16 October 2015
At SparkOptimus, we try to highlight the most important news and background stories in digital, e-commerce and retail. Here is our selection of last week’s news:
Following the recent fight for shopper loyalty, a new loyalty scheme was launched in the UK this week. Marks & Spencer unveiled the Sparks membership scheme to better connect with its customers, offering a loyalty card to collect ‘sparks’ and unlock benefits. Instead of securing their own customers to stay loyal, other companies are trying to lure them away from competition. Dropbox goes out after Google Docs users by launching a collaborative document editing platform, called Paper, and Facebook takes on YouTube by testing a dedicated video channel on its platform.
We can say Facebook is on a roll this week, again. There was some initial fuss about Facebook working on a ‘Dislike’ button, but now the social network has confirmed it has begun testing ‘Reactions’: six emoji meant to convey ‘love’, ‘yay’, ‘haha’, ‘wow’, ‘angry’, and ‘sad’. It is something retailers should be aware of, as customer service issues get addressed easier by adding more ways to express customers’ emotions. Also, adding more options than just the ‘Like’ button is in line with Facebook’s major e-commerce move: adding a Shopping-section to its app. In the end, the social network wants to become the one and only place to spend your digital life.
A 10 gigabit fiber Internet service, faster than Google Fiber, might come in handy for your digital life. The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, is doing it. With Internet that fast, platforms will rule even more, resulting in immense pressure for many. This week, a traditional publication, known for nudity, had to give in to this pressure. As CEO Scott Flander puts it: “That battle has been fought and won…”.
Talking about battles, Obama is building Iron Man.