Tag Archives: referral program

Retailers Pushing Social Media for the Holidays

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Looks like Facebook is about to have its biggest Holiday season ever, with more retailers jumping into Social Media marketing, and existing marketers pushing even harder than before. And Facebook fans are paying attention:

 44% of consumers plan to use social media sites when holiday shopping, according to a recent survey. Of those who plan to use social media, 57% percent will seek discounts, 51% read reviews and 49% research gift ideas. Internet Retailer

So, which retailers are on the bandwagon, and what are they doing online?

  • Soap.com, Diapers.com and Wag.com are having a Battle of the Brands on Facebook. Customers vote on their favorite, and the winner will be discounted 30% on Black Friday weekend.
  •  Sears is doing a similar Battle on Facebook, but with weekly winners that will be discounted every weekend.
  •  Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Walgreen’s are publishing a sneak peek of their Black Friday circular on their Facebook page, 2 weeks in advance so you can plan ahead.

And on and on. How about you? Are you a Facebook fan of a big retailer? What are they doing online, and do you “LIKE” it? Let us know!

Older Folks and Online Security

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"Where do I slide the card through?"

Now, my 70-year-old mom happens to be one of the most computer-savvy people I know. But I actually knew a guy whose mom was worried that a virus in her PC could also make HER sick!

Older folks are catching up when it comes to the computer, but one thing they still aren’t sure about is the security of online shopping.

The survey found that 77% of consumers 55 and older say they worry about being a victim of online fraud. And 46% say they don’t feel secure that merchants are protecting their safety and security when shopping online. Internet Retailer

Their snot-nosed 18-25 year old kids and grandkids share these concerns, at a slightly lower rate: 62% worry about online fraud, and 27% think retailers aren’t doing enough about it.

The big difference seems to be what happens NEXT. The youngsters research a company more thoroughly, it seems. As a result, while older folks are more worried about fraud, they are also more likely to get ripped off: 46% have gotten scammed at some point, compared to only 35% of the younger folks.

So, caveat emptor*, y’all. And do your research! Do YOU worry about online fraud? Ever been scammed? Let us know!

* “Let the buyer beware.”

Holiday Shopping Goes Mobile!

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Half of consumers with mobile phones view their device as a holiday shopping resource for product and sale information, coupons, product reviews, and store information, a new survey finds. And 32% believe their mobile phone is helpful for buying products. Internet Retailer

The stats say that one-third of us have already begun our holiday shopping, and 54% are going to start any minute, here at the beginning of November. Nothing new there. What IS new is the number of us getting more and more comfortable doing our holiday shopping on our mobile devices.  In fact:

  • 70% of consumers who use mobile devices for information and guidance on gift buying say they are likely to consider spending $20 or more on items such as toys, games and electronics via their phones.
  • 40% feel comfortable spending $50 or more on a single holiday gift item using their mobile device.

Consumers at this time of year are on a mission – they have a list and they are ready to buy! So I guess it makes sense that some of the neat-o functions you play with on your phone at other times of the year now suddenly become vital tools in your holiday shopping – locating, researching, comparing and, of course, downloading coupons!

How about you? Will you be using your mobile device as you do combat this holiday season? Let us know!

A Word from Our Fans!

Once again, we have updated the Panelist Reviews page with a fresh batch of enthusiastic comments from MindField Facebook fans like YOU. Lets take a look at them, including this gem from Dianna:

Dianna says: I’m SO loving MindField! If people don’t take advantage of this opportunity then they are really missing out on a chance to make a statement and give their opinion. To my friends, and especially students, moms, etc., it’s a great chance for you all. Join me!

Thanks Dianna (nice smile!) Check out the constantly growing list of satisfied user comments HERE. Thanks fans, see ya next time!

Mobile Consumption by the Numbers

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Yahoo has recently conducted a big study on the numbers and ways we are using our smartphones for entertainment, specifically how much time we watch mobile video. Check it out!

How many of us are using mobile web?

According to the Yahoo study, 54% are spending more time on mobile web than a year ago.

How are we using mobile web?

  • 38% of mobile consumers used the mobile Web to connect with other users.
  • 16% used mobile Web to search
  • 15% used it for entertainment

And the time spent watching video on mobile has increased nearly 30%

What kinds of entertainment?

  • 42% gaming video content
  • 34% movie clips and trailers
  • 33% full-length TV shows and movies or sports coverage
  • 32% celebrity, beauty or fashion video content on their devices
  • 14% political coverage

When?

The majority of time spent happens before 1 p.m.

Are we satisfied with what we are seeing?

Are you kidding? We’re AMERICANS! 60% of us are still looking for a better user experience and expect more!

So that’s the rundown. You’re welcome to check out the original article but, frankly, it’s a tough read! How about you? Are you using mobile web for entertainment? Has your use increased?

Getting Craft-y with Mobile Coupons

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all I need now is a KNITTING app!

It makes sense for a certain type of retailer to keep their brick-and-mortar stores healthy, even as they make a big push into mobile retail. Michaels craft store is one example, and they have introduced a mobile coupon app to get the job done.

Mobile is providing an important alternate means of coupon distribution for Michael’s and other large chains that have traditionally used newspapers for that purpose as more consumers turn toward digital media and away from print.  InternetRetailer.com

17% of us used mobile coupons last year, and the number is growing. For Michaels, one key to driving consumer acceptance still lies in the old circular stuffed into your newspaper. It leads people to the mobile site, and promises them that the coupons they find there will be different from the ones in the paper.  Also, while the coupons in the paper are necessarily general in nature, the mobile coupons can be more easily tailored to the consumer.

Hey, as much as I feel like a hostage every time my wife drags me into Michaels, I really can’t imagine that you would get anywhere NEAR the same experience – getting ideas, seeing completed projects on display, etc. – from simply shopping online.

So what do you think? There have to be some Michaels fans among us! Have you tried the app? What do you think? What other retailers would you like to see try this method?

Blackberry Blackout equals Outage Outrage!

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Blackberry sends sadface. Millions without service do not receive it.

The longest BlackBerry outage in many years left customers outraged this week, threatening to cost the granddaddy of all smartphones more business when it’s already struggling to keep up in a crowded marketplace.  – Huffington Post

It’s not like things weren’t already going sour at Blackberry. They have seen their market share drop in the past year – from roughly equal worldwide with Android (19% vs. 18%,) to less than a third (12% vs. 43%.)  But last week’s global blackout now has users rethinking their commitment to Blackberry, especially with the big launch of iPhone 4S underway.

The big, three-day hiccup affected millions of users worldwide. Now, to soothe angry subscribers, Blackberry is offering $100 worth of free downloads including SIMS 3, Bejeweled, Photo Editor Ultimate, Vlingo Virtual Assistant and more. For its enterprise customers, Blackberry is offering a free month of tech support.

So, do you use Blackberry or know someone who does? Were you affected? If so, do the free downloads make up for it, or is it too little, too late?

The Kitchen is Closed

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We all have a defunct restaurant from yesteryear that we miss – usually some mom and pop diner or local steak house. But who knew we would mourn Bennigan’s or Don Pablo’s? Well, it’s come to this, people.

 There is a school of thought that says the restaurant business is always a good business because people need to eat. A glance at the sales of many of America’s largest restaurant chains over the past decade quickly dispels that myth.             MSN Business.com

Here’s the deathwatch:

  1. Bennigan’s: This nationwide, Irish-themed casual-dining restaurant has 87% fewer locations than it did in 2001.
  2. Ground Round: This casual-dining burger and steak chain lost 81% of its locations in the last 10 years.
  3. Bakers Square: Serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but is best known for its pies. Has 70% fewer locations than 2001.
  4. Damon’s: I always knew it as a rib joint, but later became a sports bar. 72% decline.
  5. Don Pablo’s: Nationwide Tex-Mex chain. 70% decline.
  6. Gloria Jean’s Coffees. In its 30-year history, it has expanded to Australia, where it still thrives. Here? 73% decline.
  7. Big Boy. This one I don’t get. Frisch’s is the Big Boy chain back home in Ohio, and I have seen ZERO decline. Every one of the dilapidated shops from the 60’s has been renovated. But, the overall national chain is down 65%.
  8. Tony Roma’s. Tony still has a large international presence, but here at home is down 72%
  9. Country Kitchen. Buffet place, right? Down 74%.
  10. Black Angus Steakhouse. Primarily out west, there are 46 BA’s today, down from 107 in 2001 – a 57% drop.

So, any of your favorites on the list? Who did they miss? Let us know!

A Heist Indeed!

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An odd movie experiment is underway:

If you live in Atlanta GA or Portland OR, you’ll be able to watch the new Eddie Murphy/Ben Stiller movie in your house for $59.99 — while the movie is still in theaters and months before it would normally be available for video-on-demand rentals. Wall Street Journal

You might be thinking it sounds like a cool concept, while simultaneously thinking that nobody would pay $60 for it. And by you I mean me.

Anyway, Universal Studios is using its new release “Tower Heist” to tinker with the concept of “windows” in movie releases and pricing. We are accustomed to paying different prices for a new release in theaters, a video-on-demand rental, a DVD from Redbox, Netflix by mail, etc. It’s just a matter of how bad we wish to see something, how soon, and how much we want to pay.

To which you might say “yeah, but sixty bucks?”

Time Warner, Sony, Comcast and Fox tried this a while back. Their experiment cost $30, which might conceivably be a bargain for the typical movie night when you think about gas, parking, babysitter, two tickets, etc.

But sixty? What do YOU think? I think it’s ironic that an experiment that comes into your home and takes a lot of money involves a movie about going into a home and taking a lot of money. Here’s the trailer for Tower Heist.

UPDATE: Trouble’s brewin’… not surprisingly, theater owners are pitching a fit.

Further Update: Idea already dead?

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

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It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were discussing Apple impresario Steve Jobs’ retirement. Now we have learned of his passing.

By no means am I in the die-hard Steve Jobs Admiration Society. Not until recently, when I worked for a company whose entire business was making accessories for Apple products, did I give Mr. Jobs much thought. But I have to say that he was a trailblazer. He didn’t just make awesome products to satisfy our needs – he anticipated our needs and invented an entire industry to meet them. In this way, he has been (rightly, I believe) likened to a modern-day Thomas Edison.

So today, that’s what I would like to focus upon, as opposed to speculating on the effect on Apple’s shares. Just yesterday, we had the first big Apple teleconference without him, and many were under-whelmed. Who knows? Maybe they were anticipating the news.

So what do you think?