In the book The Cold Start Problem, Andrew Chen says that the 'network effect’ is really three effects:
The acquisition effect
The engagement effect
The monetization effect
In the beginning, a business seeking to build a network has to concentrate on acquiring users, even if they are non-paying. Companies often give away the service, especially software companies, and we can see that with Facebook, Slack, TikTok, and many others. Bridge didn’t do ...
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Thieves have increased their activities since the pandemic started. In 2021, retail theft was up 40% shared The Wall St. Journal. Many stolen goods wind up on for sale on Amazon and Ebay. To combat this, two Congress people have proposed requiring sellers of more than $5,000 in goods or 200 transactions to reveal more information about themselves.
Amazon issued a press release stating that it is fighting with 10,000 Facebook groups that sell fake Amazon reviews. It’s ironic, since Amazon has been a chief promoter of the avenue allowing this behavior: Section 230. Section 230 allows tech platforms to host and indirectly promote just about any type of bad behavior, including illegal behavior (fake review services and yes, human trafficking, murder-for-hire, etc.) and then say it’s just a community space and belatedly remove the ...
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Last February e-commerce company Shopify Inc. replaced the “Ottawa, Canada” dateline that began its press releases and earnings reports with a strange new one: “Internet, Everywhere.” The geographical shift came at the insistence of Shopify’s founder and chief executive officer, Tobi Lütke, who tends to view such matters through the prism of cold, hard logic. In May 2020, only a few months into the pandemic, he’d made the early, seemingly rash decision to...
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I spotted this board game 'Anti-Monopoly' at a garage sale. The character on the front has an uncanny resemblance to Jeff Bezos, head of Amazon which many people consider to be a monopoly in a few sectors from online shopping to cloud-based computing.
Companies with deep pockets and big connections to Wall St. have teamed up to make the Internet a dirtier place. Legislation is pending to make large sellers of new goods have to reveal the true seller of the good. The goal of the federal bill is to curtail the sale of fake and stolen goods through online marketplaces. This sounds logical. But not to: eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, and Etsy.
These businesses have hundreds of millions of dollars at stake from banks, investors, and rich people. They ...
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Tableware Today magazine asked 71 industry professionals for their thoughts on 2021. I was one of those asked, and shared these answers to Editor Amy Stavis' questions:
What will be the most significant change for our industry in 2021?
J: As the famous business leader Marc Andreessen said, software is eating the world--and it's eating our industry like never before with Covid-19. The question is whether you're eating or being eaten. We’re all in the software business now. ...
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September 30, 2019
September 30, 2019
Social media (i.e. Facebook) is now the leading tool scammers use to successfully steal from peopleโbeating e-mail, telephone, and websites.
Be wary of links leading to eBay and Craigslist, and stay away from bank and wire transfers.
Credit card may be the safest purchase option.
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November 26, 2017
November 26, 2017
Don't forget to grab our 2017 Christmas by the Bay collectible ornament! This year's design is a majestic Barred Owl resting on his tree branch.
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September 18, 2017
September 18, 2017
Macy's new head honcho: the web dude. Remember a few ears ago when the web guy was a sort of joke and after thought? Now the web people are the decision makers. Take head.
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July 11, 2017
July 11, 2017
Amazon Prime Day has become a national holiday for the entire retail industry.
Here are the Prime Day deals Amazon didn't want you to see.
Here are the Prime Day deals Amazon didn't want you to see
Amazon Prime Day has become a national holiday for the entire retail industry. Kicking off its third annual Prime Day on Monday night, Amazon (AMZN) is offering new deals as ...
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May 22, 2016
May 22, 2016
How to Sell Luxury Online is NOT What You Think It Is
I was chatting with a sales rep today and he remarked that some luxury stores don't want a basic format website to promote a luxury product. I infer from this that his luxury stores want something glitzier than a traditional website. I once worked at Scully & Scully on Park Ave and 59th Street and the store manager wanted the website home page to be a video of the doors of the store opening and a person welcoming the online customer. A ...
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December 15, 2011
December 15, 2011
Interesting story: Saddam Hussien's looted Wedgwood plates end up in the East Village, then are repatriated with help of State Department to Iraqi people.
December 14, 2011, 2:41 PM Looted Dishes Used in Art Project Returned to Iraq By RANDY KENNEDY
Over the last several years, as cultural patrimony cases have roiled the artworld, federal marshals have made surprise visits to numerous...
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December 28, 2009
December 28, 2009
Wall St. Journal: As Stores Sputter, Sales Sizzle Online
As Stores Sputter, Sales Sizzle Online Dec. 15 Sets Record for Web-Site Revenue; Sears, Macy's,Other Big Retailers Lure Internet Shoppers By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER
A holiday season of Web price wars and aggressive online promotions by store-based retailers is leaving e-commerce a larger force in American retail.
While sales conducted at brick-and mortar stores are about flat this season compared with 2008, online retailing grew 4% from the ...
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October 21, 2009
October 21, 2009
Should you offer free shipping on your website?
Please see below. This article from today's Wall St. Journal explores the expectation for free shipping when buying online. My advice to clients: - Let's better promote our free shipping offer for orders made online. - Let's e-mail a coupon to past customers either for an amount off the purchase, or something about free shipping. - Can we lower our free shipping baseline, or offer a free upgrade to quicker shipping? aka: 2 day shipping?