Googling For Shoppers
By the end of September, Google will have integrated Walmart into its Google Express shopping service for voice-activated home speakers and Google Assistant-enabled devices. Google Express offers free, one- to three-day delivery for retail partners – including Target, Costco, Stop & Shop and Walgreens – for orders over a store-set minimum (typically $25 to $35). Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s senior VP of ads and commerce, wrote a blog post citing Express’ focus on “(making) it faster and easier for you to shop your stores.” And retailers certainly appreciate a chance to reach voice-search shoppers without going through archrival Amazon. “When it comes to voice shopping, we want to make it as easy as possible for our customers,” Walmart ecommerce chief Marc Lore wrote at the retailer’s blog. “That’s why it makes sense for us to team up with Google.” They sure aren’t teaming up with Alexa.
Safe And Sorry
YouTube’s brand safety filters caught and removed an unspecified number of videos from the war in Syria that could have been used to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes, The New York Times reports. While YouTube videos are usually screened by humans for brand safety violations before being removed from the site, its machine-learning algorithm can automatically remove videos with a notice to the content creator, according to a YouTube spokesperson. Independent Syrian media have used YouTube to document human rights violations throughout the war, and removing their videos endangers “the richest source of information about human rights violations in closed societies,” said Keith Hyatt, VP of human rights organization Benetech. “Things just got a lot harder now the videos that were on YouTube are no longer around.” More.
Two Thousand And Late
Brands risk moving too slowly on some “next-gen” consumer technology that in some cases is already here. Voice search topped a recent survey of digital marketers in terms of future growth potential. But two-thirds of that group don’t have plans to even address the new search category. And it isn’t just about brands leading on R&D or innovation budgets – there’s also a quiet, risky undertow of consumer backlash. “There’s considerable evidence that consumers are growing more impatient and less tolerant of poor or frustrating online experiences,” writes Greg Sterling at Search Engine Land. More.
The Sweet Hereafter
As supermarkets and convenience stores adopt self-checkout machines and mobile pre-ordering, impulse buys are losing a key piece of real estate: cash register lines. And CPGs like Hershey’s are experimenting as fast as they can in pursuit of new impulse buying hubs. One potential strategy involves bringing the store experience to online shopping through VR headsets, Brian Kavanagh, Hershey’s senior director of retail evolution, tells Digiday. Outside of VR, Hershey’s is also working with retailers to create seasonal “aisles” on its sites where people pre-ordering groceries could come across candy alongside fresh food. More.
But Wait, There’s More!
- Madison Avenue’s Amazon Problem – Bloomberg
- Semcasting Acquires Transparency AI, Automotive Attribution Firm – release
- Alcohol Brands Steer Clear Of Snapchat, Fear Targeting Under-21s – Digiday
- Isobar Launches VR Measurement And Analytics – release
- Facebook, Apple And Google Will Hasten The Next Era Of TV – Wired
- Tru Optik And Neustar Partner On OTT Audience Targeting – release
- Who Owns The Internet? – The New Yorker
- Tapad Touts Cross-Device Integration With The Trade Desk – release
- How To Rebuild Trust In The Agency-Marketer Relationship – Adweek
- ViralGains And Sizmek’s Peer39 Partner For Video Optimization – release
- Art19 Raises $7.5 Million Series A To Advance Podcast Tech – release
- Snapchat Offering Discounts To Lure Small Businesses – Business Insider
You’re Hired
- Zenith Appoints Rian Shaw As Managing Director, UK – release
- Facebook Ad Leader Andrews Bosworth To Run Hardware Efforts – BI
- Mia Libby Joins The Daily Beast As CRO – release
- Centro Promotes Three To Executive VP – release
