MWC through a Retail Lens
Based on what I saw at MWC (fka Mobile World Congress), the themes, especially as they relate to commerce, can be summed up most succinctly as SPEED.
Why Tech Matters in Retail
I’m headed to SF for a quick trip to NRFtech to emcee tomorrow morning’s session. Much of this year’s discussion will center on “why tech matters” in retail.
When New Marketing Becomes Old & Gets New Again
Four brands took an Instagram marketing tactic that’s become stale and created a cross-brand customer experience in Soho
Media + Product Discovery = New Retail Experience
At the Brit + Co #CreateGood pop-up in Soho, worlds converge as the media company for women advertises its own platform, while bringing other brands to life inside its "5-day experience of all things good". Truth be told, #CreateGood uses these brands to round out Brit + Co IRL by providing visitors with sustenance and entertainment.
Closing The Mobile Marketing Gap
I attended TAP 2017 last week and I'm excited about how Button is addressing the gap between affiliate marketing effectiveness on desktop vs. on mobile.
SXSW Highlights
I packed about 17 experiences into my one day (Saturday, 3/11/17) in Austin, not including all the mind-expanding conversations I had along the way. The global, truly interdisciplinary nature of the crowd this event continues to draw is beyond impressive.
Millennial 20/20: Experience + Photo Required
If there's no picture, did it even happen? For brands, it may as well not have. And for millennials, if there's no picture to be taken, the experience may not happen for them at all. But it better be an experience you're selling, and not just an item.
6 Times Last Week Retail Was About People -- Not Tech
Most of the recaps of Retail’s BIG Show, hosted by the National Retail Federation last week, have been focused on technology. But what stood out to me more than always-new technology was a collection of statements from the show about the people who work in retail and the investments the industry makes in them, largely in the name of customer experience.
A Singles Day Primer
As I've told people I'm heading to China this week for "Singles Day", I've found I need to remind some what this holiday - also known as "11.11" - is.
Below you'll find:
1. What I'm most excited to learn more about in Shenzhen
2. Key quotes from Alibaba's earnings conference call last week
Throughout, I'm linking to recent articles about 11.11, Alibaba and its competitors.
Worm-Topped Ice Cream & As-Seen-On-TV Coffee (aka Experiential Marketing)
Over the course of my retail career, I've been able to build brands and invest in customer experience. At other times, I've run businesses where I had to pull out the discounts to make a sale and put cash in the bank "today" at the expense of long-term strategy. It continues to be physical experiences that raise and re-frame brand profiles that excite me. I've seen two recently.
What was Hot (or Not) at Retail’s Digital Summit
Thanks to the National Retail Federation for inviting me to cover last week’s big event in Dallas. While I listened to speakers, walked the Expo Hall of tech vendors, and concurrently followed #shoporg16 on Twitter, I naturally reflected on what I heard more or less about relative to past trends and my expectations.
How Retailers Can Beat Amazon to the Mobile Sale
To compete for traffic and sales, retailers need to meet consumers where they are - in mobile apps - and reach them before they've decided what they need to buy and gone to Amazon.
The company making both of these objectives possible is Button.