Tag: retail

Should cable companies build smart TVs? (or, how do cable companies avoid the fate of telcos?)

First, there was Ma Bell. Then, deregulation of the phone company happened in the U.S. and phone calls went from being very expensive to very cheap (my dad ran a small business in the 1980s, and telephone bills could often be thousands of dollars — in 1980s dollars!). Then came the Internet, and ISPs (think … Continue reading “Should cable companies build smart TVs? (or, how do cable companies avoid the fate of telcos?)”

More on animal-replacement start-ups

Last Autumn, fake meat was all the rage (Newsletter #14). Companies in the space continue to get traction, and retailers are figuring out how to retail it. Kroger, the US’s largest grocery store* by revenue, and second largest general retailer, experimented with placement of plant-based alternatives to meat — moving them from the vegetarian section … Continue reading “More on animal-replacement start-ups”

Is the brand or the department store the destination? Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, and Facebook

With the COVID-19 global lockdowns, 2020 looks to be a banner year for e-commerce. Pretty much since the dot-com bust, there’s been a slow but steady growth in e-commerce. In fact, it’s become such a staple that you regularly hear people discussing Amazon.com as if it’s a monopoly. But in reality, it not only isn’t … Continue reading “Is the brand or the department store the destination? Amazon, Shopify, Walmart, and Facebook”

Amazon.com doesn’t really know what it’s selling you

It’s important to remember that, first and foremost, Amazon is a retailer — which means it behaves like a retailer. If you’ve shopped at a department store in the last decade, you may have noticed that many of the staff are not employees of the store, but of the brand. So, for example, if you … Continue reading “Amazon.com doesn’t really know what it’s selling you”