Tag Archives: Google

by | Tuesday, May 28, 2013 · 4:46 pm

Timing is Everything – Same Day Delivery

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If you think the battle for retail has been fierce so far, you ain’t seen nothing yet! The next battle-front will be in online retail and will feature same-day delivery service. Amazon has been testing same-day delivery in several large cities already, and now Google Shops is getting ready to join the action.

Why so much attention? According to Forrester Research, e-commerce sales will reach more than $327 billion by the year 2016, and consumers will be purchasing everything from low-dollar items such as shampoo and toothpaste, to luxury items costing well into the thousands of dollars (and soon, even cars will be purchased online). This means that quickly getting the goods to consumers is a critical value-added feature in the competitive online retail world.

Google Shopping Express is now being tested in the San Francisco Bay Area and includes same-day delivery on items purchased from retailers including Target, Walgreens, Staples, and more. The new service will rival Amazon’s popular Amazon Prime, but at a reportedly lower rate.

Google Shopping differs from Amazon in that Google does not warehouse inventory, but instead depends on retail partners to fill the orders. Google takes the order and collects payments; retailers get a valuable portal to Google’s vast user base.

More companies are entering this new same-day delivery arena: Start-up company Shutl (www.shutl.com) will soon be operating in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. The service ideas are not new, but recent technology innovations have brought these into the realm of possibility. The question is the consumer – is same-day delivery worth a premium?

Timing is everything.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1. Start with a discussion of supply chain and its importance in marketing.
2. Bring up Google’s Shopping Express site and discuss benefits/risks: http://www.google.com/shopping/express/about/3. Next, bring up Shutl’s site and discuss how the company will operate: www.shutl.com.
4. Have students diagram a supply chain/distribution model for products such as soda, bread, shoes, books, music, and furniture.
5. What is the timeline for these deliveries?
6. How does same-day delivery impact the consumer? How does same-day delivery impact the retailer?
7. Divide students into teams. Have each team develop a promotion that can keep consumers coming to brick-and-mortar stores.
8. Conversely, have each team develop a promotion to get consumers to shop online more frequently.

Source:  Brandchannel.com, Ad Age Daily, 3/6/13

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by | Friday, March 29, 2013 · 9:52 pm

Google’s Electronic Wallet

Every day it seems that consumers are able to conduct more of their routine purchases and payments electronically. So why should consumers need that bursting-at-the-seems old wallet? The reality is that soon we will not need to carry wallets and hard cash; payments at the store can already be done with our smart phones.

While mobile sales payments are small today, they are rapidly increasing at retail outlets. Mobile payments in stores have increased nearly four-fold since last year and PayPal alone processed an estimated $14 billion in mobile payments in 2012. Retailers – and consumers – are taking note of these changes.

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Using a smart phone for mobile payments is easy, but there are implications for privacy; a single device can track where you are, who you call, what you do, and now it can track what you buy.

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1.      Show video on Google wallet: http://youtu.be/hLbmy4XQsMo
2.      Show videos of Google wallet in action: http://youtu.be/NKuUzNnb8aQ and http://youtu.be/cVDyd4G0uTU
3.      What are the advantages to consumers? To retailers?
4.      What are the disadvantages to consumers? To retailers?
5.      Discuss privacy concerns and implications.
6.      Divide students into teams. Have each team select a retailer and work out a marketing campaign to introduce and encourage consumers to make mobile payments.

Source:  Brandchannel.com, other news sources, 3/21/13

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by | Tuesday, February 5, 2013 · 6:31 pm

Google Glasses – Wearable Technology

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If you have ever had a vision of the future, complete with mobile technology and augmented reality, then Google’s Project Glass might be for you. As you read this post, Google is reviewing entries into a contest to select the lucky winners – who will spend $1,500 – to purchase Google Glasses. Google is asking its fans to help them discover the full potential of Google Glasses through social media and contest entries.

 

What are Google Glasses? In simple terms, the product uses an eye-glass type of frame to bring an augmented reality display to the viewer. Google Glass uses a smartphone type of format to display information, in a hands-free format, and enable the wearer to interact with the Internet via voice commands. A camera is embedded in the glasses, allowing the wearer to take pictures and videos.

 

Try using the Glasses to walk around town, order food, learn about the weather, communicate with your friends, and more. Wearable technology is here!

 

 

 

Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

1. Start at Google’s overview of the project: https://plus.google.com/+projectglass#+projectglass/about2. Next, visit http://www.google.com/glass/start/ for a more in-depth look at the technology and features.
3. View the video of Glass in action:
http://youtu.be/9c6W4CCU9M4
http://youtu.be/v1uyQZNg2vE4. Divide students into teams. Have each team determine at least three target markets for the Glasses.
5. For each market, identify key messages, features, benefits, and marketing tactics.

Source:  Various news sources, New York Times, CNN, Associated Press, 2/21/13

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