So everyone knows the music industry is basically screwed (I blame the 90's) and if not for T-Swizz, defying the mighty Spotify by removing her albums and making people actually physically buy it, 2014 might of been the first year, in a very long time, an album did not sell over a million in the US (Taylor actually ended up doing it in a week!).
So why might hip-hop be saving the music industry (& what does this have to do with eCommerce?). First, Hip hop has always been inventive in finding ways to make money (Drugs anyone?), Jay-Z sold his first album on tape, out of the back of his car, before signing a major label deal and now Hip-Hop artists are trying some new and innovative ways to do the same thing.
The legends that are the American So Solid Crew, Wu Tang Clan, decided they were going to make one copy of their album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin and sell it to the highest bidder. Allegedly they have been offered 5 million for it (link) and will be exhibiting it at Art Basel in Miami (how, I don't quite know).
Rapper Nipsey Hustle released his latest album for free online but if you want a physical copy, it will set you back a cool 1K of the Benjamins (sorry, gone all street) with only 100 copies available. So far, according to Mr Hustle, he has already sold 60 of them. It is also not the first time he has tried a innovative way of releasing music and being paid for it. Hustle's last album, 2012's Crenshaw, you could by for $100, with 1000 available. Jay Z loved the idea so much he bought a 100. Nipsey Hustle embraces it as a way of breaking from the usual record label route, keeping creative control and also embracing the new (e.g. free music).
Of course, Tom Yorke has been trying these ideas for years, new ways, to not only get music to people but also to make money and now Hip Hop artists are giving a second chance to the music industry, even if the Wu idea seems a little extreme!
Simon's blog on life at 5xThinking
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Monday, 19 January 2015
Google Glasses & why it did not work?
Ok, a little late to the party with this one but here are my thoughts**.
While at Google, I got the chance to try and play with Google glasses and was immediately underwhelmed, sure once we got onto translating road signs it was kind of cool, the photo element worked (just) and directions seemed useful.
So what was wrong:
1) The person who built it, had clearly been watching Terminator and then point blank refused to admit it. I brought this up (on numerous occasions), my point being it would work for police facial recognition technology, just like Arni had, lock on and destroy type stuff. However no one seemed to get this? However for normal people it was just not useful.
2) Not enough apps, they wanted to build it all on the fact you can translate things, use a map and then take a photo, we were all board within about 5 minutes. They needed some fun things, we had a quick brainstorm and this is what we came up with:
Time travel app, be able to flick back in time, so if you are walking along oxford street you can say "Google Glasses dinosaurs" it then immediately changes your outlook to how it would be when dinosaurs roamed the world.
Doom app: a real life game of Doom with other people whereing Google glasses.
Weather: You want it to be sunny, no problem, google glasses has that sorted (same with snow etc).
3) It should not be Google Glasses to start it should be "go go Google glasses" these are basics and I expected better from Google.
Overall though (& being slightly more serious) it was a good idea and the type of things google should be doing (& are) and maybe just one of these days they will be able to make the reality as good as the idea.
**not all of this article is serious.....
While at Google, I got the chance to try and play with Google glasses and was immediately underwhelmed, sure once we got onto translating road signs it was kind of cool, the photo element worked (just) and directions seemed useful.
So what was wrong:
1) The person who built it, had clearly been watching Terminator and then point blank refused to admit it. I brought this up (on numerous occasions), my point being it would work for police facial recognition technology, just like Arni had, lock on and destroy type stuff. However no one seemed to get this? However for normal people it was just not useful.
2) Not enough apps, they wanted to build it all on the fact you can translate things, use a map and then take a photo, we were all board within about 5 minutes. They needed some fun things, we had a quick brainstorm and this is what we came up with:
Time travel app, be able to flick back in time, so if you are walking along oxford street you can say "Google Glasses dinosaurs" it then immediately changes your outlook to how it would be when dinosaurs roamed the world.
Doom app: a real life game of Doom with other people whereing Google glasses.
Weather: You want it to be sunny, no problem, google glasses has that sorted (same with snow etc).
3) It should not be Google Glasses to start it should be "go go Google glasses" these are basics and I expected better from Google.
Overall though (& being slightly more serious) it was a good idea and the type of things google should be doing (& are) and maybe just one of these days they will be able to make the reality as good as the idea.
**not all of this article is serious.....
Saturday, 17 January 2015
Mobile Site vs App
So is it worth developing a App for eCommerce websites?
A difficult argument with lots of questions/debate on either side. First I will start with a story (maybe even two) I was at a start up just as the iPhone came out we all got very excited about building a app for our start-up, as we built the app and were getting ready for launch a new team member started, his reaction was the app is great but do you also have a mobile site? We had spent all our time focusing on the app and neglected to build a mobile version of the app (we rectified this pretty rapidly) the mobile site did very well, the app not so.
It then started to make me think, from a purely eCommerce perspective are Apps actually worth it? Think about the apps you actually use; email, Facebook, Instagram, banking, What's App. Sure I love the BA app but do I use it for booking flights? Now I know some, like Asos, have huge traction and not to mention wish lists overflowing with products but if you had a choice between building a eCommerce App or building a eCommerce website which would it be.
I write all of this and know I will turn around and straightaway say, "actually you do need a eCommerce App", if you have a great mobile site, build a app to complement it, reward your loyal customers with exclusive access, make it a fully integrated part of your multi-channel strategy and most of all; keep it fresh, new content, exclusives, not just sell sell sell.
As a example of a great feature for an app (Stick with the video, it is worth it):
HIJACK - MEAT PACK GUATEMALA - from GranjaCreativa on Vimeo.
The number one goal, when building a App, is to ask yourself why are we doing this? Make sure you understand exactly where the app will sit in your organisation and then how it will be promoted, used, developed and that is how it will become successful.
A difficult argument with lots of questions/debate on either side. First I will start with a story (maybe even two) I was at a start up just as the iPhone came out we all got very excited about building a app for our start-up, as we built the app and were getting ready for launch a new team member started, his reaction was the app is great but do you also have a mobile site? We had spent all our time focusing on the app and neglected to build a mobile version of the app (we rectified this pretty rapidly) the mobile site did very well, the app not so.
It then started to make me think, from a purely eCommerce perspective are Apps actually worth it? Think about the apps you actually use; email, Facebook, Instagram, banking, What's App. Sure I love the BA app but do I use it for booking flights? Now I know some, like Asos, have huge traction and not to mention wish lists overflowing with products but if you had a choice between building a eCommerce App or building a eCommerce website which would it be.
I write all of this and know I will turn around and straightaway say, "actually you do need a eCommerce App", if you have a great mobile site, build a app to complement it, reward your loyal customers with exclusive access, make it a fully integrated part of your multi-channel strategy and most of all; keep it fresh, new content, exclusives, not just sell sell sell.
As a example of a great feature for an app (Stick with the video, it is worth it):
HIJACK - MEAT PACK GUATEMALA - from GranjaCreativa on Vimeo.
The number one goal, when building a App, is to ask yourself why are we doing this? Make sure you understand exactly where the app will sit in your organisation and then how it will be promoted, used, developed and that is how it will become successful.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
eCommerce in Russia
Is Russia still open for business? Well, as I write this sitting in a Coffee shop in Moscow the answer is certainly yes.
The Local Market:
Russia is massive, huge, unimaginably big and it would be idiotic to believe that Moscow is the only place in Russia that exists, however, it is the epicentre of business and where the majority of western (& Russian) businesses start.
eCommerce Landscape
eCommerce is growing rapidly as websites, distribution (always notorious in Russia*) and trust in brands improves. Local companies like La Moda (who started in Moscow & on a massive growth curve), have set up their own distribution hubs in key cities all over Russia, offering same day delivery to the top 70 Russian cities. La Moda also helps with the unique "cash" on delivery model which is the main form of payment in Russia (I say cash, normally paid on the door-step by credit card), Unique, as it means a courier turns up on your doorstep with the item and you have a set period (normally 15 minutes) to try it on, if you like it, you pay, if you don't, you return.
This also means you need a call centre, as everyone who makes a order, instead of entering a credit card, enters a telephone number and needs to be called back to arrange the delivery and order, it also has the potential for up-sell, which can help with CRM and lifetime value!
Online Marketing:
Google is just a bit player in Russia, the real playa(sic) in the market is Yandex, in search and VK.ru in Social, Facebook is big but not the largest. Instagram seems to be making a big play for Russia and the Russian mentality of photographing everything helps it's popularity.
Street bloggers are huge and have massive followings, especially in Moscow and St Petersburg, as is normal these bloggers/vloggers carry a hefty price to work with. TV however is still king for advertising alongside experiential marketing to the right target markets (everyone loves going out in Moscow).
However there are drawbacks, moving stock into the country is notoriously difficult,new sanctions both from Western countries and from the Russian government on imports are creating issues. Local partners are now the norm and making sure you work with the right ones, experienced in these key areas can eleviate a lot of the issues. Russia is still a market with huge potential and if targeted in the correct way can be very successful for brands.
*A few years ago a logistics manager in Russia said to me "trying to deliver outside of Moscow? you may as well throw the parcel out of the window as it has about the same chance of getting there...."
The Local Market:
Russia is massive, huge, unimaginably big and it would be idiotic to believe that Moscow is the only place in Russia that exists, however, it is the epicentre of business and where the majority of western (& Russian) businesses start.
eCommerce Landscape
eCommerce is growing rapidly as websites, distribution (always notorious in Russia*) and trust in brands improves. Local companies like La Moda (who started in Moscow & on a massive growth curve), have set up their own distribution hubs in key cities all over Russia, offering same day delivery to the top 70 Russian cities. La Moda also helps with the unique "cash" on delivery model which is the main form of payment in Russia (I say cash, normally paid on the door-step by credit card), Unique, as it means a courier turns up on your doorstep with the item and you have a set period (normally 15 minutes) to try it on, if you like it, you pay, if you don't, you return.
This also means you need a call centre, as everyone who makes a order, instead of entering a credit card, enters a telephone number and needs to be called back to arrange the delivery and order, it also has the potential for up-sell, which can help with CRM and lifetime value!
Online Marketing:
Google is just a bit player in Russia, the real playa(sic) in the market is Yandex, in search and VK.ru in Social, Facebook is big but not the largest. Instagram seems to be making a big play for Russia and the Russian mentality of photographing everything helps it's popularity.
Street bloggers are huge and have massive followings, especially in Moscow and St Petersburg, as is normal these bloggers/vloggers carry a hefty price to work with. TV however is still king for advertising alongside experiential marketing to the right target markets (everyone loves going out in Moscow).
However there are drawbacks, moving stock into the country is notoriously difficult,new sanctions both from Western countries and from the Russian government on imports are creating issues. Local partners are now the norm and making sure you work with the right ones, experienced in these key areas can eleviate a lot of the issues. Russia is still a market with huge potential and if targeted in the correct way can be very successful for brands.
*A few years ago a logistics manager in Russia said to me "trying to deliver outside of Moscow? you may as well throw the parcel out of the window as it has about the same chance of getting there...."
Monday, 12 January 2015
Video.. Christmas Trading (In January)
Here is a video of a talk I did just before Christmas at a #ukeCommerce event discussing Christmas Trading. A little late to post however a lot of the points are relevant at any time of the year (not just Christmas).
Thursday, 8 January 2015
PPC is never just local..
Every day try and learn one new thing, even if not very useful. I find in eCommerce you often learn more then one, often simple and unexpected.
While at a a luxury Italian lingerie brand (if not too many clues) I was working with my PPC team and we noticed some interesting effects that occurred when we opened up global bidding on local search networks, specifically Baidu.
For the unaware, Baidu is the main search engine for China and fast looking to takeover from Google in other territories. The campaign, we had running, targeted mainland China (in Chinese) pushing traffic to our local language site (inside the great firewall). We decided to put a small budget into the international version of Baidu, still in Chinese and see if we could drive any traffic... The following results astounded us, our US site received a dramatic increase in traffic and Baidu became our second best performing digital channel!
I just want to clarify, this was Chinese language ads, showing on a Chinese network to US customers. When they clicked a PPC Ad it geo-located them to the local language website. In effect (For the US) Chinese adverts to English language website and then the customers converted! I had never seen this before and have never seen it work the other way (english to French or vise-versa etc).
This all came from the team having a desire to experiment, learn and see what happens if you try the unexpected (In this case a very profitable unexpected).
While at a a luxury Italian lingerie brand (if not too many clues) I was working with my PPC team and we noticed some interesting effects that occurred when we opened up global bidding on local search networks, specifically Baidu.
For the unaware, Baidu is the main search engine for China and fast looking to takeover from Google in other territories. The campaign, we had running, targeted mainland China (in Chinese) pushing traffic to our local language site (inside the great firewall). We decided to put a small budget into the international version of Baidu, still in Chinese and see if we could drive any traffic... The following results astounded us, our US site received a dramatic increase in traffic and Baidu became our second best performing digital channel!
I just want to clarify, this was Chinese language ads, showing on a Chinese network to US customers. When they clicked a PPC Ad it geo-located them to the local language website. In effect (For the US) Chinese adverts to English language website and then the customers converted! I had never seen this before and have never seen it work the other way (english to French or vise-versa etc).
This all came from the team having a desire to experiment, learn and see what happens if you try the unexpected (In this case a very profitable unexpected).
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Out of your comfort zone...
When is it good to be out of your comfort zone? A question, which as the new year rolls in, crosses many a person's mind. I like to think at least once a day, dash out of the comfort zone, ask the girl out, think differently about a problem or just try a new food.
Comfort zones are great, we all need them, you don't feel scared, nothing goes wrong, you don't get yelled at for doing something different and you feel in control. When you jump, it gets scary, it is when the amazing happens; the girl turns out to kiss you back, you discover what you love but never new. It could be the moment your life changers forever, even if you end up failing, you will learn something in the process.
It is a philosophy I like to use in business, the cliched term; fail but fail-fast is true, make sure you have the comfort zone, build the foundations, make sure they are strong and tested (Housekeeping) but once there, it is time to push the line, a new idea, concept, dream it might lead nowhere but until you explore it you will never know.
Over-time and experience you start to realise which ideas are better and can make strategic guesses on which ones to push forward but sometimes you just have to let go and jump..
Good luck in the new year!
Comfort zones are great, we all need them, you don't feel scared, nothing goes wrong, you don't get yelled at for doing something different and you feel in control. When you jump, it gets scary, it is when the amazing happens; the girl turns out to kiss you back, you discover what you love but never new. It could be the moment your life changers forever, even if you end up failing, you will learn something in the process.
It is a philosophy I like to use in business, the cliched term; fail but fail-fast is true, make sure you have the comfort zone, build the foundations, make sure they are strong and tested (Housekeeping) but once there, it is time to push the line, a new idea, concept, dream it might lead nowhere but until you explore it you will never know.
Over-time and experience you start to realise which ideas are better and can make strategic guesses on which ones to push forward but sometimes you just have to let go and jump..
Good luck in the new year!
Monday, 5 January 2015
It all starts Somewhere
Welcome to my blog about eCommerce, digital marketing and general assorted thoughts. I am Simon Hall one of the founding Partners at 5xThinking. This blog is not meant to be the official news section of 5xThinking (however they will appear) but more of a place for my ideas, occasionally other members of the team will contribute, the most part it will be all my own words.
Feel free to get involved and discuss: simon@5xthinking.com
To start here is the launch info on 5xThinking:
Feel free to get involved and discuss: simon@5xthinking.com
To start here is the launch info on 5xThinking:
- 5xThinking is a eCommerce consultancy advising luxury and retail clients on all things digital. Focused on creating solid foundations and using a unique skill set to accelerate performance on a global scale with a specialist division focusing on China and Russia.
The partners consist of the former eCommerce and Digital Director of La Perla, Marketing Director of Net-A-Porter and include a current Board Director of Agent Provocateur.
For more information please contact: Simon Hall (simon@5xthinking.com).
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