of shoppers with cell phones walked into retail stores and did at least some research by smart …

[ Continue Reading... ]

Crowdsourcing Style In-Store, by Customers

rfid tag

We all know about the impact that online user interfaces are having on style curation. Instead of relying on a bunch of stylists to decide what and how we wear our clothes, the internet is crowdsourcing style by customers and users. Numerous fashion sites like Polyvore and Modcloth have done showing how powerful this engagement …

[ Continue Reading... ]

Showrooming: Walmart vs Target — Who Cares About the Customer?

shot across the bow

Target sent a shot across the bow in early January focused on the concept of showrooming — where customers walk into stores, price compare the store’s products with online vendors and buy what’s best for them. Target has taken the tack of protecting their turf, regardless of the impact on the customer experience. Putting up …

[ Continue Reading... ]

Internet User Defined: A User by Any Other Name…

users

Internet User Defined In their press call last week, Google obfuscated the various definitions of a user in online terms.  The WSJ takes a small swing at the debate. Billions of dollars swirl around these definitions. Here is a deeper look at the various definitions of an Internet user. Visitor Definition — visitors are users who …

[ Continue Reading... ]

Many Consumers Want To Eliminate Catalogs – Catalog Companies Don’t Get It

Chefs-Catalog-11-791x1024

Rather than help switch me to a more efficient and better user experience online, catalog companies like Chefs want to using negative reinforcement systems to make me respond. Why Would I Want This Offer? We received this catalog over Christmas and it is typical of how disconnected catalog companies are from a changing customer base. …

[ Continue Reading... ]

Amazon Price Check App, Showrooming & World War II

pricechecker-11-22

Amazon Price Check App and Showrooming The furor over the Amazon price check app is palpable and speaks to the growing trend of showrooming consumer behavior. No sooner did I download the app but I bought 3 products from Amazon through the app because the product costs were 30% less than the big box store …

[ Continue Reading... ]

The Future of Daily Deal Sites and Groupon

Groupon-Is-Bad-For-Small-Businesses

The Future of Daily Deal Sites: IPO and Bust? The IPO of Groupon has raised serious questions about the future of daily deal sites. The doomsayers say the model does not work. The optimists say that there is lots of headroom left — lots of businesses yet to try the model. But in reality both …

[ Continue Reading... ]