I’ve started to notice a number of books are being advertised on Amazon with the physical version being cheaper than the Kindle ebook.
Kindle $16.17
Paperback:
Amazon $14.48
New $13.13
Used $15.40
It doesn’t feel right to me. I ended up not buying it at all as I felt cheated. This was the one of the titles I was looking at: http://www.amazon.com/My-Evernote-Katherine-Murray/dp/0789749262/ref=pd_sim_b_1
Walmart has announced the launch of its “Pay with Cash” offering for online orders at Walmart.com in the United States. Now, customers can shop a broader selection of items online, hundreds of thousands more items beyond its stores, at Walmart.com and pay for them with cash at all Walmart stores in the U.S. and also in Neighborhood Markets. Walmart is the first major retailer to offer online purchases without the need for banking services or a credit, debit or prepaid card. “Pay with Cash” will help millions who rely on cash transactions, as well as those who are wary of using credit cards online, to shop Walmart’s affordable and expanded online merchandise.
Pay with Cash: how it works
1. Customers go to Walmart.com from any Internet-connected device to select an item and place an order.
2. During checkout, the customer selects the “cash” option and their shipping preference. Customer immediately receives an order number on the order confirmation page and an email receipt with their order number. The item is reserved in the system.
3. The customer has 48-hours to take the printed order form to any cash register of any Walmart store or Neighborhood Market.
4. Once cash payment is completed in the store and received, shipping then occurs via Site to Store or to their preferred address.
I guess the fascinating thing here is why this has taken them so long to set-up. It seems rather an obvious move to me. In some ways Argos in the UK has been doing this for years already.
More on this from Walmartstores.com: Walmart Announces “Pay with Cash” for Online Purchases.
I’m sure Groupon will have some success here:
According to Reuters, Groupon is looking to tweak its email offers to show these 11 million inactive subscribers more deals that are closer to where they live, in a bid to persuade them of the service’s relevance. The firm will also reportedly make a greater push on its restaurant deals, with the number of offers dropping as it focuses on highly priced and luxury offers. Although such offers may keep existing users loyal and help Groupon’s brand, bread-and-butter restaurant deals are more likely to get inactive subscribers purchasing. Groupon will also bolster its sales teams with better customer relations tools.
via Groupon looks to tap 11 million inactive subscribers – Rumour – PaymentEye.
It is most unlikely they will entice me back though! I found the wear out factor with offers was a big thing as well. It wasn’t just that the offers were irrelevant (product or geography) it was the bombarding nature of the Groupon machine that put me off.
An additional thing to keep your eyes on is the retailer engagement with Groupon. Evidence suggests that a lot of the derived trade is only price orientated and is quite transient.
This is a good video, 3’10″, from The Logic Group showing the mobile customer journey.
I guess it is an age thing, but I was surprised to see a Barclaycard running on the MasterCard network. In my day Barclaycard seemed to become Visa and Access became MasterCard (I do know that it wasn’t quite like that!).
Anyway, park my misconceptions and this is actually an interesting story: Barclaycard US have launched Barclaycard Ring, a social network credit card/social credit card. Driven by the influence of an online community of card members, the new card will offer a low (8%) interest rate, low fees, simple terms and the opportunity for card members to shape and share in the product’s financial success.
For the first time, through a virtual card member community, Barclaycard Ring card members will have visibility into the card’s financial profit and loss statements. An online framework will provide card members with the ability to influence decisions that impact how the card is managed and serviced and a unique Giveback(TM) program will enable the community to share in the profit generated from its collective decisions.
Using social media, the community will also provide a forum where card members can exchange ideas, share knowledge and provide direct feedback to Barclaycard US to help determine future features of the product.
“Through simple and transparent terms, we want to pull back the curtain that has traditionally separated banks from their customers and give our community a say in weighing economic tradeoffs that can create a better card member experience,” said Paul Wilmore, Managing Director-Consumer Markets, Barclaycard US. Wilmore went on to say, “Some might say we’re creating a virtual credit union or community bank, but we’re taking that model much further by giving our members a seat at the table to help decide what card features and benefits are really best for them.”
Barclaycard Ring is currently in alpha testing and will be available to consumers later this spring.
NFC continues to catch the headlines and deliver confusion in almost equal doses. This article, www.pcworld.com/article/252766/5_important_facts_about_nearfield_communications.html, delivers a simple perspective of the situation today under the section headlines:
:: It’s Cheap and Easy.
:: Adoption Seems Inevitable.
:: It’s a Hot Potato for Enterprises.
:: It’s Already in Use Overseas.
:: Security Risks Come Standard.
And while NFC continues to confuse Square develops and PayPal Here has launched.
And finally the obvious contender for Square payment processing:
PayPal is targeting small businesses, service providers, and casual sellers on the move with its new PayPal Here service which allows vendors to process a variety of payments including checks and cards using their mobile phones.
via PayPal Unveils Mobile Payment System for Small Businesses.
I still want to know when we can have either working in the UK?