Wal-Mart Private Label Tablet?

Quite an interesting development.    How might Wal-Mart use this kind of channel to drive online purchases?  Inexpensive position could drive broader uses.   Perhaps adding some shopping assistant to aid the shopper, curating purchasing?

Will Walmart’s new tablet burn into Amazon Fire’s market share?  by George Anderson in Retailwire, with further expert comments.

Tablet sales may have slowed down in recent years, but Walmart has apparently identified an opportunity within the category that it can leverage to drive sales. The retailer, Bloomberg reports, plans to roll out an inexpensive, child-friendly Android tablet under its ONN private label.

Apple, the undisputed leader in the category, appears least likely to feel an impact from Walmart’s new entry since its iPad fills the upper, premium end of the market. Amazon.com’s line of Fire tablets, which include models marketed with colorful, kid-proof cases, appears a more likely target. The Fire line, which also runs on Android, tends to be priced at the lower end of the tablet market. ... "

Procter Thinking More Channels

My former employer talks products, packaging, supply chain, channel selection and design.  Quite a broad set of considerations for a relatively typical kind of CPG product.  Of course, direct to consumer experiments have been experimented with by Procter and other large CPG's for some time.

E-commerce forces CPG brands to think differently
by George Anderson in Retailwire with expert opinion.

Consumer packaged goods companies have always had to adapt their businesses to meet the needs of retail customers as new and growing channels of distribution (dollar stores, warehouse clubs, etc.) emerge. This is certainly the case over the past 20+ years as brands have been challenged in previously unforeseen ways by the development of digital commerce.

CPG giant Procter & Gamble is a clear case. The brand manufacturer is among the first to dip its toes into the direct-to-consumer space while also working with new customers (Amazon.com) and established ones (Walmart) on a variety of fronts. One example of this is P&G’s Tide Eco-Box, an ultra-concentrated liquid detergent contained in a cardboard box designed to be shipped to consumers’ homes. The detergent is currently listed for sale on Amazon, but not on the Target or Walmart sites.  (more details as to design at the site).... "

Customer Service State and Future

Good look at state and future of customer service, including advanced tech being used.   Have noted changes in how I use customer service.   In CustomerThink:

Customer Service: Where We Are and Where We Are Going
By Fara Haron in CustomerThink

Product and service-based businesses need a place to direct customers in need. If they don’t have one, it’s a fast road to an angry audience and a poor reputation. Customer service is a constant need across industries and has been for decades. However, not much light has been shed on the vast progress of this industry over the years. It started out with confused or upset customers picking up their landline for help, but today the average contact center supports an average of nine communication channels among email, web chat, social media and much more. To provide some insight on what’s happening behind the customer inquiry scenes, let’s take a look at the evolution of the contact center. How are customers currently serviced, how can we create the most efficient environment today, and how can customers expect to communicate 20 years from now? Perhaps more importantly, what is the data about customer expectations telling us? ... "

Marketing Measurement and Attribution

Fairly rare that I have seen attribution and accurate measurement.  Sounds like an old and well known question, as the old story tells us ....

Thoughts from Think with Google:

The hidden challenge with moving to data-driven attribution—and how to overcome it    By Casey Carey, Consumer Insights, Data & Measurement

As consumers interact with your brand across a growing number of screens and channels, it becomes increasingly difficult to know which parts of your marketing strategy are working.

Leading marketers are telling us that they are exploring data-driven attribution as a way to effectively measure  all their digital channels, and understand the impact each touchpoint has on the customer journey. In fact, according to a recent survey, 76% of all marketers say they currently have, or will have in the next 12 months, the capability to use marketing attribution.

Better attribution tools are making it easier for brands to bring together the data they need, analyze their performance, and get insights to improve their marketing. However, just like with any data-driven marketing effort, you don’t just need the right technology, you also need the right leadership.  .... " 

Advertising on Amazon

New to me: Digiday, with some interesting thoughts. Amazon owns some increasingly important channels, need to understand them

‘We are competing against them’: Some retailers are averse to advertising on Amazon
 by Ilyse Liffreing in Digiday.

Although Amazon is relatively new to advertising, the Amazon ad platform is already seeing strong interest from new brands and ad spend from its largest partners increase. But not all retailers are willing to advertise on Amazon.

Retailers that see themselves as direct competitors to Amazon don’t want to give the e-commerce giant even a small fraction of their ad spends, no matter how dominant Amazon becomes.

“Why lend them a helping hand?” said one executive at a large retailer, requesting anonymity. “We are competing against them. The last thing we want to do is contribute to their success.”

Who Wants an Amazon Key?

Still intrigued by the Amazon Key as a means to open a unique channel to the consumer.   But who wants it, who fears it, and what do they expect to get out of it?  Can it deliver?  Recode looks at some numbers.

Most Amazon Prime subscribers say they don’t want to buy the Amazon Key that lets delivery people into their homes

But 5 percent of Prime subscribers would definitely buy an Amazon Key.
 By Rani Molla @Ranimolla  .... "

Amazon Show vs Google YouTube

Brought to my attention weeks ago.  Just because they are in competition with assistants?  Or is it some technical aspect of how marketing value is shared in Youtube videos.  We need to know that channels, especially new ones, are stable.    Below look is thoughtful.   Including comments.  Supposedly being negotiated now,  will be following that.

Google pulls YouTube off the Amazon Echo Show
Goodbye, cooking lessons and music videos    by Dieter Bohn    ....  "

Ahold Digital Strategy

Considerable detail in this Progressive Grocer piece.

Ahold's digital strategy pays off
Ahold USA has seen success with a new digital strategy that has brought on 1 million new digital users, increased monthly app usage by 76% and driven a 179% increase in digital coupon activation over last year, the company reported. Ahold's new strategy focuses on enhancing promotions, personalization, and as a result, loyalty through investments in more relevant digital coupons, an improved mobile app, a recipe center, new sites and other digital tools. .... " 

Connected Car as a New Way of Marketing

A Whole new Way of Marketing in KouponMedia

With connected cars on the rise and the number of minutes spent in the car also increasing, a powerful new marketing channel has emerged. 

The connected car enables brands and retailers to reach drivers in their vehicles with highly targeted messaging, creating a captive, high-intent audience. 

Download our case study to learn how you can maximize this new channel and opportunity! 

(Downloadable Case Study with registration) 

Changing Retail: How Can Brands Connect?

In the HBR, some essential thoughts ... are old ideas but worth repeating.

How Consumer Brands Can Connect with Customers in a Changing Retail Landscape  by Robert Haslehurst, Chris Randall, Noor Abdel-Samed

When news broke earlier this year about Amazon’s courtship of some of the world’s biggest consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, it touched off a wave of speculation. Was the e-commerce giant engaged in a long game to alter the relationships between consumer goods makers and their brick-and-mortar retail partners?

However it plays out, Amazon’s outreach exposed a digital divide in the consumer products world. On one side is the growing interest of brands in direct-to-consumer (D2C) models. On the other side are persistent worries about conflict — not just with traditional distribution channels but also with retailers carrying the brand. To bridge this gap, we’ve identified seven tactics that pioneering brands have used to arrive at an effective digital strategy:  ...... 

 ... So someday soon, digital agility will be as important to consumer brands as traditional capabilities like brand-building, new product development, and distribution. What that digital response looks like will vary from brand to brand. For now, product makers can look to retailers and innovative brands for lessons in ways to balance universal best practices with choices that are authentic to the brand, the evolving consumer purchase process, and the specific channel environment.  ....  "

Ad Attention Research

In Think with Google:

Ad Attention Research: Effectiveness Hinges on More Than Just Reach

If a million trees fall in the forest and nobody hears them, do they make a sound? They might, but does it matter? New research from Nielsen and Ipsos proves that attention differs across screens and mere exposure isn’t enough—ads need to be noticed, watched, and heard to maximize impact. ... "

Cortana as a Bot Channel

I like thinking of it in this way.  Saw it demonstrated by MSFT using Cortana this week.   Still means the architecture, operations, context and memory of the bot have to be developed and work well and seamlessly.   Still a challenge for dialog in a Bot.

Cortana, as a new Microsoft Bot Framework Channel   by Aram Koukia 

In Build 2017, Microsoft announced several updates to the Bot Framework which are great, and as I was expecting, this great bot framework is here to stay!

One of the features that made me really excited, and something that will push me to think about bot use-cases even more, is the Cortana channel.  .... " 

Amazon Prime in China

Will be interesting how this plays out.  I will be particularly interested in how it creates new channels to China.

Amazon Prime arrives in China to further challenge Alibaba
What will Jack Ma do? ... With over 63 million people already paying for Prime, Amazon is now expanding its subscription service to one of the largest marketplaces in the world: China. The retailer has announced that mainland users can now enjoy free, unlimited shipping on millions of domestic items, as well as others from the special "overseas orders" category. As part of a promotion that lasts until February, Amazon is offering the membership for $188 yuan (around $30) for the first year. Once this rate ends, Prime will cost 388 yuan (about $60) every 12 months.  ... " 

Target Piloting AddStructure

Retailers responding to devices like the Amazon Echo with natural Language interaction.  Looking for more details. In Retailwire: 

Target piloting Amazon Alexa voice search rival  by Dan O’Shea

Target and three other retailers have partnered with natural language processing (NLP) startup AddStructure to roll out what an AddStructure co-founder describes as a “white-label” spin on Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

( Addstructure: Help your customers find the products they are looking for on any channel: Organic. Desktop. Mobile. App. Voice. Messengers. Intelligent Chat Bot )

Chosen in June to participate in the Target + TechStars accelerator program, AddStructure has already worked with Target on a six-to-nine-month pilot program and is set to begin similar pilots next month with L’Oreal, Under Armour and the online antiques marketplace, 1stdibs.

“We’ve always been focused on language, so how are people searching for things, what are the priorities around different products through analysis of user reviews,” AddStructure co-founder Will Underwood told the Trib. “Now it’s just about using that knowledge of natural language to allow people to interact.”

During the accelerator program, AddStructure got to work with a Target.com vice president as a mentor and collaborated with three departments within Target to learn more about integrating new technology into a retailer and perfecting its product.   ... " 

Creating Omni Encounters

Its always about creating as many encounters as possible.   In the old days of advertising these were created in your head.  Now there are just many more possibilities.

The Store of the Future Creates Omni-Encounters
A look at why retailers should relax the boundaries among "channels" in their Omni-channel retail strategies ... " 

Technical Revolution in the Ear

In Co.Design
The Next Big Tech Revolution Will Be In Your Ear
Experts in UX, AI, and product design weigh in on the next big modality in computing. ..

Amazon Developer Community Blog

I have been asked to follow developments in places like Amazon Dash, Amazon Echo and AWS  for retail. One way to do this is to follow their developer community.  The blog is well written, technical, but will give you an indication through coverage and comments about where things are headed.   Creating new selling channels and engagements.

Retailers and Omni-Channel

In Retailwire: More on retailers and omni channel via the cloud.

Kroger and Omnichannel Balance

Feedback in general is always a key interest, it can exist at many levels and sources.  It still remains difficult thing to combine different kinds and levels of feedback.  This is becoming more interesting as social data is integrated into feedback results ...

How Kroger strives for the omnichannel balance 
Customer feedback is key in shaping a retailer's transition from traditional to omnichannel, said Shashank Saxena, Kroger's director of digital and e-commerce technology. He also advises retailers to keep up with big-picture trends, tweak business models as trends change and take great care when testing changes to core brands. ....   "

Wal-Mart on the Strength of Physical Retail

Bill Simon, former president and CEO, Walmart U.S, speaks at the NRF on e-commerce, technology and design that helps physical retail. " ... "It's pretty one dimensional," he said of the e-commerce shopping experience. "You get what you want and you get it at some point in the future." ... Indeed, he believes most of e-commerce's robust growth in the last couple of years has come from its "interaction with physical retail" and that continued omnichannel pushes should play to the advantage of retailers with physical stores. ... "