Elf Designs» Marketing

The Internet of Things

MJ — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 23:41:09 +0000

Technology has evolved at an exceptional speed. Nowadays, a car is more than just a vehicle, it’s an intricate computer system, controlling things like the audio-visual system or the rear-facing camera that assists with reversing. Lost are the days where OnStar was the only roadside-assistance service. Now with virtually any smartphone a myriad of functions can be performed. The automobile has now, more than ever, been integrated with the Internet. This is just one example of how an idea, which has been around for over a decade, is becoming reality. The Internet of Things is finally becoming real!
The Internet of Things, first discussed in 1999, represents the idea that Internet connectivity might spread beyond the devices we’ve traditionally used, such as computers, laptops, and now smartphones. Objects are becoming more interactive and are communicating with the Internet. It is interesting to see this concept get manifested in both high-tech ways and simple ways. Even more interesting is society’s willingness to adapt and accept these ways. More and more individuals are shopping online and we will continue to see an increase in the number of individuals using NFC/Google Wallet to pay for things. If you don’t believe me, think of the following examples:

Existing networks – wireless networks and wi-fi-enabled devices are extremely common. We can see the use of these networks through the increase in tablet and cell phone usage. In addition, the Nike+ running shoe, for example, contains a sensor that sends information about your running pace to your Apple iPod.
Scanned codes – QR codes have grown in popularity and can be frequently seen in stores, on billboards, or through advertisements. QR codes link a real thing to the information world and virtually any object can have a distinct code.
NFC (near-field communications) – provides ways for devices, such as a smartphone, to wirelessly read information from a tag on an object, just by being in close proximity. This unleashes an endless way to track inventory or to provide individuals with ways to learn about a product. NFC technology is also turning smartphones into virtual wallets.

The Latest Interest Network

MJ — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:58:18 +0000

UberMedia has a fresh take on Social Networks with it’s latest project Chime.In. Chime combines Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit to create what UberMedia CEO Bill Gross calls an “interest network”. Like other social networks, Chime.in lets users share content with others. It has a newsfeed, profile pages and a system for following other users. The social network doesn’t have status updates, though. Instead it has “chimes,” which are a cross between a Facebook status update and a blog post. A chime displays a headline, the first few sentences of a chime, a piece of multimedia (an image, a video, etc.), a profile picture, interest tags and options for liking, commenting and sharing.

One of the most intriguing features is that users have control over their profiles, including the advertising and sponsors that run on the page. Users can include their own ads on the page and keep 100% of the revenue, or they can let UberMedia sell ads for their page and split the revenue 50-50. Gross believes that control over revenue makes Chime.in more appealing to publishers that want to monetize themselves in social media.

There are so many social networks available today, so it will be interesting to see how well Chime.In does. The revenue sharing could be the one feature that sets it apart however. Only time will tell.

The Evolution of Online Shopping

MJ — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:24:56 +0000

If you think back five years ago, did you do online shopping? The majority of people were uncomfortable with the idea of inputting their credit card online, for fear of identity theft or fraud. These days, it’s rare to find individuals who aren’t comfortable with purchasing goods online, especially with the rise and popularity of online secure checkouts, such as PayPal. Even with the rise of streaming and app purchases, consumers are more and more willing to use the internet to make purchases. Online shopping is a huge industry. Amazon reported $34 billion in e-commerce sales last year, while Wal-Mart earned $6 billion. With Amazon’s focus on its release of its tablet, this is giving room for another company to take the throne to become the next technology giant. It has been reported that Wal-Mart has put together a team of 70 developers, computer engineers and researchers – @WalmartLabs – in an aggressive attempt to position itself at the forefront of social and mobile commerce. It is expected that within the next two to three years, there will be a definite blur between offline and online shopping. The trend is expected to be that products viewed both online and offline will offer information such as: who else likes this product, what are the reviews, the people who bought this product what else did they buy. Wal-Mart is attempting to provide one experience for both online and offline shoppers. The search for all goods, whether electronics or fashion, will have to be perfected. The largest focus of @WalmartLabs’ will be creating what has been deemed a “social genome.” Facebook has emphasized the social existence and discount sites has revolutionized social buying. It is expected that consumers will demand that social media is incorporated in their shopping experience, both online and offline. @WalmartLabs is planning to launch something similar to an in-store Twitter in the next three to four months. This will allow customers to tweet about what they like, or what’s on sale. Additionally, they can ask where something is or a question about a product, and an associate will answer. Shopycat, a Facebook application, uses social media profiles and comments to generate gift ideas, will launch in the US right before Christmas. It will help give you ideas that will make purchasing gifts easier. Buzz created via social media will give Wal-Mart information about “it” items – i.e. when they should stock products related to basketball. The company can look at buzz generated on social media and this will be an indication of when to stock these products. It will be interesting to see how Wal-Mart revolutionizes the online shopping experience. Remember that this retail hegemony was one of the first to implement and perfect one-stop shopping.

Picking the Best Name Could Be Your Golden Ticket

MJ — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:08:11 +0000

It was recently reported that the top two ways to earn money online in 2011 is through 1) mobile app development and 2) purchasing domain names. Let’s explore the potential of purchasing domains. Yesterday, I read that RealEstate.com recently sold for 8.25 million! This made me wonder what the price tag was for some of the most expensive domain names. I found that:

Insure.com, sold to QuinStreet for $16 million in 2009.
Sex.com, sold for $12-$14 million in 2006.
Fund.com, sold for $9.99 million in 2008.
Porn.com, sold for $9.5 million in 2007.
Business.com, sold for $7.5 million in 1999.
Diamond.com, sold to Ice.com for $7.5 million in 2006.
Beer.com, sold for $7 million in 2004.
Israel.com, sold for $5.88 million in 2004.
Casino.com, sold for $5.5 million in 2003.
Toys.com, sold to Toys ‘R Us for $5.1 million in 2009.

The “.xxx” domain was approved earlier this year. Huntingmoon.com is currently holding an auction for domain names, which ends on October 6th. There are 888 domain names up for sale, with “sextape.com” having the largest reserve price of 2.5 million. The above stats show you how much money can be made with the selection and purchase of the right domain name.

Here is a list of sites you can purchase domains from:

Boxcar – a new website where domain names are available for purchase at a low prices.
Flippa – a well known site for domains, where you can purchase entire websites.
GoDaddy & GoDaddy Auctions – a great site to purchase domains. GoDaddy Auctions hold auctions for domains.
SnapNames – purchase domains which have just expired.
Sedo – a site where you can buy and sell domains, for a small cost.
BrandStack – sells mostly logo designs. Many designs come coupled with a domain.
NamePros – huge community of individuals buying and selling domains.
Facebook Marketplace – you can purchase anything on here, including domain names.
eBay – buy it now or auctions for domain names.

Have any thoughts for domain names I should purchase? Share your ideas!

Hello Google Wallet!

MJ — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:26:08 +0000

The ability for individuals to tap or swipe their phones to pay for things was made reality yesterday with the launch of Google Wallet, on the Samsung Nexus S. This marks the first digital wallet on the market and the evolution of how we can pay for things.
Currently, the only credit card that will be compatible with Google Wallet are Citibank MasterCards, which is one shortcoming. However, yesterday Google announced its step to license NFC technology from various other credit card companies, such as American Express, Visa, and Discover. Consumers also have the choice to load a Google Prepaid MasterCard.
Google is currently offering $10 to individuals starting to use Google Wallet. In addition to the ability to pay for goods and services, the real benefit of Google Wallets will be to deliver the Google Offers deals service, allowing individuals to enter loyalty cards into their Wallet. The end product is to have the ability to send promotional deals to customers on the basis of where they have shopped or where they are located.
If you have any questions, check out Google’s FAQ.

Searching the Internet for the Environment

MJ — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:19:19 +0000

Ecosia is a typical search engine in that it will help you find what you are looking for on the web. The difference is that through searching, Ecosia gives back to the rainforest. The way this works is that if you saw an interesting sponsored link and decided to click it, the sponsoring company pays Bing or Yahoo, who then gives a portion to Ecosia, who then uses it to support the WWF efforts in the Amazon rainforest. Not only does Ecosia donate money, but you can view their business report here, and see all the money they have donated here. By making all of their records public Ecosia believes that this will ensure their credibility. In the first year of operation, Ecosia was able to generate over 125,000 Euros.

How to Sit with Friends at Sold Out Concerts

MJ — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:57:15 +0000

Goldstar is a membership-based website that offers discount tickets to various events. They include live entertainment, like theater, comedy, sports, music, performing arts and even things like wine tastings, sushi making classes and rodeos. Goldstar has 5,000 venue-partners around the U.S. (from Cirque du Soleil and Ticketmaster to the San Francisco Giants) and counts Matt Coffin, Emmy Award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris, and former Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty as members of its advisory board.
Today, they unveiled a new feature called “Sit with Friends”. This feature allows Goldstar members who buy tickets to receive a personalized link that they can then share with friends via email or their social network of choice. Users can use that link to purchase tickets to the same event and get automatically seated with their friends.
Goldstar is currently in limited cities in the U.S. but has plans to expand in the future.

The Evolution of Social Buying

MJ — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 04:48:50 +0000

Over the past year, daily deal websites like Groupon and LivingSocial have grown in popularity and have given way to terms such as “social buying.” It is reported that approximately twenty percent of these daily deals go unused, allowing for the emergence of reselling sites such as DealsGoRound, LifeSta, and CoupRecoup, all of which give individuals a chance to sell their unwanted coupons.

Here’s how the sites work:

DealsGoRound.com is free to list coupons for sale. When the coupon is sold, the seller has to pay the site a 10 percent cut. Luckily, there’s no fee for buyers.
LifeSta.com works like DealsGoRound.com but makes sellers pay 99 cents plus 8 percent of the purchase price if a coupon is sold. Again, buyers don’t pay a fee. There are safeguards in place, as the site guarantees refunds if buyers find out within 60 days that the coupon they bought was invalid or was already used.
CoupRecoup.com works like Craigslist and lets buyers connect directly with sellers. If you like a deal, you are able to contact the seller by filling out a form with an offer price. It’s up to the buyer and seller to arrange the payment and exchange of the coupon.

Looking to Save When Travelling?

MJ — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:00:16 +0000

Since it’s summer, many individuals, including possibly yourself, will be travelling this summer. Less people are looking at travel agents to book their trip and get them the best deal. Rather, people are going searching online travel sites for the best deal.
Here’s an interested tidbit of information: if you are looking for additional savings, try searching across multiple browsers. Search Expedia on Safari, Firefox, and Chrome. It has been reported that search results can differ across browsers and often some browsers will produce a better deal.
A group of individuals tested this theory out and searched for a flight twice on Safari and once on Firefox. The flight price using the Firefox browser was $718 lower than the price on Safari!
Why is this? Perhaps because Safari was visited twice. A report in ShopSmart Magazine reports that travel sites track your searches. Often, first-time visitors are offered exceptional deals, while returning customers don’t get the same treatment. To avoid this, remove cookies that track your searches.
In addition to searching across multiple browsers, don’t forget to search for promo codes!
Good luck finding a great deal and safe travels!

Are Class Action Suits Against Groupon A Growing Trend?

MJ — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:33:23 +0000

Groupon, an online provider of daily deals, has grown in popularity over the last year. Advertisements, referrals, and commercials are seen everywhere. It’s hard to imagine that individuals haven’t heard of this popular social buying site.

Over the last couple of months, Groupon Inc. has been sued, as there are allegations that the expiration dates on the vouchers are both “deceptive and illegal.” Many federal and state laws in the US, as well as federal and provincial laws in Canada, have prohibitions for companies to sell or issue gift certificates with expiration dates. Canadian Business sheds light on one of Canada’s recent class-action lawsuits, where an individual who bought a $50 gift certificate for the Gap at half price through Groupon, alleges the gift certificate violates Ontario law because of its expiry date. It is reported that the individual is seeking general damages of $100 million and punitive damages of $10 million. Groupon announced on its blog that when a Groupon gift certificate expires, customers can still redeem it for the amount they paid for it. For example, if a consumer pays $30 for a Groupon that offers $50 worth of food, the customer can still redeem the Groupon for $30 after it expires. Groupon has also announced that it will refund money or give users a Groupon credit, upon request.

Check out Groupon’s response on its blog.