I have sat in forums surrounded by independent and regional retailers and listened to their disdain for Amazon—even though they probably frequent the site for their own family. Recently, my office manager was kicked off of Amazon. Yes, you read that right. How can you live without using Amazon? Guess what, she survived. There is life without Amazon. This blog explores 4 ways … [Read more...]
4 Obstacles to Succeeding Online and In-Store
I have been researching what obstacles brands face when trying to succeed online and in-store through my contacts on LinkedIn. It has been very enlightening and has confirmed some of what I already suspected and opened my eyes to other barriers. Most of the conversations started out with my contact saying either, "how long do you have to talk" or "you sure have opened a can of … [Read more...]
3 Ways Your Package Design is Killing Your Brand
This blog explores three different case studies where a package design hurts a brand. 1. Too Drastic of a Package Redesign This is a brand I am very familiar with and I have purchased for several years.The name of the product was prominent and the image did a pretty well of differentiating the types of product (Rice Pilaf, Rice, Couscous) This is what I was accustomed to … [Read more...]
How Can Your Brand Stand Out On E-Commerce Sites? SYNQY.
Brands are getting lost in-store while online e-commerce sites are even worse for the brands. An online shopper can pull up product comparisons or go to the brand page, but when scrolling through pages of product listings and product detail pages how can the brand stand out? SYNQY technology can make your CE product stand apart from the competition. Typical Product Detail … [Read more...]
The Death of the Brand at Retail For CE Products
In a market where there are many similar products, such as in consumer electronics, how important is the brand? I want to say it is VERY important. However, it is difficult for any brand to stand out in-store or online in this ever-evolving retail world. This blog explores how online shopping has changed how brands present themselves and the retailer's role in downplaying the … [Read more...]
How Not To P!#$ Off Your Dealer Network If…
So what are some of those things that can cause conflict between a dealer network and the CE manufacturer? ...you both want to drive traffic to your website. A marketing director for a manufacturer of high performance car audio equipment, shared with me his frustration that he needs to raise awareness for products outside of their own core competency. After 45 years in … [Read more...]
The Independent Dealer Can Prosper in the Age of Amazon
There is a place for independent dealers (regional and local) in the consumer technology world. Some chains have failed or are trying to restructure such as HHGregg and Radio Shack. Best Buy is making a comeback and doing battle with Amazon and Walmart. Can the independent dealer claim their place in the evolving retail world? I think they can and in fact, they may be able to … [Read more...]
The Status of QR Codes Today
What has happened to QR codes? The Microsoft Tag alternative to QR codes shut down in 2015 and was never to be seen again. I have to admit, when I first heard about QR codes I was so excited. Finally, the digital and print world merged to give an interactive experience. Here are some of the ways I thought QR codes could be used for our consumer technology clients at retail, as … [Read more...]
The Fall of the BlackBerry Brand
How an Iconic Brand Went From Boom to Bust The demise of the BlackBerry brand is worth studying for any consumer technology company. There are many lessons to be learned. The company struggled to remain relevant in the market and failed. We took a look into some of the mishaps and misfortunes that led the company not only to the edge of the cliff but over the cliff. Here … [Read more...]