Net Briefs: BOPIS, Budgets & Business

Is BOPIS a Cure for Retailers' Woes?

The Web continues to draw users away from brick-and-mortar stores, but there is a near even split between those who prefer to shop in-store (54 percent) and those that prefer digital channels (46 percent) according to the third annual JDA "Consumer Survey." Where the two meet is "buy online, pick up in store" (BOPIS) as year-over-year data shows a steady 44 percent increase in adoption of the practice with half of the respondents using BOPIS services in the last 12 months. By offering incentives, however, that uptick could rise significantly; 80 percent of shoppers would consider using the service if retailers offered price discounts or incentives.

No Budget for CX Initiatives

The customer journey is a top priority for marketing executives but few have created a dedicated customer experience (CX) budget, according to the 2017 "Planning Report" from the Leapfrog Marketing Institute. In fact, only 38 percent of executives have a budget dedicated specifically for the customer experience. Sixty percent of those who do have a dedicated CX budget, however, have increased them since last year, and an additional nine percent have a dedicated CX budget for the first time. Only seven percent report a decrease in budget since last year.

How Top Apps Make Money

How do publishers of the world's top-grossing apps monetize their assets? The results of AdColony's summer 2017 "Publishing Survey" reveal that advertising accounts for 55 percent of total mobile publisher revenue with 31 percent of that revenue coming from mobile video ads. Outside of advertising, app publishers are more likely to make money through direct in-app purchases than they are from paid installs or subscriptions. In-app purchases was the single greatest individual revenue source cited, driving 39 percent of total publisher revenue.

The Web is Winning in Mobile Development; The Rise of PWAs

It may be the beginning of the end for native mobile apps. Two years ago, 20 percent of developers were building with native tools, but in the next two years it could fall to just three percent according to new research from mobile development technology stack provider Ionic. An increasing number (32 percent) of developers are also working on progressive Web apps (PWAs), which make the features consumers expect from native apps possible within the mobile browser experience and run in a secure container accessible to anyone on the Web.

Ruby Slides off the Rails

Nearly 5,000 people have contributed to Ruby on Rails, but the open source software may not have the same industry buy-in it once did. Coding Dojo, a coding school with campuses across the country, has announced it will remove courses for Ruby on Rails from all of its campuses and online curriculum by the end of 2017, citing its research that shows smaller job demand for those skills.

Use of AI in Retail Set to Explode

Retailers are increasingly turning to service and automation technologies that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in order to unlock new revenue, reduce costs, and increase customer loyalty, satisfaction and lifetime value. In fact, a Linc study found that 87 percent of the 100 retailers surveyed plan an increase in the use of artificial intelligence for customer service. Only 7.7 percent of retailers have rolled out AI as a regular part of customer service to date.
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+ Facebook has expanded its location data partnership with Factual to include more international coverage and access to Factual's Crosswalk offering, which connects physical locations to their online presence.

+ Flatiron School is offering a $1,000 scholarship to every female who enters its in-person coding bootcamp in order to promote women in technology and boost their career opportunities in the industry.

+ According to App Annie, Amazon Prime Day grew even faster than expected this year, with U.S. consumers spending nearly 6.5 million hours in the Amazon Android phone app on Prime Day 2017. This is an impressive 60 percent growth in time spent year over year from Prime Day 2016.

+ AccuWeather announced the launch of AccuWeather API Developer Portal, which provides packages to accelerate developers' access to accurate and detailed global weather forecasts and warnings.

+ Publisher technology platform 33Across reports 103 percent year-over-year annual growth and the appointment of former AOL executives Anita Pollert (as SVP) and Dave Jacobs (as COO).
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