šļø Links & Thinks from 2023.02.07
Borrowing From Ecomm
SMS-gating is going brick-and-mortar. Some stores are testing a piece of anti-theft tech that allows shoppers to unlock items themselves, if they hand over their phone number or a biometric. The data wonāt be used for anything else, of course. (Until it is?)
Brick-and-mortar is stealing a few more things from ecomm stores. And if theyāre worth stealing, theyāre worth making sure you have in the first place. Hereās your checklist:
- Detailed and plentiful product info
- Better personalization
- Lots and lots of selection
- Easy search.
- Interactive elements (like a wishlist)
More Retail Tea Leaves
Do you offer Afterpay as a payment option? If so, you might want to be aware of the growing body of complaints filed with the FTC by consumers. Common themes are: support is hard to reach, charges remaining on incomplete or cancelled orders, and being told ātalk to the retailerā after the retailer sends them to Afterpay.
Pop quiz: your brandās theme song is used without permission in a post that goes viral, what do you do? Donāt call the lawyers, pull a Home Depot. Post that bop for all to use and see what happens.
Fanatics is going to do it live. The plan is to sell cards and collectibles via the great white whale of ecommerce channels: livestream shopping. This may be the year the medium sinks or swims for good.
The GuLoader malware has evolved and is targeting ecomm companies in the US and South Korea.
the new phishing wave employs NSIS [Nullsoft Scriptable Install System] files embedded within ZIP or ISO images to activate the infection.
TikTokās Ups & Downs
TikTokās no music test in Australia is not looking good for The Almighty Algorithm App. Of course, turning off all sound instead of just music for some users probably isnāt helping. Some creators are considering taking offers from competitor platforms and leaving The Clock behind.
But itās not all bad, kids are picking The Clock over The āTube even more these days.
New From Goog
Google wants to help you prepare your privacy-first advertising plan, so itās rolled out Ads Privacy Hub. Or, as Big G says, ābookmark the Ads Privacy Hub for a consistent source of truth on Google Ads privacy-preserving technologies, helping you stay on top of a shifting digital ecosystem.ā
The Future of Search?
Between BingGPT and Google's Bard response, there is a lot of uncertainty about the future of SEO and organic search traffic for brands. Based on the peeks we've seen so far, I think this take is a good way to think about it: think about what it's like asking a voice assistant a question, now imagine that happening on a screen instead of in your ears (or like what you see on your smart assistant screen but maybe with more links after it).
As far as how you should adapt, same answer as always: figure out a direct line to your customer. Build your list, collect phone numbers, start a private community, etc. Focus on "channels where we know our content can reach our audiences without interference from someone elseās AI."
Meme Stocks Go Straight
Selling financial services or products? Reddit says itās the platform for you.
Just The Headlines
- The Mastodon Bump Is Now a Slump / Active users have fallen by more than 1 million since the exodus from Elon Muskās Twitter, suggesting the decentralized platform is not a direct replacement.
- Polish competition watchdog accuses Amazon EU of misleading consumers
- An Etsy customer's refund request for a broken $200 plastic cup spiraled into a furious exchange that went viral on TikTok (Everything is customer service, and every customer is a potential media entity.)