Global Digital Marketing & Retail by Alex 28
Inspiration from across the world for retail enthusiasts, e-commerce professionals, marketing lovers and technology fans.
Spring is coming! I can feel it, I heard the birds sing this early morning, so extra happily I wrote this newsletter today. In this edition lots of topics from around the globe on AI, Bitcoin, product management, and advertising. Thank you for reading!
🇸🇬 How Singapore prepares its citizens for the age of AI.
I admire Singapore, they have an excellent tech vision with its Smart Nation initiative that is widely recognized as a forward-thinking approach to leveraging technology for societal good.
This short video explains why Singapore will survive and profit from the AI wave that is currently starting: education and embracement.
🇮🇹 Italy: Stanca’s law and the impact on apps and web
Italy's Stanca Act mandates accessibility for websites and mobile apps. While the EU as a whole has a similar directive, Stanca Law's in Italy, emphasis on fines and established enforcement mechanisms makes it (appear) stricter. Not only public entities have to comply also larger organizations.
This can be quite a challenge, especially considering the diverse landscape of devices and user preferences. By 2025 compliance needs to be met. I know from various of my colleagues that being compliant with this law requires a lot of effort.
Websites and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements.
Digital assets follow technical standards outlined in EN 301 549.
The company publishes an annual Accessibility Statement disclosing the accessibility status of each website and application.
Details: https://www.tpgi.com/understanding-the-stanca-act-italys-digital-accessibility-law/
Details: https://www.skynettechnologies.com/blog/italy-digital-accessibility-stanca-act
💻How To Define Winning Key Results In Just One Planning Session
Sometimes just a picture is enough. This one can come in handy for all of us product managers.
Via: https://twitter.com/nurijanian/status/1762236591936868448?t=9Ul05I5quP478d5cFdEDgg&s=03
🔍Zippy: Google Updates Impact research
Zippy (Cyrus Shephard) is a very trustworthy source to follow on everything SEO. They are really experienced. Recently they dropped some insights on what separates winning sites vs struggling sites in the world of Google updates. Zippy got insights, by actually working as a Google Quality Rater.
This quality is somewhat objective, and I leaned on my experience working as a Quality Rater to judge if the creators of the content demonstrated personal experience with the subject. For example, if it was a travel site, did the creators explain their personal experience with the location? For products, did they describe how they used the product or provide unique images or videos of themselves using the product?
Find all the details in the link below but in very short:
Focus on great UX, Don’t make users think, make it all as easy as possible.
No stock images, create your own unique imagery!
Details: https://zyppy.com/seo/google-update-case-study/
₿ Strike: the best in bitcoin, period
I have followed the company strike with its “closet CEO”, Jack Mallers, already for a long time and I believe in their vision. It’s simple: being the best at Bitcoin. Strike does so by really digging into cultures, doing user research, and offering solutions that add value for people. They all do this in a very transparent way. Everyone interested in fintech, global payments, and freedom should check out this video, as Strike recently added a large part of Africa to their service area that will help the African people.
Details: https://strike.me/blog/announcing-strike-africa/
🇬🇧 Worst ad ever in the UK: Dutch Barn Vodka
Ricky Gervais does advertising his own way, in which he outright discourages viewers from buying the product.😂
Since I’ve been involved Dutch Barn has become the fastest selling Vodka brand in the U.K. Thank you for that but please remember that Vodka is bad for you and Smirnoff is cheaper
Details: https://www.marketing-beat.co.uk/2024/03/01/ricky-gervais-dutch-barn-ad/
Details: https://www.gbnews.com/celebrity/ricky-gervais-worst-advert-ever-dutch-barn-vodka
Sams’club: New AI-powered Exit Technology
This is something we might be seeing much more often across the world. Sam’s Club new powered exit technology. It looks a bit ugly, but the sentiment on using it is positive.
How it works: After completing a purchase through a traditional register or the Scan & Go app, members walk through an exit equipped with cameras. These cameras capture images of the shopping cart, and the AI analyzes the items to ensure payment has been made for everything. If everything is in order, members can simply leave the store.
Benefits:
Faster exits: This system aims to significantly reduce waiting times at the exit, a common pain point for members.
Improved member experience: Eliminating manual receipt checks allows for a smoother and more efficient shopping experience.
Freed-up associates: With the AI handling exit verification, employees can dedicate more time to assisting customers on the floor.
The retail is currently piloting this technology in 10 locations, with plans to roll out to all stores by the end of the year, which Sam’s Club says makes it the first retailer to implement this type of technology at this scale.
Currently running pilots across 10 Sam’s Club locations, the technology is used to seamlessly confirm members have paid for all items in their shopping carts – without requiring an associate to check members’ purchases before leaving the club. Before this technology, members were slowed by queuing at the club’s exit area to have Sam’s Club exit greeters review receipts. Members continue to say they want a faster and more convenient shopping experience and consistently rated the wait times at the exit – especially during busy periods – as a pain point in the shopping experience.
Details: https://drugstorenews.com/sams-club-elevates-store-shopping-experience-customers-associates
Details: https://progressivegrocer.com/sams-club-alleviates-key-pain-point-members
That’s it for this edition. Thank you for reading,
Alex