“Step right up, step right up and see the amazing…”
You’ve heard it in dozens of movies. I’ll bet you even saw the red and white striped jacket some of the guys wore as they shouted at passersby.
They were called carnival barkers. Their sole job was to interrupt passersby loud enough with amazing sales skills to get you to pay extra and come see the sideshow or oddball attraction.
Hold that visual…
I was reading this week’s issue of Time magazine over the shoulder of a guy in the plane row in front of me. He turned to The Groupon Clipper. While the article was touting some of the headwinds for Groupon, it also described Groupon 2.0. When we landed I had to get a copy myself.
“The next phase is hyper-local: knowing where subscribers live and what their interests are, curating their commercial experiences and sharing with friends. Think of yourself walking around with a locationally aware smart phone and Groupon knowing not just what you like but also what might pique your curiosity.”
It continued…
“To get there will require the kind of data massaging that’s well beyond the average social-shopping site. In fact, Groupon’s investors believe its strength is in its data mining and not necessarily in its consumer interface, which is easily copied. These are the algorithms that conjure perfect deals at perfect times.”
So imagine you are indeed walking down the street…
And your smartphone vibrates or talks to you or beeps you a message has been received because Groupon knew you just walked close to a GAP. Or a Thai restaurant. Or a shoe store. And delivered a “deal.” Or all of them and more hit you with competing messages to get you to come in…
Your leisurely stroll down the street becomes a carnival boardwalk where you are yelled at by an electronic carney to grab your interest to come inside. Is that going to enhance anyone’s shopping experience at bricks and mortar stores or push them over the edge and onto the ‘net?
Good question…
That’s why I wrote a manifesto: Bricks and Mortar Retail At Risk In The Digital Age: From Silicon Valley to Main Street detailing the risks and what you can do about it. You can read the introduction here or if you are ready to download and read [registration required but free] you can do so here.
