Global Digital Marketing & Retail by Alex 16
Global Digital Marketing & Retail by Alex 16
Inspiration from across the world
đThe explosion within the SaaS world: pay per-task
I have a few subscriptions on SaaS services. For example, I have a paid Canva account, a paid ProtonVPN account and I pay LinkedIn annually.
I never had the choice to pay per task or pay per read article, and I have always been a fan of that. Unfortunately, it is rarely offered.
Partly maybe because micropayments are (when the bitcoin rail is not used) expensive, or maybe because companies simply prefer and measure at ARR (annual recurring revenue) or MRR (monthly recurring revenue).
Thatâs why I like that I read more and more about how a pay-per-task model is coming up. Makes much more sense. One of the trailblazers is, the company âFinâ, a customer service bot, that charges 99 cents per resolution. Well-known (and cool) SaaS software âZapierâ also introduced âpay per taskâ recently. The company âONCEâ really makes a retro payment model come true. Pay once, own the software.
Once upon a time you owned what you paid for, you controlled what you depended on, and your privacy and security were your own business. We think itâs that time again. Once upon a time you owned what you paid for, you controlled what you depended on, and your privacy and security were your own business. We think itâs that time again.
For me, itâs a great direction and I think for most people and companies it can be, I am a big fan of micropayments, preferably via the BTC lightning networkđ.
Also the -almost forgotten- âpay once and ownâ model is a model I might use for certain types of services. That model reminds me of my first computer, the Commodore 64. You purchased a game or software and thatâs it, itâs yours forever. Below is a picture of my C-64 from the late â80s, I still have it, and it still works, including a Commodore poster and once-purchased -ever working- games.
Some other quotes/insights on the topic:
Others will follow and we'll finally have a world of "monthly predictable revenue" versus "monthly recurring revenue." All of the same principles apply. We're now in a world where the vision can be fulfilled.
Value based pricing that aligns incentives with business model has always been the goal, because that's the beauty of a recurring revenue model. It's the first model in the history of commerce that bakes the relationship with the customer directly into how you make money. If the customer gets value - they keep paying/sticking around. If they don't, they leave.
Isnât this how all e-commerce works?
Absolutely not. Your grocery store can't guarantee that you'll be there next week. There's no direct relationship, so they use hard and soft tactics (coupons and promotions) to bet you'll come in for your milk.
Greg Eisenberg writes a lot on this topic if you want to dig more into it.
đ«Wall Mart raises the bar (and not Walter Mart)
Wall Mart & Partners released a series of press releases recently. Itâs good to be aware of what leading companies do in retail as it often sets a standard or expectation. Wall Mart improves the integration of on and offline experiences and embeds AI in many steps of the customer journey. Unfortunately, I cannot try myself here as there is no Wall Mart available, and the app cannot be downloaded in this location. So we have to do it with the content others created:
Soon, customers will have a more interactive and conversational experience, get answers to specific questions, and receive personalized product suggestions.
For example, a parent planning a birthday party for a child that loves unicorns. Instead of multiple searches for unicorn-themed balloons, napkins, streamers, etc., the parent can simply ask the question âHelp me plan a unicorn-themed party for my daughter.â
The Walmart app isnât just a shopping tool â it's a gateway to a world of personalized convenience and savings.
to offer a product-focused experience that better mirrors how our customers love to shop, highlighting the items that matter most to them at any moment. The feature-packed homepage has rich imagery and live video.
https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2024/01/04/walmart-ecommerce-raises-the-bar-and-celebrates-2023
PS:
I do not think âWalter Martâ has entered the AI era yet.đ€Ł I stumbled upon this supermarket while traveling in Manila, and had to take this picture.
Retention rate: what is good, and what is great? A benchmark
They say: Customer retention is worth twice as much as customer acquisition.
Thatâs why this new research from Lenny is a great read and worth saving. Lenny did research among many experts on a benchmark for retention ratios.
Read more in Lennyâs post below
Some additional details in this essay: https://caseyaccidental.com/what-is-good-retention
đŠŸCES 2024: Samsung innovates with Ballie and Micro Led
I would like to share a video of this new prototype device from Samsung, presented at the CES 2024.
I remember way back in the early 2000âs I had a colleague who took an Aibo to the job. She was a trailblazer. At that time she already had a robot dog following her and we could for example say âAibo take a pictureâ, then the robot dogâs mouth opened and it took a picture.
Now take a look at where we are now and meet âBallieâ. Ballie is a Samsung prototype, the size of a bowling ball.
Also at the CES2024, Samsung again, showed something very interesting: Micro Led. Micro Led is Technology that blurs the lines between physical and digital environments. Imagine the use cases in retail for example:
Transparent signage that can display personalized offers, promotions, or product details, tailored to individual shoppers' preferences.
Windows that do no longer need a physical curtain, it can all be done digitally.
You can open your storefront when your shop is closed with a real virtual experience of all the products you have or even a digital walkthrough of the store.
Transparent MicroLED kiosks can provide personalized product recommendations, interactive tutorials, or real-time customer support.
Transparent displays can adapt to changing store layouts and promotions,
It made me immediately think about one of my favorite China watcher, Ashley, who shared a video earlier on the Chongqing subway, which already uses a similar technique. Now, eat that GVB .
âż Japanâs largest community e-commerce platform to start accepting Bitcoin this year
Itâs been a busy week for everyone who loves freedom. Bitcoin made an important step to maturity with the ETF launch. News that you might have missed is that one of Japanâs leading e-commerce platforms, Mercari, is now accepting Bitcoin.
Mercari is Japanâs largest 2nd hand goods platform.
According to a report in Japanâs Nikkei, Mercari â an online community and marketplace â will allow users to pay with Bitcoin at the final stage of purchase. In addition, Mercari will allow users to convert their loyalty points to Bitcoin, linking its main platform with its digital currency trading service.
đŠđș Australian ad: maybe the best in history
Australian meat ad labelled âbest in historyâ by viewers for tackling generation gap
Just watch and decide for yourself.
đ„ŒExperiment and Analysis card for product management
The Fountain Institute has experiment and analysis cards on their website and they are free to download.
I think the âExperiment cardsâ method seems a good one to consider. Its aim is to test multiple assumptions and get a better understanding of users. The cards are easy to use, very visual, collaborative, and data-driven.
Check it out in detail via the link below.
https://www.thefountaininstitute.com/blog/test-assumptions-with-the-experiment-cards
Thank you for reading,
See you next edition,
Alex