Pokemon Go is a Virtual Fad, Not a Small Business Marketing Priority

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Having lived through several decades of marketing fads, I can say with confidence, Pokemon Go (explained by Vox.com here in 400 words but still inexplicable) is not a small business story. But since it can involve people walking along streets that may have small businesses on them, well, that's close enough for some pundits and reporters (See links below).

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Pokemon Go is a fad

It's a summertime fad, at that. It's a summertime virtual fad that is a welcome relief from the tragedy and anxiety we feel in the real world these days.

It's also a free video game that uses a vintage franchise to introduce some creative uses of augmented reality interwoven with Google Maps technology. (Now, that's the small business story!)

Pokemon Go is a glimpse into the future

One day soon, augmented reality and virtual reality will be even more interwoven into Google Maps than it is today via Pokemon Go. And then  it is going to become an integral part of how retailers and restaurateurs and other businesses along Main Stree will provide customers the chance to experience their stores online, even before their first visit.

Have fun with Pokemon Go

Play with it. But don't chase after a new marketing fad that can help your business - especially if you are one of the millions of small businesses that haven't even created a website yet.

But in the reality of running a business today, there are dozens of more important digital marketing skills–and traditional marketing skills–you need to master before chasing the Pokemon Go fad.

But, I've been wrong before. So here are some stories that want you to believe Pokemon Go has something to do with your business:

• BusinessInsider.com | Pokémon Go is actually helping small businesses


• AdWeek.com | Pokémon Go Is Inspiring Small Retailers. So Has Augmented Reality Gone Mainstream?


• TheStreet.com | 'Pokémon Go' Helping Small Business Owner Boost Sales


• Money Magazine | Pokémon Go Is Good Business for Small Businesses


• Business News Daily | 4 Ways to Put “Pokémon Go” to Work for Your Small Business


• SmallBizTrends.com | Pokemon Go Transformed from April Fool's Joke to Big Success

Places on Amazon.com to Find Prime Day Specials From or For Small Businesses | 2016

Amazon.com has been promoting today's Prime Day sale for weeks. If you are an Amazon Prime member (or sign up for a free 30-day trial), you can take advantage of what Amazon describes as its biggest sale ever.

This year, Amazon is also using the day to communicate that its marketplace is not only a channel to purchase Amazon products, but is a marketplace for small and independent businesses, worldwide. For example, in the past, we've shared information about a storefront called Amazon Exclusives that features products from inventors and creators and another storefront called Handmade at Amazon that provides a sales channel for handmade crafts, art and other creations from around the globe.

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Tip: While there are discounts on many products,

this banner appears on products that are specifically designated as a special Prime Day Sale item.

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Where are the small business deals?

Here is some friendly advice for Amazon for future Prime Days. Make it easier to find deals in specific categories or from sellers in specific locations. For example, the site does a good job of making it easy (if you know where to look) to sort handmade products by state (as we show below), but it doesn't provide a means to sort for such products both location AND deal. That said, here are the two previously mentioned categories that focus on products that are from artisans, creators and inventors where we've discovered some deals.

How to Look for Prime Day deals at Handmade at Amazon

Handmade at Amazon has items from all 50 states and around the globe. You can look for Prime Day deals on products from artisans in these categories: By State from Alabama to Wisconsin or country from Albania to Zambia.

How to Look for Prime Day deals at Amazon Exclusives

Amazon Exclusives is a storefront that features the types of inventions and new products that have gained visibility through appearances on TV shows like Shark Tank or on crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter. This link should take you to the Prime Day deals.

Other deals

Prime Now's Amazon Restaurants deal | Prime members in 12 metropolitan areas in the U.S. that have restaurant delivery via Amazon's “Prime Now” service can receive a promotional code for $20 off a future Amazon Restaurants order. According to Amazon, there are currently hundreds of restaurants available in the service in 12 metropolitan areas across the U.S.

Office supplies and electronics | Throughout the day, there will be special deals on these items for small businesses.

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Illustration: Amazon.com

Note: Some of the links in this post are Amazon “affiliate links” for which SmallBusiness.com receives a tiny commission. How tiny? About as tiny as this type size.

How to be More Convincing in a One-on-One Conversation With a Customer

Want to be more persuasive in a one-on-one conversation with a customer? According to Noah Goldstein, co-author (with Robert Cialdini) of Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive, if you mimic the other person's body language you are more likely to close that sale.

Goldstein says that in research conducted in a retail setting, sales people who subtly mimicked customers' speech and behavior were more successful at selling than those who didn't.

78.8% | Purchased the test-product from mimickers

61.8% | Purchased the test-product from nonmimickers

Customers who were mimicked also indicated they felt more positive about the salespeople and the store.

via | This Is How To Easily Improve Your Body Language: 4 Proven Secrets | Barking Up the Wrong Tree

HT | LifeHacker.com

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Photo | Thinkstock

Amazon Touts Small Business Participation in its Second “Prime Day” | 2016

 

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To help raise the visibility of the services and products it offers small businesses, Amazon is providing special attention to the small businesses who are participating in this year's Prime Day.

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On Tuesday (7/12/2016), Amazon is holding its second annual  “Prime Day,” a summer sales promotion that fills a lull in the calendars of retailers when they begin  trimming their shelves in preparation for the coming holidays. For Amazon, the sale also serves as a promotion to sell memberships to “Amazon Prime,” its $99 a year premium-shopper subscription that provides “free”  shipping, music-streaming, video-streaming services, unlimited photo cloud storage and special access to “lightning sales.”

While most of the merchandise being discounted are products from Amazon, the company also provides an array of services that allow small businesses to advertise on its site, earn commissions on Amazon products a small business can sell on a website (affiliate or associate), create a store and sell products on Amazon (sellers), or participate in an on-demand marketplace for selling skills to customers in one's hometown (Amazon Home Services). They even have storefronts that promote products from inventors or creators.

“Prime Day gives small businesses selling on Amazon a peak sales day during the summer months,” says Peter Faricy, vice president for the Amazon Marketplace. “Customers have the opportunity to support small businesses by purchasing unique products at a great price with fast, free shipping, and it helps sellers prepare for the upcoming holiday season by providing feedback and more customer reviews on their new and top selling products.”

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By the numbers | Small businesses and Prime Day

100% | Increase this year over last year of small businesses participating in Prime Day

30% | Percentage of “Prime Day Lightning Deals” worldwide that will be from Amazon sellers on Amazon

14 million | Number of items Prime Day buyer purchased from sellers and small businesses during 2015 Prime Day

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Employers Prefer Full Time Workers, But Agree That On-Demand Economy is Here to Stay | 2016

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Employers face a dilemma when it comes to a future in which a workforce of independent, contract on-demand workers becomes the norm and not the exception, according to a major survey of employers conducted by Time magazine, the Aspen Institute, the Markle Foundation and Burson-Marsteller.

This pair of findings demonstrates the dilemma:

56% | Percentage of employers who say full-time employees make it easier to accommodate the ebbs and flows in work volume and who believe that contract workers are less loyal or invested in the success of the company.

60% | Employers who hire contract workers.

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As explored in the SmallBusiness.com Guide to the On-Demand Economy, for reasons of choice, possibility or necessity, a growing number of individuals are becoming part of the on-demand economy; adapting to a form of freelancing that once was limited to certain trades or seasonal work. Many on-demand workers view their participation as part-time work, or as a flexible second job. Other people, however, are reluctant participants in the on-demand economy and prefer full-time employment.

(Note: In this article, the term “contingent” or “independent workers” refers to those who work for an organization on a non-permanent basis and handle their federal tax payments using a form 1099. Contract or non-employee contingent workers are also known as freelancers, independent contractors, or temporary contract workers. Full-time employees include workers, part time or full time, who are issued a Form W2. Learn more about the difference between  in this article that is a part of the SmallBusiness.com WIKI)

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Why employers use independent workers

90% | Flexibility of hiring workers with specific skills as the need arises

86% | Cost-saving purposes such as taxes and benefits

When given the choice, employers prefer full-time workers

58% | Employers who say full-time hires are better for their company because they provide more value over the long-term

67% | Employers who say their companies try to limit the number of contingent workers in favor of full-time employees

Employers expect the on-demand economy will grow

57% | Employers who use contingent workers who expect to use more in the future

70% | Percent of all employers (who've used contingent workers or not) who believe more organizations will move toward an on-demand labor model

Employers are satisfied with the performance of contingent workers

97% | Employers who use independent contractors who say they are satisfied with their performance

98% |  Employers who use independent contractors who say they will use more independent contractors

Employers are looking for loyal, engaged employees but believe independent contractors don't meet that expectation

58% | Employers who hire independent contractors who believe “non-employee contingent workers are not as loyal as full-time employee.”

54% | Employers who believe that non-employee contingent workers are “not always available when I need them,”

52 % | Employers who think contingent workers are “not as invested in their product.”

Benefits offered to full-time workers vs. independent contractors

79% | Employers who believe offering benefits to employees is a critical component of attracting talent

66% | Employers who feel they should NOT be responsible for providing benefits to independent contractors

50% |  Employers who don't think they should be responsible for providing training or education to independent contractors.

22% | Employers who believe workers themselves should be responsible for providing benefits



80% | Employers who hire independent contractors offering healthcare benefits to full-time employees

17 % | Employers who offer healthcare benefits to independent contractors



80% | Employers who offer paid vacation to full-time employees

13% | Employers who  offer paid vacation to independent contractors

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(HT to Steve King, Small Business Labs)

Photo: ThinkStock

 

Get Ready for a Warehouse Robot Revolution

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As yet another example of the many ways Amazon is both a competitor and supply chain partner to small businesses is that an estimated 45 percent of the inventory in Amazon's network of warehouses is related to fulfilling orders for sellers other than Amazon. Many of those sellers are small manufacturers and e-retailers. Four years ago, Amazon purchased Kiva, a warehouse automation and robotics company, to manage the operations of its vast warehouse system. Rather than continuing to sell Kiva products to other warehouse operators, Amazon has used the technology and robots (or bots) to automate its own warehouses. According to Bloomberg, since Amazon stopped selling Kiva (now called Amazon Robotics) products to other companies, a new generation of warehouse automation solutions have sprung up. All are aimed cutting the costs and speed of getting products into your store or onto the doorsteps of your customers.

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How automation and robotics are revolutionizing warehouse operations

• Robots cut labor costs and prevent labor shortages during seasonal spikes.


• Robots help improve speed and accuracy and increase productivity.


• Typical warehouse robots look like automated pallets.


• Before drones become delivery solutions for Amazon and other companies, they will likely be used inside warehouses and fulfillment centers.


• Self-driving cars and warehouse robotics share many of the same engineering challenges and operational opportunities.

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By the Numbers | Amazon Robotics

30,000 | The number of bots Amazon uses in its warehouses

20% | Operating expenses saved by Amazon's bots

$22 million | Fulfillment expenses saved at each Amazon warehouse the bots are installed

100 | Amazon warehouses in which bots have not yet been installed

(via: AmazonRobotics.com)

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Other major users of warehouses are experimenting with new types of automation

Other big-box retailers are trying to catch up with Amazon.

• Walmart uses robots to ship apparel from Walmart.com.


• Walmart has been experimenting with flying drones that photograph warehouse shelves as part of an effort to reduce the time it takes to catalog inventory.

Startups and spinoffs chasing Amazon Robotics

There are warehouse automation projects taking place within many large technology companies as well early stage startups. Here are just a few:

Flexe | (Seattle) Utilizing an on-demand economy approach to warehouse space

Locus | (Massachusetts) A spinoff from a company called Quiet Logistics that owns two warehouses in Massachusetts

Fetch Robotics | (San Jose) Makesa warehouse robot that follows workers around, catching the items they pick off the shelves

Harvest Automation | (Billerica, Mass.) sells a robot that is similar in approach to Fetch

Toru | (Germany) From the company Magazino, its bot can grab individual items

6 River Systems | (Boston) Founded by former Kiva executives

What about the jobs of warehouse workers?

856,000 | Number of warehouse workers (May, 2016)

$16 an hour | Average wage of warehouse workers (2016) (Source)

Jobs that will be lost by warehouse workers | About half the human labor in warehouses carry out repetitive, unskilled, simple, arduous tasks that involve moving stuff around.

Jobs that won't be lost by warehouse workers | While fewer  people will be needed for the repetitive, simple and arduous tasks, there still will be a need for “high-value” (and higher paying) skilled and managerial managers and workers.

(via: Bloomberg.com)

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Photo: AmazonRobotics.com

Twitter Rolls Out a Small Business-Friendly Dashboard

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Twitter has launched a beta version of Twitter Dashboard, a new free app the company says will help businesses connect with their customers and community. Twitter Dashboard beta is currently available to all U.S.-based businesses as an iOS app and desktop web application.

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Twitter Dashboard collects familiar features into a business context.

If you're already a power-user of Twitter and manage your social media with a third-party platform or a dashboard like Twitter's TweetDeck, you will immediately recognize that the Twitter Dashboard is a collection and simplification of familiar features. In other words, you may be underwhelmed.

However, if you've wanted to use Twitter for your business, but have been intimidated by the process of learning how to use it, you will find Twitter Dashboard an easy step in the right direction.

“Large, dedicated teams typically have the advantage of sophisticated tools provided by Twitter ecosystem partners. But (Twitter Dashboard) is a free tool to give all businesses an advantage in the way they use Twitter,” says Noah Pepper, product and engineering manager for the new app.

Desktop Twitter Dashboard via: Dashboard.Twitter.com | Twitter Dashboard suggests items and topics you can tweet about or schedule for a later time.

 Twitter Dashboard features

• Gives managers a clear picture of what's being said about their businesses


• Lets them schedule Tweets to be posted later


• Offers insights about Tweet performance (i.e., analytics integration)


• Offers tips for topics to tweet about


• Suggests tweets you may consider retweeting

Twitter Dashboard iOS app

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Download |  iOS app  Desktop web application

(At this time, beta version available in U.S. only)

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Illustration: ThinkStock