Tag Archives: Facebook

The GAAFers

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BRIC, MAVINS, PIIGS and GAAF

Back in 2003 the acronym BRIC was used by Goldman Sachs when talking about the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. The report speculated that by 2050 these four economies would be wealthier than most of the current major economic powers.

In 2010, the Business Insider used the acronym MAVINS for the six surging countries Mexico, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nigeria and South Africa. It was suggested that these combined economies could equal 60 percent of America’s current economy by as early as 2020, over 200 percent by 2050, and then continue growing thereafter.

Also in 2010 the PIIGS acronym was used to refer to the five Eurozone nations, which were considered the most vulnerable to financial crisis: Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain.

Let me start a new one: GAAF. This is an acronym for Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook. These companies have an influence level above many countries and economies that are more significant than those of some states. What the GAAFers do makes a real difference.

Social gifting: the new buzzword in e-commerce

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Social gifting is the subject of lots of events, seminars and conferences.

“Brick-and-mortar retailers are all looking for new, more efficient ways to drive sales into stores without diluting their brands … we wanted to really see how retailers can leverage the megatrends of smartphones and social networks,” said Hjalmar Winbladh, chief executive of Wrapp.

Wrapp is essentially an app that can run on smartphones, tablets and computers. It allows Facebook friends to buy each other gift cards from participating retailers either individually or by teaming up, which they can store on their mobile devices and redeem either online or inside physical stores. Retailers like it because there is little marketing cost and because customers often end up buying more once they are inside the store.

via Social gifting: the new buzzword in e-commerce | Reuters.

Ultimately the consumer will decide the future here, but social gifting stands a significant chance of being huge; the social aspects of shopping are brought together with the ease and convenience of the internet. And of course most of us have already made social gifting transactions.

Boku, the new rival to PayPal?

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This should be interesting to follow: PayPal, the online payments company owned by eBay Inc, just got a new rival in the race to develop a mobile payment service that can be used in physical stores.

Boku Inc, a big online mobile payments company backed by venture capital firms including Andreessen Horowitz and Benchmark Capital, unveiled a new service on Thursday that lets people pay with any mobile phone anywhere credit cards are accepted.

Boku already provides carrier billing through about 230 wireless carriers, including AT&T Inc, Vodafone Group Plc and Verizon Communications Inc in more than 60 countries. This service lets people pay with their mobile number and get the transactions charged to their monthly phone bill.

Read more >>> PayPal Gets New Rival In Offline Payments Race « Internet « Techcircle.in – India Internet, mobile, consumer tech, business tech.

EA, Facebook and Sony are just some of the partners they cite. I’m going to sign up now and see what the experience and the service is like. Have you tried it?

P2P payments through Facebook

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The ability to send money to a friend using Facebook is here, now. PayPal have released an application that allows the sending of money P2P accompanied by a greeting card if the sender so wishes.

How to send money to friends through Facebook

If you forget birthdays until Facebook reminds you, or you constantly fear that your friends pay for lunch more often than you, then PayPal’s new Facebook app is for you. Send Money is aptly named, and while you can choose to bundle your e-payment with a silly customized greeting card, there’s no need for it. Here’s how to settle your accounts:

via How to send money to friends through Facebook | How To – CNET

Five Foursquare tactics to attract customers

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Flash mobs, fun, specials…these are all some of the benefits to be derived from using location based social networking for retail marketing.

I’m often asked how businesses should start turning a rather dull brochureware website into something more dynamic. The truth is it needs more than a Facebook account to make this leap; it needs a strategy, commitment and resources.

Assuming these things are in place Foursquare can play a useful role. This article from the Harvard Business Review suggests some simple and effective ideas.

Foursquare recently passed one billion check-ins. For businesses of any type — but especially for retailers — Foursquare allows brands to attract, reward, and engage customers in ways that were never possible before. Innovative retailers are leveraging the growing popularity of check-ins to create fun, meaningful, interactions that encourage long-term loyalty. Here are five ways to use Foursquare to build loyalty this holiday season and beyond:

via Five Foursquare Tactics to Attract Customers – Carmine Gallo – Harvard Business Review.

Written word speaks volumes for the brand

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78% of people interacting with a brand on Facebook are likely to do a further ’brand action’, such as visit a website and consider purchase.

34% of people who don’t interact with a brand on Facebook are likely to visit the brand website and consider purchase.

73% of those entering a brand competition on Facebook would visit the brand’s website.

86% of those watching videos on a brand’s Facebook page would then visit its website.

via Written word speaks volumes for the brand | Trends | Marketing Week.