What company in the tabletop industry has invested in a tech company? I don't know of one. I believe our industry should be doing what UPS does and investing in tech--and I'll explain why.
As today's WSJ shares, UPS has a venture capital arm and it has this because smart businesses know that most businesses are becoming more like: software businesses. Therefore, businesses have to ‘buy’ that know-how by investing in a tech company. UPS knows that it doesn't have the internal tech know-how to...
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June 16, 2019
June 16, 2019
Business lunch: how retail is changing :)
Old retail is 80% analog. This consists of: the physical store, staff, customer service training, etc. What you’d expect walking into a Saks or Macy's. And it's about 20% tech: computers, cash registers (POS systems), mobile shopping, Google ranking, apps, hiring social influencers, Instagram, etc.
Today, the retailers that are well positioned, growing, and 'hot' carry the opposite equation: they're 20% analog and 80% tech.
Smaller margins are here for many businesses in many industries—not just tableware. Recently, a sales rep balked when I suggested its stores take a haircut on margins. Yet, I believe big money tech players are forcing these cuts and upending traditional profits—leaving stores with little other option. From media (see today’s AT&T article) to advertising (Facebook, goggle) to transportation (Uber, Lyft, Tesla) to gift registries (Amazon, MyRegistry, Zola), big money-backed tech companies are the...
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May 9, 2019
May 9, 2019
The exuberance of the Royal Garden Butterfly pattern reflects our excitement at the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's beautiful baby boy. Congratulations to the royal couple on the arrival of Archie!
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April 27, 2019
April 27, 2019
Reflecting purity, delicacy, femininity, and grace, Michael Aram White Orchid collection offers simplicity that will make your dining table feel fresh for Mother’s Day. The white metal version, equally as exuberant and detailed as its black counterpart, offers a strikingly different appeal.
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April 16, 2019
April 16, 2019
We thank Mr. Hubert and wish good luck to Ms. Barry. Mr. Hubert helped right the ship at Best Buy and fend off Amazon, and Ms. Barry, who has worked with the company for 20 years, is taking over as CEO. Best Buy, whose stock is up 3x since 2013, has outlasted fallen household-names like Circuit City, Sport Authority, and Toys “R” Us.
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February 26, 2019
February 26, 2019
National retailers are investing in tech startups in order to push back against Amazon. One such alliance is Home Depot’s investment in Roadie, an Uber like delivery service that utilizes people’s own cars for delivering goods. Walmart and Delta also use the service.
As you may recall, there is a war going on between the camps of Walmart, Home Depot and the like vs Amazon.
Airbnb > Hyatt and hotel chains. Kayak > United and airlines. Netflix > MGM and the studios. Amazon > Macy’s and the retailers. Uber > Ford and the automobile companies.
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April 9, 2018
April 9, 2018
In the book The Four, the author Scott Galloway praises companies that reduce the 'friction' of completing an action. For example, Uber makes ordering a taxi easier. In the case of Amazon (which I often rail against), he noted it makes online shopping easier.
Which leads to the questions: what is Bridge making easier? What 'friction' is it removing for users?
Bridge reduces the pain points for a retail business in these areas: + Adding products to its website. + Adding news to its website. + ...
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February 11, 2018
February 11, 2018
A game-changing service often wins in two out of three areas: - Price - Quality - Time
Historically, when you adjust one of these variables, you negatively affect one of the others. For example, if you want a project to be done faster, you either reduce the quality or increase the price. When you want something cheaper, you often get it slower or reduce the quality.
A revolutionary service will change two or more of these factors with no noticeable impact on the other factors. For example, Uber ...
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January 25, 2018
January 25, 2018
Cormac Kinney, founder of a new online jewelry rental service called Flont, made an observation that I liked. He said:
“Look at software. People don’t buy it anymore—they subscribe to it. A lot people don’t buy cars anymore—they use Uber, Zip Car or lease them. No one buys computer servers anymore—they use Amazon, Google or Microsoft. All the things that we used to buy is now a service."
I agree with Cormac. And there is a good reason that 'software as a service' is good for retailers. Any store...
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May 18, 2017
May 18, 2017
Exuberant, exotic, enticing. A stylized flower, known as the “garofano” — carnation — in the tradition of Florentine ceramics and reinterpreted by Gio Ponti in 1946, evokes distant memories in the Oriente Italiano Collection. The graceful, delicate hues of dawn and dusk glisten on porcelain like a symphony. This is the scenario of the Oriente Italiano Collection on the Antico Doccia shape, where the airbrush technique and the inventiveness of colour converge to create a magnificent pattern.
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Exuberant, exotic, enticing. The graceful, delicate hues of dawn and dusk glisten on porcelain like a symphony.
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November 2, 2015
November 2, 2015
Exuberant, exotic, enticing. The graceful, delicate hues of dawn and dusk glisten on porcelain like a symphony.
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October 11, 2015
October 11, 2015
Exuberant, exotic, enticing. The graceful, delicate hues of dawn and dusk glisten on porcelain like a symphony.
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September 8, 2015
September 8, 2015
Exuberant. Exotic. Charming. The Leggiadria of Toni pale of sunrise and sunsets slips on the porcelain as a musical symphony.
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June 30, 2015
June 30, 2015
The exuberance of the Art Deco movement returns to our times through a collection of elegant lines in matt gold and deep green. "Emerald" from Vista Alegre debuting this summer.
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June 12, 2015
June 12, 2015
Vista Alegre's richly decorated Emerald dinner set embodies the exuberance of the Art Deco movement
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