Digital technologies in retail: House of Fraser 'online concept store'

Retail is always keen to harness new technologies in order to sell more. While for some companies this just means an e-commerce branch of their real-world shop, the real cutting edge innovations are occurring where retailers try to combine the two.

Tesco made the headlines last year for it's innovative tube station virtual shop in Korea, where customers could scan images of products on a giant billboard using their smartphones and add them to an online shopping list. As well as being a media grabbing gimmick, the idea also appeals to the time-poor communter who wants to make use of the frustrating time spent waiting on the platform (although something gives me the impression that train services are pretty regular in Korea!).

Although we are clearly light-years behind this level of innovation in the uk - widespread wifi on the underground would be a start - there ars till some companies who are looking to merge the physical store with the virtual. House of Fraser has been steering its attention towards digital, yet professes no desire to reduce the number of stores. Instead they have opened two 'concept stores' with display-only merchandise and portals from which to browse and buy online.

Image Courtesy of Harpers Bazaar

So, I'm sure you're asking, why would you bother to go out to a 'shop' if you can do the same activity at home on your PJ's with a mug of tea or glass of wine? Harper's Bazaar answers this with:

Here’s why; the store has been designed around a hotel concierge experience, so help with a lost order, a late delivery or an unsuitable item will be instant – and personal.
If something doesn’t suit, get a refund there and then, if an order hasn’t arrived, the store will take care of it. Plus there’s a complimentary coffee bar, which of course you won’t get at home.

I'm not quite sure I understand what they're offering here. If my order (that I've already placed elsewhere) is lost, late or unsuitable, I want to talk to customer services, not go to a room full of computers. The same with a refund. Finally, if an item hasn't arrived I'm not sure how they will "take care of it" if they don't house any physical stock.

The coffee bar sounds nice I must admit, but other than that it seems House of Fraser have created a bizarre hybrid between a customer services desk and an internet café!

However if, rather than a place for online shopping, what does emerge is a dedicated team that understand online orders, can track them and resolve any issues, and be an in-person point of call for online customers needing help, then that's a really positive development. This is something frustratingly absent from ecommerce as a whole - the only options are an email address, a call centre, or a Twitter account that will direct you back to either of the above in a friendly tone of voice. This usually just leads to elongated miscommunications and an ongoing saga of order numbers and non-returned calls.

When online orders go wrong there is all manner of heartache trying to to sort them out, but I for one would be very happy to incorporate speaking to a specialist e-commerce adviser into my next trip to the High Street and maybe even be supplied with the product which was absent from in my late/lost/missing delivery. We seem to be getting closer to this, but for now it will remain wishful thinking...
  

LinkedIn endorsements

Following on from my last post about LinkedIn endorsements, the other day I got email notifications out of the blue from LinkedIn saying a few people had endorsed me (thanks guys!) so this functionality must now be live in the U.K! Heading over to my profile I found the following box at the bottom with images of people who had recommended me, next to the expertise they agreed I had:



There was initially also a box featuring many of my contacts, and asking if I would 'endorse' certain skills for them, but this seems to have now gone. To endorse people now I can click the plus button at the side of thier professed skill when on their profile (this can apparently also be undone if necessary!).

It all seems very simple so far and because the skills are sorted from top to bottom by how many people have 'endorsed' them, it may be an attempt to counter the claims that many LinkedIn profiles are fabricated.

But does a one-click endorsement really have any value? There is the option to hover over the endorser to see their details and click through, but you can't see their relationship with the person they are endorsing.

From a first look I think it's a good way to highlight individual skills and abilities but it isn't as strong as a personal recommendation - there is no way to expand on the 'endorsement' and say why or how they are good at this skill or give any annecotes. It would also be a shame if strengths lay unrecognised at the bottom because no-one who has experienced your skills in that area is on LinkedIn for example, so we may see people working harder to gain endorsements for skills that are important to them.

What do you think? As a recruiter or employer would you trust an endorsement? Are you busy endorsing contacts?

LinkedIn Recommendations - online endorsement pitfalls

LinkedIn has announced the launch of 'Endorsements' in the U.S, a way to recommend someone with just one click. This isn't live in the U.K yet so I can't trial it, but it got me thinking about the various pitfalls of online professional recommendations. Certain issues should be considered and a 1-click endorsement may not always be a good thing!

When used properly, LinkedIn recommendations are a powerful tool for advancing your career but if you don't use them with care they can give a negative impression about you, your contacts and the company you work for. It's helpful to think of them as a 'reference' from a  previous or current employer, but they're not exactly the same, so below are some things to think about.

Consider carefully who you ask. Offline, a great reference might come from someone well respected within the industry and their endorsement of you would add something extra to your application. This is no different on LinkedIn - do not just ask your friends to do it! Before requesting a recommendation ask yourself the following questions of the individual:

- Does he/she have an established LinkedIn account with lots of connections? (it may be assumed that a new account is fake)
- Is it obvious that you know the individual in a professional capacity? (avoid anyone with the same surname for example!)
- Is this person your junior? (If you want to highlight your management skills, you may ask for a reference from someone who has previously worked under you. Note that a reference from someone currently working under you may have the opposite effect, as it shows you have put your junior in an awkward situation!)
- Have you already recommended this individual? Reciprocal recommendations do not look genuine!

You should also consider the impression this gives within your current position:
- Most HR teams and management are aware that individuals updating their LinkedIn profiles may well be looking to move
- Colleagues may wonder why you want a recommendation from them and it may indicate you feel insecure in your position.
- Business development roles can be the exception to the rule - if the company employs you to find new business through LinkedIn they won't be suspicious if you are trying to improve the credentials on your profile!

Even so, a good recommendation from the right person at the right time may well mean you are considered for a role, so follow the guidelines and don't be afraid to get recommended. I'll blog more about 'Endorsements' when they become available to U.K users - watch this space! 

Social Media Tips 2 - Tweetdeck Pros & Cons

TweetDeck is twitter’s own twitter ‘client’ - a program which acts independently of the website itself, yet pulls in twitter content and allows you to interact with it. It also acts as a sort of social media dashboard for other platforms such as Facebook, allowing you to view aspects of all your accounts at a glance and post across them all simultaneously.

It is a popular social media management tool for companies, agencies, community managers, or even just individuals with many social media accounts. There are many benefits of the platform, but it isn't for everyone, so I have summarised the key points below:

 Pros

• Notification pop ups - you can adjust settings so that Tweetdeck will run in the background but still alert you via a pop up window when your brand is mentioned.
• Scheduling facility - this function allows you to ‘schedule’ a tweet, which will post automatically at a set point in the future, so you needn't worry about missing optimal times to tweet.
• Customisable - its quick to set up customised columns within the 'deck' layout. You can then create a 'control panel' with columns displaying search terms, mentions, messages etc. how you would like them.
• Relatively easy to use - support documents and video tutorials exist and because Tweetdeck has been around for a few years there are plenty of free tutorials and articles online.

 Cons

• Speed - whilst generally quite fast the Tweetdeck platform can slow down when dealing with large volumes of tweets, which can make it harder to monitor multiple search terms in real-time.  
• Installed locally - Tweetdeck has to be installed locally on your machine, meaning all functons (including scheduled tweets) cannot work unless Tweetdeck is actually open and running on your computer. Not ideal for those 4am tweets to your followers overseas! 
• No analytics - Tweetdeck has no inbuilt analysis package, meaning that to analyse the success of your social efforts you will need another application. This is a big negative point for Tweetdeck as most users not prefer the simplicity of being able to create and analyse posts from within one platform.

How to be a good client: 5 tips for working with digital agencies

An interesting trend I've noticed - as digital 'know-how' becomes more commonplace, companies are increasingly hesitant to work with a digital agency.

"It will cost how much?"

"really? It would take a fortnight?

This attitude isn't helpful, as in some cases an agency is often the best and cheapest option. It's a shame to let a lack of understanding - by both parties - get in the way of what could be a really exciting project with great results, so here are my top 5 tips for working with agencies:

1.  Pick the right one - it may sound simple but think hard about who you want to do the work. It will cost you time and money to hire another agency to unpick and redo a botched job. Let many agencies pitch, but don't be bullied into giving the contract to the agency with the most persistent Account Manager or Business Development guy. Mutual trust and respect is key here and you can tell a lot about their attitude to a project by initial conversations. Go with an agency that listens to your requirements from the outset, but also one who can contribute and build on your own ideas - it is this expertise and added value that you are paying for.

2. Write a good brief - even the best agencies aren't psychic and digital projects can be an especially tricky to verbalise if you're not at home discussing technology. If the end result is nothing like what you had envisaged, the chances are you haven't conveyed your ideas properly so it's worth taking the time to explain in writing (and face-to-face if possible) exactly what your aims are at the beginning. Clearly stating your desired message and target audience, your expectations and (at the risk of sounding wanky) 'what success looks like'. Don't be afraid to tell the agency how you expect this project to make you money!   

3. Agree costs and timings in writing upfront - ask for a written timeframe and a breakdown of costs. Any good digital agency will be doing this as standard, so be wary of one that tries to skip this bit! For larger projects there may be initial costs involved in a 'scoping' phase which is a legitimate request. The agency will need to dedicate man hours to planning and technical investigation to find out how best to implement your brief so if you decide not to go ahead with the project after this has taken place they will be out of pocket. Costs and timings are designed to help both parties, so it is also important not to erode trust by not sticking to agreed timeframes at your end, or quibbling over the bill later.

4. Respect experience - ultimately, an agency will do as you ask: you're the one paying the bill. The way to get the most from your money, however, is not to browbeat them into submission even when they advise against something. Account management will be fighting some arguments for you behind the scenes ("I don't care if you don't like the colour, it's our client's branding, work with it!") and they know how to pick their battles, so when they do take issue with something, it's for a good reason. They will tell you not to broadcast mass emails on a Friday afternoon (no-one reads them), not to use tiny fonts (it's against accessibility guidelines) and to place unsubscribe links at the bottom of things (its a legal requirement). They tell you this from years of research, experience and best practice so do take note.

5. Get good at giving feedback - once you have the first designs or wireframes in front of you is the point where you really get to show your worth as a client. The agency are twiddling their thumbs until you sign it off or send over amends, so you need to be prompt, but resist the temptation to dismiss with a "looks good" until you've fully appraised the work. I can say from experience - the most annoying thing a client can do is drip feed amend after amend, changing their mind several times and giving ambiguous instructions. Not only is it annoying it can be costly, undermine the relationship and prevent top quality work. Your job now is to give full, crystal clear feedback, within the agreed timeframe. Often it's easiest to annotate screengrabs of a website to avoid writing indecipherable directions like "in the top right bit of the second box there's a typo".If there are to be several rounds of amends set up a shared document such as an excel file with all the changes, which can be ticked off as completed or comments added.

If you've followed the above you should be on the way to a great and hopefully lasting relationship with your digital agency. If you don't follow the above you might find yourself on here.

Menshn'd in Despatches

I'd thought about doing a post on Menshn back in June when it launched, but at the time the new social network - created by Louise Mensch - was only available to people living in the U.S.

The network was set up by the (then) Conservative MP, with the aim of filtering out the 'noise' found on Twitter and focussing debate around selected topics. Louise Mensch has now resigned from her seat in Corby and East Northamptonshire to spend more time with her family. Good for her - every woman makes tough choices about parenthood and I wholeheartedly support a woman's decision to bring up her children how she sees fit.

What does concern me, however, is the suggestion raised in this article that she might use this time to work on her new social networking business.

This should be another 'good for her' moment, surely? Women in business - yeehaa! But the problem is, I really don't like the concept of the network. It's based on the premise that there is a lot of 'noise' on Twitter, tweets that Mensch thinks aren't sticking to the point and therefore shouldn't be heard.

Her ideal would be to keep the discussion slick and filter out anything off topic, which (she has been keen to point out) would also create the perfect engaged environment for advertisers and marketers. Sometimes that does seem very tempting. I agree it can be infuriating trying to make a point and that point hitting a wall of spam and trolls.

But surely the point of Twitter is that it's democratic? Everyone has a voice and everyone is free to listen to (or follow) whoever they choose. If you take away the destractions, the random input, the humour, you lose some of the beauty of Twitter and a lot of the character.

There are already a lot of constrained discussion forums on the internet and none of them are as popular as Twitter, possibly because they lack the human factor. It's that very human factor that is keeping the less talented advertisers and marketers at arm's length, because they fear the openness, transparency and freedom of speech that are the common currency of the Twitter crowd.

Just like a clued-up live audience, Tweeters have the capacity to praise the skilful and heckle the inept into submission, getting right to the heart of the matter. If you silence the 'off topic' jibes or the seemingly irrelevant comments, you risk missing something that will take the discussion to a whole new level or alienating a would-be supporter.

Perhaps the answer lies not in focussing the discussion, but focussing the interactions. Giving people more ways to find and follow people and conversations that might interest them. Maybe providing more more ways to avoid those that won't. I wish Mrs. Mensch all the best, but unless she addresses the issues above, I can't really see her network being a rival to Twitter. If it does succeed of course, I'll be sure to Menshn it here ;)

The Foursquare Special

Many predicted that the introduction of Facebook places would be the death knell for Foursquare, but the network is still going strong.

With 20 million users worldwide (although probably only a portion active), Foursquare is a popular geo-social  network, and brands look to make the most of this. When the network first became popular 'specials' were quite common. These offers were created and managed by brands and venue owners to try and attract custom, and were free to the promoter.

I have seen less of these offers in the last year or so - perhaps indicating that they weren't particularly effective in terms of RI - however this collaboration between Amex and EAT caught my eye.

Check in to Eat, pay £5 and you get £5 credit! Sounds good doesn't it?

Unfortunately I think it's another case of 'no such thing as a free lunch'. I think the offer is a bad idea, for both brand and customer, for two main reasons:

User Experience: The process requires you to 'synch' your Amex card. Forms (which will probably be filled in on a smartphone due to the nature of Foursquare meaning you are on the go), and handing over credit card details. Everyone knows this is a big turn off for the online customer, and will likely put off the majority of punters.

The process was also pretty clunky, having to synch, then check in to EAT, then use your amex to pay in EAT, then click load or something (I had lost interest by this point).

Proposition: Let's think about what the customer is actually doing here, and also take a look at the small print. You are paying for your lunch with a credit card. I personally don't usually do this. I will get out cash or pay with a debit card, but to me credit is something to be used in emergencies, or when I need protection guaranteed for a large online purchase. The small print says 'credit is usually issued 3-5 business days, may take up to two billing periods'.

So let's get this straight. We owe Amex £5 for up to 2 months, before our balance is restored. If just 1%  of Foursquare users took up this offer, that would be a credit card debt of £1,000,000. Perhaps I'm being too cautious about this, but considering how we got into the current economic climate should we really be encouraging the 'stick it on the credit card' culture? Why not just pay with a fiver from the cashpoint? I think Amex and EAT got this one wrong to be honest...