05/31/07: Google takes it to the Streets
Greetings from Ottawa! Well you would have thought spirits would be pretty low here in Ottawa after their Senators lost a close first Stanley Cup game to the Ducks. But everyone was riding high from a great day at ‘The Great Glebe Garage Sale.’ This annual event is a community garage sale in the trendy Glebe area of Ottawa. You can find just about anything here, and vendors donate a portion of their proceeds to the Ottawa Food Bank. Musicians also come out for the day, and I got a chance to pick up the sax and play with the Swampwater Jazz Band!
Anyway, I came back to my hotel room and began exploring San Francisco. A few hours later, I was still in San Francisco! I had discovered Google’s latest edition to Maps, called ‘Streetview’. They only have a few cities, but I had a blast cruising the Vegas Strip, Broadway in New York and San Fran.
Streetview could be a great addition to any mobile directions. Imagine not just knowing to turn after going .81 miles, but also to turn at the Red Brick building!
While in Streetview, I cruised by my Apartment building to see where I might put my latest purchase, a Canadian Mountie!
Anyway, I came back to my hotel room and began exploring San Francisco. A few hours later, I was still in San Francisco! I had discovered Google’s latest edition to Maps, called ‘Streetview’. They only have a few cities, but I had a blast cruising the Vegas Strip, Broadway in New York and San Fran.
Streetview could be a great addition to any mobile directions. Imagine not just knowing to turn after going .81 miles, but also to turn at the Red Brick building!
05/23/07: eCommerce goes mainstream
I was in Freeport Maine to pick up some outdoor gear before I head to Ottawa. The Senators are finally in the Stanley Cup finals. One night over a campfire, I made a promise to head up there for a game if they ever made it to the finals. You really don’t want to hear what I promised to wear if they win.
Anyway, my dear friend and LL Bean Chairman, Leon Gorman, met me to catch up and try on some new cold weather gear that he recommends. While we were walking around, he mentioned that sales from the website have been booming, and the demographics of the online shoppers are now closely matching the rest of their operations.
On the way back, I was given a report that Forrester had just released regarding online shopping habits. While there wasn’t a ceremony, apparel became the top category in online sales in 2006, trumping the previous long time leader, computer hardware and software.
This is pretty impressive and points to ecommerce going mainstream. Clothing sales online was always considered to be the tough one. People need to try on those bell bottoms before they buy them. But I think a couple of factors helped drive this:
1- eCommerce is finally easy – the ordering process is smooth and natural
2- Internet usage matching demographics of apparel consumers – Sure we all need to wear clothes, but it is the teens that spend the most on apparel. They are also the group spending the most time online. Transacting online is natural to them
3- Clicks and Bricks works – Buying online with the ability to return in store is a big deal, and remove much of the risk
4- Online stores are offering more than just a catalog – Online stores are great for assembling wardrobes on the fly, recommending pieces based upon body size and suggesting what is hot based upon real-time purchase data. This allows the online stores to offer much more than simply a rack of clothes and a dressing room.
On to Ottawa- Go Sens!
Anyway, my dear friend and LL Bean Chairman, Leon Gorman, met me to catch up and try on some new cold weather gear that he recommends. While we were walking around, he mentioned that sales from the website have been booming, and the demographics of the online shoppers are now closely matching the rest of their operations.
On the way back, I was given a report that Forrester had just released regarding online shopping habits. While there wasn’t a ceremony, apparel became the top category in online sales in 2006, trumping the previous long time leader, computer hardware and software.
This is pretty impressive and points to ecommerce going mainstream. Clothing sales online was always considered to be the tough one. People need to try on those bell bottoms before they buy them. But I think a couple of factors helped drive this:
1- eCommerce is finally easy – the ordering process is smooth and natural
2- Internet usage matching demographics of apparel consumers – Sure we all need to wear clothes, but it is the teens that spend the most on apparel. They are also the group spending the most time online. Transacting online is natural to them
3- Clicks and Bricks works – Buying online with the ability to return in store is a big deal, and remove much of the risk
4- Online stores are offering more than just a catalog – Online stores are great for assembling wardrobes on the fly, recommending pieces based upon body size and suggesting what is hot based upon real-time purchase data. This allows the online stores to offer much more than simply a rack of clothes and a dressing room.
On to Ottawa- Go Sens!
05/14/07: Dell finds a new way to survey
Springtime in Washington DC ranks in my mind as one of the must-do items for anyone who can. I had the double pleasure of being able to spend the weekend in DC with my longtime friend, Michael Dell.
Michael’s story with revolutionizing the PC industry is legendary. I bought one of his first machines out of his dorm room when we were both in Austin. I didn’t know him except that for the few biology courses that a friend of mine was teaching on campus. The machine was great for the time, although we both now joke that it had more of his selling skills in it than actual RAM. I always kept that machine, knowing it was something special.
This weekend, we both got to see it again. Michael invited me out (with the machine of course) to have the machine inducted into the Smithsonian, right next to an early IBM PC and an Apple. After a fabulous dinner, we went over to a quiet table outside the hotel for some scotch and cigars.
Michael’s life has gotten a whole lot more hectic these days after stepping back into the leadership role at Dell. One of the actions he was most proud of was a new customer survey tool that he affectionately calls Ideastorm. This site solicits feedback from consumers about what Dell should be doing differently, from installed software to new models. The tool has been a great way to capture and rank ideas from consumers.
The typical problem with consumer surveys is that the questions lead the answers. Ask a question a certain way and you can almost guarantee a certain answer. Ideastorm follows the social voting model popularized by Digg.com that turns the typical survey on its head.
Interested consumers can submit their own wish list for Dell. Each item is classified and thrown into the pile of other suggestions. As others browse through the queue, consumers can add their vote to ideas that they feel have merit. As items gain more votes, they gain more visibility. Finally, each item that crosses a threshold of interest gets the attention of people at Dell who note on the idea its likelihood of being implemented.
Survey tools like Dell’s Ideastorm, offers a great way to learn answers to questions you didn’t even think to ask.
I figured I already knew the answer to the question that I didn’t ask: When was Michael going to replace my original PC that is now sitting in the Smithsonian. Enjoying the near perfect evening with such a dear friend, I decided it wasn’t a question worth asking.
Michael’s story with revolutionizing the PC industry is legendary. I bought one of his first machines out of his dorm room when we were both in Austin. I didn’t know him except that for the few biology courses that a friend of mine was teaching on campus. The machine was great for the time, although we both now joke that it had more of his selling skills in it than actual RAM. I always kept that machine, knowing it was something special.
Michael’s life has gotten a whole lot more hectic these days after stepping back into the leadership role at Dell. One of the actions he was most proud of was a new customer survey tool that he affectionately calls Ideastorm. This site solicits feedback from consumers about what Dell should be doing differently, from installed software to new models. The tool has been a great way to capture and rank ideas from consumers.
The typical problem with consumer surveys is that the questions lead the answers. Ask a question a certain way and you can almost guarantee a certain answer. Ideastorm follows the social voting model popularized by Digg.com that turns the typical survey on its head.
Interested consumers can submit their own wish list for Dell. Each item is classified and thrown into the pile of other suggestions. As others browse through the queue, consumers can add their vote to ideas that they feel have merit. As items gain more votes, they gain more visibility. Finally, each item that crosses a threshold of interest gets the attention of people at Dell who note on the idea its likelihood of being implemented.
Survey tools like Dell’s Ideastorm, offers a great way to learn answers to questions you didn’t even think to ask.
I figured I already knew the answer to the question that I didn’t ask: When was Michael going to replace my original PC that is now sitting in the Smithsonian. Enjoying the near perfect evening with such a dear friend, I decided it wasn’t a question worth asking.
05/09/07: Chalk one up for the good guys
I stepped off the grid for a few weeks on Safari in Africa, leaving all technologies behind except my electric toothbrush and digital camera. I’ve returned to a fully charged blackberry, cell phone and laptop full of emails.
One was a note from the team regarding a client of ours, Bluewater Wind. Owner Peter Mandelstam and his team have been pushing for a wind farm 7 miles off the coast of southern Delaware. The project would be a big first step for Delaware to ‘go green.’
The commission established to evaluate the different options for new power plants met Tuesday and voted unanimously for Bluewater Wind.
This feels good on three fronts: 1- The promise of clean, renewable energy, 2- they are a client of ours, and 3- most importantly, they approached the site strategy with an eye towards open communication and honesty.
I’ve said it to many people many times, you are one google search away from having any false truths on your site exposed. Bluewater Wind went to great lengths to make sure the message was fair and honest.
I wish Peter and his team well!
One was a note from the team regarding a client of ours, Bluewater Wind. Owner Peter Mandelstam and his team have been pushing for a wind farm 7 miles off the coast of southern Delaware. The project would be a big first step for Delaware to ‘go green.’
The commission established to evaluate the different options for new power plants met Tuesday and voted unanimously for Bluewater Wind.
This feels good on three fronts: 1- The promise of clean, renewable energy, 2- they are a client of ours, and 3- most importantly, they approached the site strategy with an eye towards open communication and honesty.
I’ve said it to many people many times, you are one google search away from having any false truths on your site exposed. Bluewater Wind went to great lengths to make sure the message was fair and honest.
I wish Peter and his team well!
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