David Moth

Cobone doubles Facebook CTR with Alchemy

Facebook is working hard to convince marketers that it is best place to spend their advertising budgets, rolling out a range of new methods for brands to tout their wares to consumers.

There are now newsfeed ads, mobile ads, offers and even ads when you logout. But, truth be told, measuring the ROI of social ads is still not an exact science.

by David Moth 02 March 2012 10:46am 0 comments

Sports catalogue uses image recognition to link print with m-commerce

A German sports retailer has enabled image recognition in its printed catalogue so that readers can make a purchase by taking a photo of pages with a smartphone.

The SportScheck smartphone app has been upgraded using an API from startup kooaba, which recognises all 30,000 items contained in the catalogue's 750 pages.

by David Moth 01 March 2012 14:19pm 0 comments

Foursquare ditches Google in favour of crowdsourcing

Foursquare has started using crowdsourced maps on its desktop site, ditching the Google Maps API that it had used since launch.

This comes as the site embraces the OpenStreetMap movement, which is a Wikipedia-style effort to create free world street maps curated by its users.

Foursquare’s new interface is designed by start-up MapBox and for users it means that the maps, icons and colours will be slightly different the next time they log on.

by David Moth 01 March 2012 12:28pm 0 comments

40,000 merchants now use Square's Card Case mobile payment app

Mobile payment app Square has now registered 40,000 merchants to use its Card Case software, double the number it had just four months ago.

The iOS and Android app allows users to pay for goods without the need of a bankcard or NFC chip.

by David Moth 01 March 2012 10:40am 0 comments

Security a 'major concern' for ASOS as hackers target the site every hour

ASOS is targeted by hackers every hour, which poses a “very real threat” to the site’s security, the company's security officer Michelle Tolbay said yesterday.

Although the probes are generally quite unsophisticated, Tolbay says this is still a "major concern" for the clothing e-tailer.

Speaking at a NetBenefit event on compliance with the Payment Card Industry code, she said that more serious attacks are made once a week on average by hackers trying to steal credit card information.

by David Moth 01 March 2012 09:37am 0 comments

Twitter introduces Promoted Tweets to app timeline

Twitter has introduced Promoted Tweets in the timeline of its mobile apps, reflecting the fact that 55% of its active users log in through a mobile device.

In the coming weeks Android and iPhone users will begin seeing Promoted Tweets near the top of their timeline from brands they already follow.

A blog post from Twitter said this will “ensure that people see important tweets from the brands they care about.”

by David Moth 29 February 2012 13:21pm 0 comments

Facebook-based football game sells players physical Nike kit

The makers of Facebook football game I AM PLAYR are offering fans physical Nike merchandise for its fictional club River Park FC.

The freemium game’s primary income comes from selling virtual goods including Nike branded football boots and cans of Red Bull, but it sees the physical goods as a useful marketing tool as well as a secondary revenue stream.

Users can buy official Nike shirts and scarves from the game’s f-commerce site, powered by Zibaba, for £34.99 and £9.99 respectively.

by David Moth 29 February 2012 12:26pm 0 comments

Study suggests 50% of consumers see TV as their primary media source

Poor planning and a "lack of sanity" is proving to be fatal for brands' social marketing activities, according to new research by TolunaQuick and social PR agency C&M.

The ‘What We Like and Dislike’ report, based on interviews with over 3,000 consumer internationally, found that 50% of people still see TV as their prime media source, and nearly 60% of purchasing decisions are influenced by traditional ads and products reviews.

by David Moth 29 February 2012 10:26am 5 comments

MTV launches social TV app 'Under The Thumb'

MTV has moved into the social TV market with a new mobile app called MTV Under The Thumb.

The app allows users to watch MTV on-demand content simultaneously with friends and chat about it in the app at the same time.

Users can also share their favourite shows through Facebook and watch the content through their desktop computer by connecting their mobile to a web browser with the mobile then acting as a remote control.

The app, which was developed by Viacom and AKQA, is initially being launched free on iOS and Android in Europe with additional subscription models for premium content.

by David Moth 28 February 2012 13:44pm 0 comments

Q&A: Payvment CEO Christian Taylor on f-commerce

F-commerce is proving to be a tough nut to crack for many big high street retailers.

Major brands like Gap, J.C. Penney, Nordstrom and Banana Republic have shut down their Facebook stores in recent months after the predicted boom in socially driven sales failed to materialise.

Yet thousands of small and medium sized businesses are making a good living from f-commerce through integrated sales platforms such as Payvment.

Payvment currently powers 150,000 stores and adds 1,500 more each week, accounting for 80% of Facebook shopping

So what is the future for f-commerce and where do the opportunities lie?

We spoke to Payvment CEO Christian Taylor to find out why he thinks the big brands failed and how SMEs are getting it right.

by David Moth 28 February 2012 12:39pm 2 comments