Are YOU Prepared for Ad Blocking?

Posted on February 20, 2017 by bermanevansretail
Ad blocking is becoming an enormous problem for online retailers, going from a nuisance a couple of years ago to a major threat today. ARE YOU PREPARED TO HANDLE IT?
Technopedia describes ad blockers as follows:
“An ad blocker is a program that will remove different kinds of advertising from a Web user’s experience online. These programs target certain kinds of ads, such as pop-ups, banner ads ,and other common forms of online ad blockers work in many different ways. Some are standalone programs, while others are features of more comprehensive customizing services, or add-ons for a particular browser or operating system. Some browser-specific programs, like PithHelmet for Safari, or other programs for browsers, like Opera, are designed to work well in a particular environment. Others work with Windows or another operating system to block pop-ups or other kinds of ads.” 
“Users have a wide range of options for blocking out different kinds of ads. Some programs delete cookies and other Web markers to effectively limit ads. Web proxy programs like Privoxy can be effective ad blockers. Some users will choose to block Adobe Flash in order to block annoying video ads, which are now common on some websites. There are also freeware programs that may use simple principles to block out advertising.”
So, how much of a threat is ad blocking in 2017? Even though eMarketer has scaled back its estimates slightly; ad blocking is still growing significantly. As eMarketer notes:
“eMarketer has scaled back its estimates of ad blocking users in the U.S., reducing the number to 75.1 million. At that level, more than one-quarter (27.5%) of US internet users will use ad blockers this year. While the estimate has been reduced, growth is still significant, at 16.2% in 2017.”
“Ad blocking is much more common among desktop/laptop users than smartphone users. For smartphones, the incidence of ad blocking is less than 8%. That’s partly because mobile ad blockers are often not as effective — especially within apps — as they are on desktops and laptops. Ad blocking continues to be far more prevalent among younger people. This year, 41.1% of millennials will use ad blockers, r estimates. The use is lower among Gen X internet users at 26.9%, and for baby boomers, ad blocking is at 13.9%.”

 

Click the image to read more.
US Ad Blocking User Penetration, Desktop/Laptop vs. Smartphone, 2014-2018 (% of population)

 

Posted in Online Retailing, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Was Hot in Technology? 20 Years Ago!

Posted on February 16, 2017 by bermanevansretail
We tend to spend a lot of time looking at the “hot new things,” such as connected vehicles, virtual assistants, and a lot more. But, as retailers, we infrequently look back at the past to see what was hot then in terms of fads and long-running successes. What hot high-tech products from 20 years ago can YOU name?
Recently, CNET published an entertaining slideshow: “Flashback fun! Return with us now to the thrilling days of the late 1990s, when the Interweb was young, the CD was king, and the cloud was a white, fluffy thing that floated above your head while you gabbed on your cordless telephone.”
Click the image to see the CNET slideshow. Which of the items shown in the slideshow were fads; which were long-run successes?


 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Broadening Threat of Ransomware

Posted on February 15, 2017 by bermanevansretail
Retailers are now selling a rapidly growing number of connected devices — from refrigerators to smoke detectors to home security devices to robotic vacuum cleaners, and a lot more.
Thus, the threat of ransomware is getting worse, as we’ve reported before. Ransomware “is malware. The hackers demand payment, often via Bitcoin or prepaid credit card, from victims in order to regain access to an infected device and the data stored on it.” [from Ransomware: The Smart Person’s Guide, by James Sanders]
How pervasive is the threat of ransomware in our everyday lives? Check out this rather scary cartoon from Joy of Tech. It was inspired by the recently published Ransomware: Defending Against Digital Extortion by Allan Liska and Timothy Gallo! [Click the image for a larger version of the cartoon.]

 

 

Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Privacy and Identity Theft Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment