Your Very Own QVC? V-Commerce Is Heeeere
And there you were thinking F-commerce was de rigueur… While setting up shop on Facebook is yet to yield major sales for most merchandisers, verified YouTube publishers will soon be able to sell via the Merch Store and this, quite frankly, makes a lot more sense from a consumer mindset standpoint.
Merch Store was initially rolled out in partnerships with music distributors and start-ups like iTUnes and the particularly fabulous Topspin. But according to AuctionBytes, “Over the next few months, YouTube publishers will see a new tab on their channel called “Store,” where they can choose merchandise to showcase to their viewers. “You’ll need to have an account with each company to list products on your channel, and clicking on the product will take you to the site where it’s for sale.”
So, while it won’t open up major new revenue channels for most beauty and apparel designers and bloggers, the bigger publishers (think: Glam, Gilt, Hearst, Conde et al) should be eyeing this very closely. When you couple existing behaviors around things like haul videos and styling how-tos with the ability to sell within the experience, I predict video commerce is going to significantly up the ante on commerce-driven-content.
And if you’re a VC or you’re working at a start-up e-tailer or fashion site, I’d start loading up my basket with some of these eggs.
via shoutsandmumbles:
Google’s augmented reality glasses are in testing mode. I am not sure how I feel about this. While it is a big step forward in terms of wearable technology, not to mention, the disappearance of the interface, I am curious to see how many people will actually use these and the demand for them.
Google’s Project Glass augmented reality glasses begin testing | The Verge
I don’t hate the idea. It’s inevitable. But my feeling remains: Google Must Start Working With Gucci.
(Source: youtube.com)
reblogged from shoutsandmumbles
Google Planning Retail. For Real?
Only because this headline hints at the place where two of the things I love most meet (retail and tech), I had to take note.
While I’m not sure the world needs a brick-and-mortar shop hawking pens, coffee mugs, and tees emblazoned with Google logos, I can see the value in a storefront experience of the brand’s increasing hardware partnerships: a place where you can browse phones, connected TVs, and tablets, as well as previewing and playing with Google programs and tools.
Awesome, articulate, ambitious young women. Love.
These young women are heartwarming, smart and so passionate about their work. They are truly inspiring role models to us all. (via The 3 Teenage Girls Who Won the Google Science Fair Speak at TEDx)
reblogged from thenextweb
The Get More Out of Google Infographic Summarizes Online Research Tricks for Students
I consistently forget these tricks. Now I have a visual. Thanks, Internet.
reblogged from courtenaybird
reblogged from laughingsquid
npr:
Address Is Approximate, A Toy’s Adventure Using Google Street View
This is absolutely gorgeous — well worth two-and-a-half minutes of your time. —Sarah
This is so beautiful. Had goosebumps the whole time.
reblogged from npr
Groupon Spinning a Loyalty Tale Now?
As reported by TechCrunch, the daily deals behemoth Groupon is about to roll out a new product called Groupon Rewards that tries to give merchants a way to increase customer loyalty. Merchants will be able to start signing up tomorrow and consumers will start seeing the rewards in October.
Sorta like the old punch card system at your local coffee shop, it’s a tried and true tactic to create loyalty. But TechCrunch goes on to point out: unlike a regular Groupon deal, the merchant will not keep half of the coupon amount. If the reward is a $4 coupon for $20 worth of goods, that entire $4 will go to Groupon.
Uhhh this would be something of a turn off for most of those small businesses that have already been burned, turning over half their profits to Groupon. I mean, who is going to fall for this one?
In related news, I missed this item during the summer but Google Acquired Punchd, a virtual loyalty card… future integrations into mobile wallet??? Plot thickens.
Facebook: It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Circles
Starting today, Facebook is making it easier for users to share updates with select “smart lists” of friends, rather than blasting the masses. Makes sense if you only want to share your kids’ pictures with family and friends vs. your colleagues. And just think, now those political views can be aired without upsetting friends and family who sit firmly on the other side of the issue.
As with most of the product “innovations” and iterations happening at Facebook, the functionality borrows heavily from products past, particularly Google’s Plus, which in essence is exactly this — if you haven’t used it, Circles is the core piece of functionality that allows you to first bucket your contacts into groups and then whenever you post an update, you can easily choose which social circle will receive your dazzling insight or funny cat picture.
While some users may delight in dedicating a few hours to logging in and organizing all their friends and contacts into new and shiny groups, my instinct is that many will find it a chore. But creating micro or niche networks inside existing all-friends-are-equal networks is an inevitable requirement and now it’s happening on Facebook, it will habituate far more people into desiring this type of functionality.
The trend is something to keep in mind when launching any sort of product or campaign: the days of blasting messages to the masses are fading. As users of these technologies struggle to manage their own attention and how they’re attracting or distracting that of others, savvy planners will ensure users have options and adjust their lofty reach goals accordingly.
