Friday Top Five:: April 12 2019

Here is your weekly dose of “FridayTop-5 ,” a list of what I’m enjoying, stories I found of interest or gadgets that are entertaining and fun.

The biggest news this week is probably Apple’s launched a slew of new services most of which are tied to some sort of subscriptions service. Followed by some interesting new across cannabis, horology, and of course, my favorite sneaker news.

Tech + Retail:: Launching a New Unboxing with Nancy Walton and Caitlin Strandberg

Shipping human grade food for pets, Ollie Senior Operations Manager, Nancy Walton, and Lerer Hippeau Principal investor, Caitlin Strandberg talk about the supply chain strategy behind dog food company, Ollie’s new packaging redesign, lessons learned, insights into where the market is headed, and a bit of how having direct access to customer and customer feedback was crucial to their early success.

Link to iTunes Podcast – Here

Why this matters:

I had the joy of having a bulldog for many years. One of the big things was that we kept him on a super regular diet of food. If we had known about services like Ollie, we would have used them because they make it so easy for us and great for our dog.

Tech + Retail:: The Cheese burger that has a brain

McDonald’s is announcing an agreement to acquire personalization company Dynamic Yield. The announcement does not include a price, but a source with knowledge of the deal said that it’s more than $300 million. This is the fast food chain’s largest acquisition in 20 years.

Why this matters:

For too long we have been hearing the value that AI could bring to the world, and yes there are millions of case studies of what could be. But let’s focus on this one for a minute. If McDonald’s had AI running their service coupled with their mobile app and proximity beacons they they could have a compelling offering. At a High-level, it is personalized and improved customer experience and based on past order history, day of the week, weather, etc. they could present you with options for what you would want or even better have your order ready for pick-up with payment and everything else already take care of before you arrive.

Lifestyle:: Your Wardrobe Needs an Upgrade

For a long time I have worn a suit or a blazer to the office no mater if I am meeting a customer or not. I have provided guidance to co-works on where to shop, what is classified as ‘standard’ vs. ‘not appropriate’ or downright wrong. Over the past year or so, I have noticed a shift to more Athleisure style business attire with the like of Peter Millar, Cole Haan, and even Lulu Lemon leading the pack. Well, The Inc. recently showcased a Yale Study about wardrobe and the tangible impacts on your business.

Why this matters:

Like many others, I , that the clothes don’t make the man, but they sure as hell make the man feel better, act better, and are perceived better. Don’t believe me, ask Yale. All kidding aside, a few years back I had a team member who was about to join a project I was running, my only three requests were that he was clean shaven, had collar stays, and did not utilize a backpack while on-site with the customer. When that person showed up, I waited till the end of the day to inform them I wasn’t kidding and that they needed to address this topic before returning to work. While this seems like a silly request, the customer was paying $250 an hour for that resource and they looked like they were turning up for middle school. Perception is the reality in many cases matterand I am sorry, but if you are in a client facing role, don’t dress like you just rolled out of bed.

Transportation:: Uber is ready to file for IPO

Uber is likely going to file for IPO next month with an estimated value at between $90B – $110B. They follow their competitor Lyft in flying. What will come under scrutiny is Uber’s ability to generate a profit, how will they compete with low-cost upstarts and or localized solutions, and how will they continue to diversify their offerings i.e., electric scooters, UberEats etc.

Why this matters:

Uber is my go-to service provider from trips to and from almost anywhere. Uber needs to showcase why they are better than their competition while also finding unique ways to innovate. Pay attention to Uber buy and using driverless car and have cars on demand in your neighborhood. I would not be surprised if you also saw more strategic partnerships with Uber and distibution and shipping companies who are looking to compete with Amazon.

Retail:: Record Store Day

Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2008 and held on one Saturday every April and every “Black Friday” in November to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store”. The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores across the world. This year Record Store Day lands on April 13th.

Why this matters:

I am and have been a longtime lover of vinyl. It just sounds better to me, it is really fun to shop for, it is fun to talk about, it is a different experience than Streaming. I love the idea of record store day both because it supports local businesses, but also due to the fact it makes you take a pause, think about which artists and projects are really special and then the act of purchasing said album will stick with you for a lifetime because those records don’t break!

And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Let me know! Just send a tweet to @daileyblend put #FridayTopFive at the end so I can find it. Also, don’t forget to sign-up for our monthly mailer to keep up with the latest from the Dailey Blend.