"There's Always Money in the Banana Stand"

Future Commerce Podcast: eCommerce, DTC and Retail Strategy

• Episode: "There's Always Money in the Banana Stand"
• Website: Future Commerce Podcast: eCommerce, DTC and Retail Strategy
• Feed URL: https://rss.simplecast.com/podcasts/2042/rss
• Duration: 00:47:37
• Published: 2018-08-24 15:27

Show Notes

At the forefront of innovation: B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

• The One-A-Day Banana nearly broke the internet. One package, six bananas varying in ripeness so you can have the perfect ripeness each day.

• This could be a good solution for grocery delivery services because produce is a big challenge for them. It's tough to get the perfect avocado or banana when you order online.

Rent the Runway has received a $200 million loan

• This will lead to even bigger growth for the growing clothing subscription service.

• Their business model aligns with studies that claim more young people are buying clothes just to share them on Instagram, then return them.

Clicks Seeking Bricks

• In a recent interview Natalie Berg said "clicks are looking for bricks"

• There was a structural advantage for ecommerce at one time being online only, but now that ecommerce is more prevalent, brick and mortar can be an advantage again for fulfillment and custom experience.

• This is what makes Walmart a genuine threat to the big A. They have a huge structural advantage that can bolster their online sales.

Can Target compete with Amazon and Walmart online?

• Target acquired Shipt to be more aggressive on their ecommerce front.

• There was a lot of hype about same-day delivery, but for many, the primary option is free two day shipping on orders of $35+.

• Their in-house brands for clothing and furniture offer unique value over Walmart and Amazon for certain demographics.

Is Walmart still a bad guy?

• Amazon's competitive practices and working conditions make Walmart look like Trader Joe's.

• Walmart is slowly shedding the stigma it gained in the 90's and 2000's.

• Walmart has been a better contributor to the technology community, which has helped them get more web talent.

Is Amazon basically Thanos?

• Jason Goldberg asked, "If Amazon were the only ecommerce provider in the US, could they implement a small but significant price increase?" or would offline retailers keep their prices low?

• This question is a helpful indicator for whether Amazon is crossing anti-trust lines.

• If Amazon and AWS were the go away, the internet would be devastated.

• Amazon continues to launch new in-house brands, spreading their reach.

• Though we may not be there yet, this conversation about Amazon is important.

Ok, wait, maybe Google is Thanos

• Google has more data about us than any other company, by far. Why aren't we raising more flags about them?

Targeting Discrimination

• Facebook hit with housing discrimination complaint by HUD because of filtering options that gave advertisers the option to filter by race, sex, religion, disability and other characteristics.

• This should add perspective for advertising in all fields and the common practices that may be deemed discriminatory.

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