Delivered at MGS Europe 19 by Farhad Divecha, Managing Director, AccuraCast.
Get a first-hand account of how Artificial Intelligence and automation are changing the way digitally mature brands and agencies work. The session will cover the benefits and obstacles businesses face when adopting AI, and case studies of successful AI implementation in cross-device marketing campaigns.
During this session, you will learn a few advanced tricks of utilizing Odoo for your email marketing which most marketing teams would overlook. You as their technical expert can help them replace the popular email marketing services such as MailChimp, Constant Contact or ActiveCampaign they might currently be using, with Odoo and of course, your guidance.
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The next five years will see an enormous increase in digitisation within the logistics industry. The logistics sector has, until recently, been slow on the uptake of latest digital technologies.
Logistics organisations spend on advanced change to broaden effectiveness, improvement, and speed and timing of calculated administrations, along these lines, expanding consumer loyalty and income. Among an assortment of quick mechanical development and in an inexorably computerised condition where advanced changes are influencing the business, the vast majority of the CEOs of transport & logistics companies.
Digitalisation Applied to Logistics Industry
With modern IoT, AI, and significant data innovations, logistics stands an opportunity of being almost completely reformed. Even the way it’s, it’s apparent that the sector needs digital reforms. With the expansion of self-driving tech and Vehicle-to-Vehicle innovations, logistics industry must evaluate these possibilities and adapt to them. Consistent with Transparency Market Research Report, the worldwide digital transformation spending in logistics market is anticipated to succeed in US$ 94,972.3 Million by 2026 at a CAGR of 10.7% during 2018-2026.
6 Key Technology Trends of Digitalization in Logistics
The customer needs in logistics and travel increase because the number of providers grows per annum. Now both B2B and B2C companies need to compete for delivering maximal satisfaction, which is now influenced by more factors than ever.
Let’s take a glance at what makes up successful digitalization, and what should be the critical points in building a digitalization strategy. It defined six key technology trends of successful logistics digitalization.
1. e-AWB
The electronic Air Waybill (e-AWB) is that the initiative to industry digitalisation. it’s a standardised digital version of the prevailing paper Air Waybill which follows cargo from shipper to delivery.
The e-AWB hugely improves efficiencies in tracking and processing cargo data also as increasing transparency, improving security and reducing costs and delays. it’s thus far received an honest uptake, with the International air transportation Association (IATA) declaring the e-AWB its default contract of carriage earlier this year. Big airlines like Lufthansa and Emirates have already implemented it et al. like Delta Airlines and United Airlines are expected to follow soon, meaning an expected 80 per cent industry adoption by 2020.
2. AI and machine learning
The potential for AI and ML in logistics is huge: a supply chain may be a veritable goldmine of structured and unstructured data, and by harnessing and analysing it, identifying patterns and generating insight into every link of the availability chain, logistics companies can dramatically transform operations.
ML can help companies uncover patterns in supply chain data using algorithms that pinpoint the most factors influencing their supply network’s success, while learning continuously and simultaneously. These patterns can relate to inventory levels, supplier quality, forecasting demand, production planning, transportation management and more, and provides companies the knowledge and insights to scale back freight costs, improve supplier performance and minimize supplier risk.
3. Cloud Logistics
Cloud logistics is accepting fast appropriation with 60 percent of logistics suppliers previously utilizing cloud administrations and another 30 percent anticipating doing as such.
As data shifts to the cloud, logistics IT services are getting available on a versatile, on-demand, pay-per-use model. this suggests smaller businesses not got to hand over on monolithic IT structures, paying just for what they have once they need it.
Services like Shipwire and Freight already provide real-time cloud-based transport management systems that cover all logistics processes from procurement to billing, making the entire process easier and cheaper for SMEs.
4. Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT are going to be subsequent game changer. Combined with cutting edge availability and sensors, it’ll leave for all intents and purposes any article to be associated with the web any place it’s, which means full discernibility and straightforwardness from shipper to conveyance. No wonder it’s expected to get a possible $1.9 trillion for the logistics industry.
IoT-connected sensors will monitor temperature and humidity for sensitive cargo like food and pharmaceuticals. Near Field Communication (NFC) tags will provide product authentication with the faucet of a smartphone, thus protecting against counterfeiting and theft.
5. Blockchain
Further away but with huge potential is blockchain. This blockchain technology decentralises information, expanding straightforwardness and detectability by giving each member inside the chain the keys to imperative data on an item’s excursion. By reducing complexity and breaking down trade barriers, it could lead on to a 5 per cent increase in global GDP and 15 per cent in global trade.
Supply chains will become more efficient as all parties involved can track the progress and standing of products. Digitalisation of important documents just like the e-AWB and bill of lading, opens these up to the likelihood of blockchain adoption, allowing the first document to be issued, transferred and received on distributed ledgers that are visible to all or any participants within the process, increasing efficiency and security across the availability chain.
6. Autonomous vehicles and platooning
Autonomous forklifts are as of now very ordinary in present day stockrooms, air terminals, ports and other gracefully chain areas. And that we will soon see autonomous trucks on the roads, delivering goods to be unloaded by autonomous forklifts and put in warehouses by automated conveyor belts and robotic arms.
Vehicle-to-vehicle communications will allow autonomous trucks to platoon, whereby multiple trucks drive bumper to bumper to scale back costs. The improved drag and reduced concertina from slowing down and accelerating means less fuel is employed, which makes up 30 percent of the entire operating costs of a truck.
Conclusion
With developing client desires and creating rivalry, logistics organizations got the chance to get before advancements and digitalize their key business forms. Using samples of Amazon and Walmart and applying main technologies may be a place to start out. To frame the development progressively maintainable, it’s basic to help out different logistics suppliers, put resources into basic computerised stages and trade understanding.
Most importantly, each implemented innovation should be assessed supported customer’s feedback. Additionally, it ought to establish clear metrics which will evaluate the value and efficiency of a specific process after the technology was implemented. taking note of feedback is that the only thanks to reckon on the proper track.
With an industry so dependent on reviews and word of mouth recommendations, customer service and experiences are the foundation of the travel industries.
By leveraging AI and machine learning, companies can sift through data and extract trends to find improvement areas, identify blind spots and make a course correction on the most common customer complaints.
With voice-enabled AI solutions, businesses can better understand the nuances of each customer interaction by identifying the true intent of each call through the real-time analysis of emotions and stated needs versus implicit needs.
Because automation helps call centers and agents be more efficient, call handling times drop, leading to cost savings for the enterprise.
In using AI, managers can monitor customer service performance and provide key metrics to help agents improve, ultimately enhancing the overall experience for each individual customer.
The better you’re able to understand your customers, predict their needs and effectively solve their problems, the more willing your customers will be to write a positive review after they change or cancel their plans.
The travel industry is overwhelmed. As the coronavirus continues spreading around the globe, thousands of customers are calling hotels and airlines to cancel or change plans based on highly variable and unpredictable changes – and as a result, millions of travel-related jobs will be lost.
With an industry so dependent on reviews and word of mouth recommendations, customer service and experiences are the foundation of the travel industries.
Yet, we’re facing unprecedented times, and every customer is different. Each individual is having to make dramatic, sometimes emotional decisions about their plans for the year.
So, those in the industry must ask: How do you efficiently and effectively deliver more human experiences, especially during increasingly serious and stressful times?
As the CEO of Uniphore, I absolutely know that implementing the right technology is the answer – even if technology seems counterintuitive when trying to build human experiences.
Here are three ways you can weave technology into your service strategy to ensure every single customer has the best experience possible during this pandemic – and that your enterprise is saving money:
1) Tap into your existing troves of data to better understand blind spots
Many hospitality businesses – especially hotels and restaurants – are sitting on stockpiles of customer data. Records of everything from reservations to supply inventory to years-old satisfaction surveys can tell you about customer needs. More importantly, they can tell you where you are falling short.
By leveraging AI and machine learning, companies can sift through data and extract trends to find improvement areas, identify blind spots and make a course correction on the most common customer complaints.
For example, posing the most common discoveries as FAQs at the time of a hotel booking can better inform customers while providing better customer service.
Businesses can also use customer data to build FAQ pages on their website for customers who may not have the time to call and sort through the nitty-gritty details.
This means you’ll be able to meet customers where they’re at while saving them time and energy. Businesses can also use data to improve agent performance during the deluge of cancelations and changes and foster career growth. It’s a no brainer.
2) Use technology to learn how to “read” your customers’ minds
It can be surprisingly difficult to get to the root of a customer’s service problem – especially if the customer doesn’t actually know what it is or can’t describe it to representatives over the phone.
With voice-enabled AI solutions, businesses can better understand the nuances of each customer interaction by identifying the true intent of each call through the real-time analysis of emotions and stated needs versus implicit needs.
So, as a person speaks and describes their issue, digital agents behind the scenes parse through their words and tone to determine the best recommendation in the quickest possible way.
Voice AI can also analyze recorded phone calls and use automated agents to pull from previous and real-time customer data. These technology-enabled assistants will likely be able to help companies spot underlying questions before a customer can even articulate their needs themselves.
As a result, your agents will become mind readers, answering customer questions before they are left with a non-refundable flight or excursion to deal with.
3) Use technology to boost employee performance and productivity – and save money
In the end, your employees are your best customer experience ambassadors – even those who are not in traditional customer service or customer-facing roles.
For example, technology can reduce time-consuming, redundant tasks, such as changing a check-out date, and free up employees’ time to help with more complicated inquiries, like personalized recommendations or activities.
Your employees will feel more empowered and be able to relate to each customer in a real human way – and customers will see agents as truly helping them solve issues.
I like to paint this picture: I imagine a call center where agents don’t have to use a keyboard or a mouse. They can actually listen to the customer while technology takes care of all the paperwork.
Think how much better customer service would be if employees actually listened – and imagine how much more fulfilled customer service agents would be. It’s a win-win for all parties.
This will also lead to severe cost savings. Because automation helps call centers and agents be more efficient, call handling times drop, leading to cost savings for the enterprise.
AI and automation also save time and allow agents to take on more calls as a result. During peak travel season, call centers won’t need to hire and train seasonal agents to handle the influx of calls – automation’s boost in efficiency will take care of the increase.
Implementing the right voice-enabled software can be daunting. But those in senior customer service roles – who may no longer actually be dealing with customers on a daily basis themselves – should use AI to mentor and coach representatives.
In using AI, managers can monitor customer service performance and provide key metrics to help agents improve, ultimately enhancing the overall experience for each individual customer.
Final thoughts
The better you’re able to understand your customers, predict their needs and effectively solve their problems, the more willing your customers will be to write a positive review after they change or cancel their plans.
In a world where one viral comment can make or break your business’s reputation, having an AI- and data-infused customer experience strategy is critical.
Umesh Sachdev, Co-founder, and CEO of Uniphore, is a modern-day entrepreneur with a passion for technologies that have massive societal impact. He co-founded Uniphore with Ravi Saraogi to bridge the communication gap between man and machine using voice and speech. Umesh was globally recognized in 2016 as one of the ten ‘Next Generation Leaders’ by Time Magazine. He has been conferred with the title of ‘Innovative Entrepreneur’ by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Technopreneur Promotion Programme (TePP).
According to Salesforce, 62% of baby boomers and 58% of generation Z still prefer shopping in physical stores. In tough times like these, though, going to a brick-and-mortar shop might not be an option. In fact, even with the COVID-19 quarantine being over, customers may be likely to avoid crowded places for a little while longer.
While the situation and its consequences are beyond the retailers’ control, they have to be realistic about running their businesses and keeping both their employees and customers safe. Even without the most recent complications, shopping itself is not a straightforward process anymore. Consumers constantly switch between platforms, devices, as well as online and offline stores. Not to mention that every purchase starts with thorough research, which usually happens online.
In such circumstances, retailers don’t have much choice but to tailor their business to their customers’ expectations and make it possible for them to stay at home as much as possible. Luckily, technology can come to the rescue.
As initiators and supporters of new technologies and mobile experiences ourselves, we can see how they can help reduce human contact and still contribute to a sales increase, both online and offline. As a matter of fact, such solutions already exist. Scanning or click & collect can make grocery shopping a lot safer nowadays, while visual search and AR can somewhat replace the shopping experience in-store. Here’s exactly how technology can get retail through tough times.
Retail tech solutions to leverage during COVID-19 quarantine
The scale of using barcodes & QR codes in retail is astonishing. Nowadays, scanning these codes can give your employees and customers a lot of benefits. To start with, it makes it easier to track the products and manage them more effectively throughout the whole supply chain. From the customer perspective, however, the codes can be a rich source of information about products, and make shopping a lot faster and more secure with the Scan & Go option.
What are the benefits of Scan & Go during COVID-19 quarantine?
It’s no secret that Scan & Go has already been implemented by well-known retailers like Walmart or Carrefour – and they can come in useful these days in particular. Interestingly, NYC based Fairway Market recently saw an increase of app downloads by 300%, with over 20% of transactions being finalised with the Scan & Go option.
Given the current situation, Scan & Go can be beneficial for both customers and store staff – especially when it comes to improving their safety. It makes it possible to scan products that are about to be purchased, and pay for them even within the mobile app, allowing the customers to reduce human contact and avoid standing in lines.
There are quite a few providers of such a solution on the market. Few of the retailers created it internally, while others are using providers to develop it or licensing a “white label” solution. In fact, using a ready solution via SDK into the retailers’ mobile app makes implementing Scan & Go in existing apps and connecting them to various backend systems much easier and faster.
A key success factor for implementing Scan & Go is to get it adopted by customers as fast as possible. The most important factor here is the UI – the tool should be very intuitive and simple to use, require very little engagement – a small number of clicks should be done before purchase, and no unnecessary details should be asked.
We like FutureProof Retail’s solution a lot because it has the best and simplest UI and hence gets very high adoption. Actually, to ensure the simplicity of the UI, FPR used Grandma Test – they tested each feature with a group of real grandmas to make sure it is easy for them to use before the feature is released.
Apart from that, their Scan N Go has many features that add value both for the shoppers and the retailers. In-store navigation, marketing automation of in-store promotions, or shopping suggestions (i.e. shop by recipe or shop by non-gluten, etc.) are just a few examples. Since one of the concerns of retailers in using Scan N Go is shrinkage and theft, FPR also offers comprehensive anti-theft & anti-fraud protection through dedicated technology and well-tested methodology.
And the best part? They now make it possible for grocery stores, supermarkets, pharmacies and other retail establishments that operate in a national state of emergency to try their express checkout app free of charge. The deployment itself shouldn’t take longer than just a few days, while retailers can add their own branding to the app and manage their operations more efficiently, for example by viewing all transactions in real-time.
2. Click and collect.
The option to “Click and collect” has been offered by increasingly more stores. Interestingly, it’s often referred to as the most valuable aspect of the shopping experience (by more than four in ten consumers, to be exact).
The idea is to order products online (mostly via a mobile app), and collect them by the entrance of the stores, from special “parcel locker” nearby, or other supporting locations, such as courier company branches. The added value is quite obvious – saving time on doing the actual shopping and standing in lines. The customers can simply use their mobile app, even pay with their smartphone and collect loyalty points once they’re at it.
Click & collect as a popular shopping option
There’s no doubt that these days, click & collect can make shopping easier for everyone involved. Although retailers have to take care of a few things first in order to implement click & collect in their stores:
Human resources to handle the orders,
Clear and intuitive mobile software that will be able to handle the whole new system,
As well as dedicated places to store the parcels that are about to be collected (like lockers, for example).
Amazon Hub Locker, as well as Walmart’s Pickup Towers, are perfect examples. Their customers are choosing the exact locations that they want their products to be delivered to from the map, and in many cases, they can collect it even the same day – without human contact. Such solutions can also be implemented with a little help from businesses that already offer robotised parcel machines and pickup points for online orders, as Retail Robotics does.
3. Augmented Reality.
Augmented reality is no longer about simply putting 3D images and frames on your smartphone’s camera view. It’s already a whole market of multiple (and more or less useful) solutions that you can take advantage of. In fact, according to “The robot in the room” report issued by NRF, the market awareness of AR solutions slightly exceeds 20%, whereas 86% of people who had a chance to use it are willing to continue doing so.
How to leverage AR, then? You might want to pair up with the solution providers – such as Augment (AR for 3D models of furniture and devices), or Modiface (AR make-up and face analysis). There are plenty of more examples like these – and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that increasingly more retailers decide to cooperate with them. Especially since implementing AR comes down to making good use of the SDK developed by the above-mentioned solution providers.
Use cases of AR in retail
Making good use of AR is definitely more visible in retail than in other industries – yet, their full potential is still far from being exploited. So far, there are a few common use cases of AR in retail that revolve around mobile or in-store solutions.
Thanks to mobile devices being increasingly more powerful, they make it possible to create a 3D model of a product and “apply” this model to the external environment. In many cases, this might be enough to “get customers to your door”, without them actually going anywhere.
IKEA can serve as a good example here since its mobile app enables the users to place any piece of furniture in their own home without the need to purchase it first. Lego, on the other hand, gives the users a chance to see how the “constructions” from Lego blocks will look like when finished. Other interesting use cases are provided by Converse, Wannakicks, or Lacoste since they all make it possible to try their shoes on without going to the store. Here’s exactly how Wannakicks looks like in action.
Byond VR from Israel, on the other hand, offers a suite of solutions for retailers and brands, including:
a 3D digital transformation platform,
Digital fashion showrooms that create an interactive online story and showcase new collections for sell-in,
Planning assortment or performing in-house production reviews,
Stores that offer Visual Merchandising & 3D Store Simulations,
Or virtual tour around the store, allowing to dynamically manage the content.
Another approach is offered by ARPalus for retailers and brands to use AR to test and implement merchandising displays in-store. Essentially, AR helps retailers to increase conversions, improve the efficiency of operations, and let consumers immerse in their experiences without leaving homes – which is exactly what’s needed in times of coronavirus pandemics. It should come as no surprise, then, that 63% of retailers have already been implementing AR solutions, or planning to do so.
4. Visual search.
Visual search is all about taking advantage of real-world images (such as screenshots, pictures, and photos) to perform online searches with a little help from AI. Since machines are now capable of reading the visual content, understanding it, and finding the related results on the web – why not use this option in retail?
Even though the main players that are interested in improving visual search are Pinterest, Amazon, and Google, there are plenty of smaller entities that also work on it. In fact, Slyce or Syte, for example, already specialise in making visual search possible for retailers.
Why is it the right time to leverage visual search in retail, though? According to Gartner, early adopters that will redesign their websites to support visual and voice search, are expected to increase their digital commerce revenue by even 30%. What’s more, visual search can somehow replace the idea of shopping in-store, as customers can look for products they see and like without even going window-shopping. In tough times, such replacement might be all they need.
Visual search in practice
At the moment, the most common use of visual search in retail is the ability to find a product from a photo in a specific store (or stores). The goal is mainly to boost sales by directing traffic to product pages that are searched by customers. This can work wonders, especially for fashion retailers and brands.
In many cases, visual search can simply shorten the time between the actual search and purchase. For younger generations, it’s a popular way of looking for products – in fact, 62% of millennials already prefer visual search over any other new technology.
Nonetheless, visual search can also be used for increasing conversion. Forever 21, for instance, claims to have increased its AOV by 20% thanks to visual search. It’s not the only example, as visual search has also been used by IKEA, Walmart, Tommy Hilfiger or eBay.
5. Field management solutions.
In times of crisis, it’s important to keep things under control and make fast, yet informed decisions. This gets much easier with tech solutions that can not only streamline your operations but also manage retail stores faster and more effectively.
Interestingly, some retailers already implemented internal management solutions a while ago – and they definitely don’t regret that decision now, given the difficult situation caused by COVID-19. Take Żabka Polska and its frappka app as an example. It was initially created to make the store management easier for Żabka’s over 4000 franchisees, which comes in useful especially in times like these. Nowadays, Żabka can easily communicate with its franchisees and help thousands of stores plan & track their product deliveries, just to name a few benefits.
Speaking of internal management during tough times like COVID-19 quarantine, it’s also worth mentioning Eyedo and its field operations management & optimisation tool. In case any problems arise, Eyedo makes it possible to address and tackle them immediately – by informing everyone involved, setting off alarms and reminders, and allowing to report on task progression to finally resolve them.
Apart from that, Eyedo’s solution also integrates technologies such as Computer Vision to ensure field operations are completed well. It can verify automatically if the Planograms complies with the requirements, if the promotion in-store is implemented properly according to the “picture of success”, and much more. It uses Geofencing to ensure field operations are done at the right place and time, and that the routes and actions are optimised for routing, headcount, and more.
Tough times like COVID-19 quarantine require smart measures
The economic downturn is inevitable – but it doesn’t mean that retailers can afford to sit back and do nothing. Thanks to modern technology, it’s still possible to grow your business, even during difficult times like these. In fact, all retail tech solutions that revolve around mobility can boost sales during COVID-19 quarantine.
These days, the goal should be to enable online shopping and reduce “physical” contact as much as possible, even for (or especially for) brick-and-mortar stores. The faster the retailers implement and improve solutions like click & collect, scan & go, AR and visual search – the less they will be affected in times of crisis.
Here’s what our experts think about it:
The current COVID-19 crisis presents a great opportunity for retailers that are able to adapt fast. Consumer behaviour during the crisis is definitely changing: To start with, the adoption of mobile apps and tools such as smart payments and Scan N Go is growing. At the same time, however, Grocery and Drugstore retailers phase 400% to 1000% growth in traffic and orders on their websites and digital assets. Consumers that never shopped online are doing it for the first time – and once they cross this barrier and get their purchase delivered home, they may get used to it. Pretty soon, they might want to buy other goods online, not just food. Is your retail chain ready for them to do so?
The change in consumer behaviour is here to stay, and it’s bound to impact every retailer. Now is the right time to implement tech & logistic solutions that will help to adapt to these changes and become the winners when this crisis is over, which will hopefully be soon.” – Nir Manor, Retail & FMCG expert, Future Mind’s advisor
A crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic was impossible to predict, but it doesn’t change the fact that companies have to act accordingly. In “normal” circumstances it would’ve been more than acceptable to implement changes gradually and with time – but nowadays, it’s necessary to adapt as soon as possible. In fact, doing so can be one of the best ways to actually maintain, and even save your business. In difficult moments like these, it’s a good practice to use well-tested solutions – both in retail, as well as other industries. No matter if these solutions have to do with facilitating internal processes or making things easier for customers – they can easily be tailored to your business and its current needs.
It’s important to remember, though, that making tech solutions work is all about “supplying” them with relevant data. In such cases, technologies like Python Unlinkor Node.js are worth taking advantage of to create integrations with already existing POS or ERP systems – especially since not all of them have API supporting the flow of data in real-time. – Tomasz Woźniak, CEO, Future Mind
Historically, whenever a large, technological leap is taken it’s met with a degree of resistance, sometimes in a way that makes us laugh. The Wall Street Tech article, “Women And Children First: Technology And Moral Panic” shares that when trains were first introduced to the public there was a fear that women shouldn’t ride them since “uteruses would fly out of [their] bodies as they were accelerated to that speed.” They did not.
In that same article, Cultural Anthropologist Genevie Bell states that society often experiences fear “when particularly revelatory technological advances show up—specifically, ones which interfere with or alter our relationships with time, space, and each other.”
What Was Our Reaction to The Emergence of Marketing Technology?
If you are old enough, you’ll likely remember the book “Who Moved My Cheese?”. It’s a parable that taught readers they could only declare, “winner-winner cheese dinner” if they were willing to embrace change.
The book became a popular business “must-read” in the early 2000s, right around the same time that the internet could be found in most households. This new connectivity meant that organizations needed to quickly rethink the way they marketed their goods and services. The message “adapt or starve” resonated so much that a small book about overcoming the fear of change sold $28 million copies.
Ultimately, the era became a launching pad for the customer experience methodology and automated marketing technology we’re using today. It’s safe to say that once we got past the initial and very human response to the changes emerging technology was bringing, we cleared the way for further innovation.
Do We Fear the Next Iteration of Marketing Technology?
Automated marketing technology has allowed us to essentially outsource time-consuming, repetitive tasks such as scheduled social media postings and email launches. In 2020, we’re going to see this go a step further with more organizations incorporating AI decision making into their marketing platforms.
For example, high-end skincare company Kate Sommerville built its eCommerce website with a platform that could offer unique product recommendations based on browsing and shopping patterns. The consumer’s online behavior assessment and the subsequently executed response was entirely automated.
As AI’s ability to predict and respond to human behavior increases, the potential to successfully interact with customers also rises. But as excited as we all are to level up our ROI, does the addition of AI decision making generate a creeping fear that human marketing positions will become redundant?
Google’s Chief Economist Hal Varian explained why there’s nothing to fear in the Stanford article “Our Misplaced Fear of Job-Stealing Robots”. “Automation doesn’t generally eliminate jobs. Automation generally eliminates dull, tedious, and repetitive tasks. If you remove all the tasks, you remove the job. But that’s rare.” Varian goes on to share that “In 1950, the U.S. Census Bureau listed 250 separate jobs. Since then, the only one to be completely eliminated is that of elevator operator”.
Emerging Technology Makes Human Skills More Valuable
The reality is that while marketing technology will not be replacing jobs, it is undeniably replacing some of the tasks that fall within them. Organizational roles will begin to shift as more space is created within them.
The Harvard Business Review (HBR) does a great job explaining how we can expect to see marketing roles change in response to emerging technology in their article, “The Rise of AI Makes Emotional Intelligence More Important”. “Those that want to stay relevant in their professions will need to focus on skills and capabilities that artificial intelligence has trouble replicating — understanding, motivating, and interacting with human beings.”
“It’s these human capabilities that will become more and more prized over the next decade. Skills like persuasion, social understanding, and empathy are going to become differentiators as artificial intelligence and machine learning take over our other tasks.”
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Apple is one of the biggest companies in the world !! Their products have touched the hearts of millions round the world and you can expect to see their great products like iphones,ipods & ipads in nearly every household today. Although apple is a great technology company with a humble turnover of $74.6 billion in first quarter of 2015 only, it is by far the best tech company on the planet. Below are 25 of the best technology companies that apple inc competes with.
1. Tesla Motors (Automobiles–Palo Alto, California)
skillshare is a Valuable online learning community taught by Industry Experts/Leaders and it’s main focus is learning new skills by completing courses. You can work at your own pace which is also great.
skillshare offers learning courses in advertising, business, design, fashion, style, film , video, food ,drink, music, photography, technology,writing and publishing.
So there is this new kid on the block called “Growth Hacking”. You may have read an article about it or heard it mentioned somewhere, somewhen. Growth Hacking seems to be a divisive and emotive term.
I first learnt of the phrase in January 2013 when the Guardian posted a job listing called “Head of Growth Hacking”. Having not heard of the term at that point I was intrigued to see what this job was. I thought it might be one of those random job titles you see now and again on the job boards. Two excerpts from the job spec really caught my attention.
“Its about the intersection between Marketing, Product, Technology, and Data” and “The Guardian is committed to a “digital-first” strategy and in order to support this, we are seeking a Head of Growth Hacking to manage a virtual, cross functional team focused on GNM’s growth hacking plan. This role is responsible for finding innovative ways to accelerate adoption, use, and retention to drive up audiences to the Guardian’s digital product portfolio”.
Fig 1. The 4 building blocks of Growth Hacking
“Hacking” is a very sensitive word in the UK for the last few years due to certain British press organisations being implicated in hacking prominent public figures’ phone lines and essentially eavesdropping on private conversations [Google “Leveson Inquiry” to read more]. So, for the Guardian, a major British press institution to be advertising for a job using the word “hacking” was fascinating. Secondly, I started out as a coder/programmer and had been working as a Digital Marketer and have a very varied skill set. I’d launched my own start up or two, worked for major corporates but always felt certain aspects of my skills were not being utilised especially when working for the blue chips.
Seeing the Guardian role led me to do more research on growth hacking and reading through the various definitions it was like a clarion call for me, a realisation that there was finally a clearer description for what I do! I was so stoked at this point in 2013 I immediately created a group on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=4847418 ] to connect with other growth hackers. Feel free to have a look and join if you want to join in.
Fig 2. Growth Hacking trending topics; velocity of trend; May 1st 2014
From my personal perspective Growth Hacking is NOT:
some dodgy technique to hack into your phone and listen to your conversations
just about marketing, whether, digital or traditional
o nor is it suited for fluffy, abstract awareness building campaigns
o and certainly not ideal for improving Net Promoter Score
o and definitely not only about inbound marketing / earned media; i.e. outbound marketing and bought media can accelerate conversion
only for start-ups – any size organisation with digital content, a mobile app, SAAS product or even a website can utilise growth hacking principles
about short quick win hacks
as edgy as it sounds. Its a structured, logical and transparent line of attack
For me Growth Hacking is:
a digital discipline. It encompasses a digital product, digital marketing, & Internet / Mobile technology stacks. As digital becomes more prevalent in the physical world, hacks for real world retail outlets will become more common.
about viral growth and acquisition of active users
about consumer lifecycle, journey, experience and insight. Cohort analysis for example is a must have tool in your growth hacking toolkit
primarily about the product, be it app, content, website or SAAS. Any digital product / proposition can be growth hacked. Imagine a digital widget that does “something”, people have downloaded the widget but they are not using it. Houston, we have a problem! Applying “hacks” to product features like removing or changing functionality or A/B testing product features [data], changing the IT stack e.g. Optimizely vs. Omniture Test & Target [technology] and modifying the message in the communications [marketing] for example, will help determine why it’s being downloaded but not utilised and ultimately improve conversion. But it all MUST link back to the product. Great marketing or deep data analysis or the wrong technology will not fix a bad product.
about “lean” [not agile] methodologies and hacker mindsets, i.e. applying entrepreneurial and real time experiments and tests. I once waited 8 months for the IT department to install Doubleclick tracking tags. This is not lean, agile or real time. It should be seconds or minutes! A hacker mindset to me, means implementing multiple HELRs [hypothesis, experiment, learn, repeat] in short periods of time. HELRs can be for code, marketing, data etc but you need to be able to learn quickly and adapt your strategy even faster. Your technology stack plays a HUGE role in allowing for lean methodologies and HELRs to be practiced. The difference between an enterprise level CMS to an open source CMS in terms of flexibility for lean is a wide gulf in favour for open source.
about formulas, metrics, kpis, Excel [lots and lots of Excel], SQL & databases, viral factors and virality equations, scenario planning, needs analysis, and portfolio analysis. Basically, hardcore data analysis, data hacking and quantitative measurement of large data sets. Data is the pillar upon which product, marketing and technology are tweaked, refined and optimised.
being a coder as well as a marketer but more importantly a commercially minded business person. Due to my technical skills I’m always looking to either directly or indirectly implement features into content / products from the ground up that facilitate marketing efforts such as A/B multivariate testing and insight gathering. With focus on entrepreneurship and growth;
Growth Hacking is not mainstream; Yet. Not like social media was a few years ago or is now. But, its growing fast. I don’t know if it’s a fad, buzzword, trend or anything else. It is however a very suitable term to describe my skill set and I like calling myself a “Growth Hacker” J, it just sounds cool don’t you think? In the last month [April 1st to May 1st 2014] tweets about growth hacking have doubled. But in comparison to social media it’s got a long way to go to reach critical mass.
