Starbucks has become an unlikely leader in the mobile payments space, and mobile payments could account for over 50 percent of U.S. store transactions within a few years.
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Great post, Gabby. I also found it really interesting that they were able to transition into some B2B relationships to help their distribution. I wonder if there are other potential B2B partnerships that could further help them expand. They could potentially partner with utilities companies to promote their Nest Thermostat products.
I also liked the point you brought up about the effects of Nest being owned by Google. I can definitely see how this might make some people uneasy about adopting the product given how data privacy is a a common customer concern around Google’s core products.
Super interesting. I had never heard of Amazon Dash Buttons prior to reading this, but a couple of concerns crossed my mind as I read over the post. First, this cannot be a cost-effective or sustainable way to ship customers their essentials. Is every push of a button a new order? Will I received a different package for each item? As Amazon, I would want to consolidate orders to minimize shipping costs. As a consumer, I want to receive minimal shipments for convenience. Second, these buttons are not aesthetically pleasing. I would want to be able to order the buttons in solid colors or finishes. Also, perhaps they can create different button panel sizes for various quantities of buttons that can be programmed, so that you don’t have to have a dozen or more buttons attached to your wall, fridge, or cabinet. Lastly, the setup time of these little buttons seems daunting. It could actually be fairly simple, but it just seems like it would be complicated. I would much rather create a shopping list with Amazon’s Echo than have to set up a bunch of buttons around my house.
Interesting topic! I wonder if retailers might be able to use similar technology to help customers seek in-store assistance. I can remember so many times that I have been at a department store and I couldn’t find a sales associate to help me check out or bring some shoes in my size. Perhaps you could use an store’s app to call for assistance to specific spot in the store. There could also be a feature to electronically request shoes in your size or a different size for a particular dress. Based on your location information, a sale associate could bring the shoes or other item to your location.
Great post, Ty! I do agree that their attitude of aiming to be “special to someone” is refreshing. However, I have a hard time imagining that they will be successful. Especially if the 01 model fails, I’m not sure Lynk & Co will be able to push the auto industry in this direction. My biggest concern is whether or not consumers will trust a new brand name for big ticket items like automobiles with only incremental benefits. The full connectivity product differentiation factors seem like feature any existing car manufacturer could roll out easily. The direct to consumer model that Tesla implements was most interesting to me, but I think people still want trialability especially for such a large purchases. The sharing and monetization aspect is cool, but I think many carsharing apps (i.e. Turo and Getaround) already exists. I wonder how Lynk & Co will get users to use its own platform over existing platforms that offer a broader range of vehicle options.
I love this brand! Yet, I actually had no idea that they use 40% vintage and deadstock fabric, eco-friendly fibers, and 50% domestically-sourced materials. They could do a better job of communicating this message!
I would love to see a brand like this really take off. However, is this business model scalable? Will they be able to continue sourcing 40% vintage and deadstock fabrics if they continue to grow?
I think it’s great they have managed to develop a carbon neutral shipping program in the U.S. I wonder if they use only recyclable shipping and product packaging materials?
Great post, Shezaad. This is a mind-blowing fact…”In 2009, Levi’s estimated that a pair of blue jeans consumes 919 gallons of water during its life cycle, from production to wash cycles.”
It’s really interesting that Levi’s is doing so much to improve their carbon footprint. I wonder how much they communicate these efforts to their customers? Not because that’s the only reason to implement sustainability initiatives, but because I think there’s an opportunity here for them to be fully consistent with their sustainability commitment. In contrast to fast fashion, do they strive for wear-forever, high-quality products? They could implement customer facing sustainability programs like
– Bring in an old pair of jeans to get a discount on your next Levi’s purchase
– Recycled denim product line
I agree with earlier comments about how some standard customer-facing sustainability measures at hotels feel… well, standard. We expect hotels to offer these features nowadays. However, I did come across an interesting, more involved customer-facing sustainability that perhaps Hilton could take some ideas from. Check out Starwood Hotels’ “Make a Green Choice” program: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/about/citizenship/sustainability/programs.html?language=en_US
Customers opt into this program where they can pass on full housekeeping for up to 3 days. Customers are rewarded with extra loyalty points for each night and Food/Beverage credits.
What an interesting topic! My hometown has a subtropical climate, so climate often came up as an issue when visiting professional sports players or teams played our local outdoor sports teams. Yet, I hadn’t considered how this could increasingly be a problem elsewhere due to climate change.
Indoor venues do not seem like a reasonable solution. They are highly costly and unsustainable. Plus, my hometown recently built a baseball stadium with a retractable roof, and no one goes to the games! People say that the indoor atmosphere takes away from the sport’s game experience.
Has the ITF considered rearranging the schedule of major tournaments? They could simply reschedule the tournament dates for certain Grand Slams and other major tournaments to cooler times of the year. This way ITF would minimize the need for new infrastructure.
Great topic, Piersten. I often wonder if fast fashion encourages some of the same unsustainable consumer habits that we discussed during our recent IKEA case. One could argue that fast fashion consumers simply buy much more clothing than necessary thanks to retailers’ lower prices, lower quality, and ability to keep up with rapidly changing trends. Consumers may not be buying these items for long-lasting value because they can always just go back to H&M to get the latest look. Therefore, is the whole fast fashion business model unsustainable? Check out: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/08/fast-fashion-death-for-planet. It would be really interesting to see H&M implement consumer programs that encouraged education around this topic (i.e. offer opportunity to recycle clothing with H&M to obtain a discount on a future purchase and launch a line of products made of recycled materials).