Year: 2011

  • Social Shops

    One of the trends I think will catch on in the next few years is social commerce, despite the buzz. 🙂 Though word-of-mouth has always been around, newer technologies provide scope for newer manifestations. At this point, social commerce is seen as many things – from f-commerce to group buying/daily deals to virtual merchandise to social + affiliate marketing to social media reviews to shop-together applications, and so on. In essence, any usage of social platforms/applications/media for commerce, and  brands are using/creating these basis their objectives and understanding of the space.

    The buzz has been there for quite a while now. To take a few recent examples, JWT’s 100 things to watch in 2011 had at least a couple of obvious manifestations – F-commerce (35), Group Manipulated Pricing (4) and more in terms of enablers and related items. (come to that in a bit) Trendwatching’s May 2011 trend is The F-Factor – “that’s F for friends, fans, followers who influence consumers’ purchasing decisions in ever more sophisticated ways”, in which they classify this further into discovery, rating, feedback, together, and ‘me’, the last one about curation itself becoming a product/service.

    There are several technologies that will aid this trend in various capacities. Again, to refer to JWT’s deck everything from Automated Checkins (6) to Micro Businesses (51) NFC (56) to Personal Taste Graphs (67) to Tap To Pay (88) can play a direct or indirect part. Add to this increasing smartphone penetration and its impact on purchasing behaviour (check out a study by Google) and interesting services like Localmind, which uses 4sq check ins and location to help users engage in Q&A, or LocalResponse, that uses tweets and check-in data to create a marketing platform for brands to target consumers in real time. and this is sure to be an interesting space with plenty of $$ involved.

    That (obviously) explains why the usual suspects are making strides – Facebook with its check-in deals and Social deals and more importantly increasing the scope and penetration of Connect, Open Graph, Instant Personalisation (though), Google with its Latitude, Offers, expansion of Product Search to more countries (via) and even its fashion shop, Amazon with its new membership-only fashion sales site and so on.

    But more than these services, the applications that interest me are from the ‘real’ products that I come across. Levi’s remains one of my favourites. And the one that excited me much was Pepsi’s Social Vending Machine. It allows a user to buy a drink for your friend and add a personal video message while at it. After you provide the friend’s name and number, he receives a text message with a code which he can redeem at the nearest vending machine and watch that video you made. (via) Probably a gawky start, some would say, but think of the potential applications.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJaEVEoEETA

    It’s not that there won’t be challenges – privacy is the obvious one. Brands will also have to be careful about their natural tendency for broadcasting and aim to be relevant in time and other contexts. They will also have to integrate offline and online well. But despite these and more that might crop up, I think this will be fun with its synergy with Social CRM and its perspective on the answer to that omnipresent social media ROI question. 🙂

    Bonus read: Paul Adams on How your customers’ social circles influence what they buy, what they do and where they go

    until next time, social bill sharing? 😉

    PS: Interestingly, Coke had a friendship machine of its own too

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj3QLLTFDX8

  • EastforEaster: Day 4 – Bangkok shopping, Krabi

    Click here for Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3

    This day was reserved for the malls of Bangkok. Though we had initially thought we would scout MBK in the morning, grab a quick lunch and then spend an hour at Pratunam and get back just in time to catch the last flight to Krabi, better sense prevailed and we decided to concentrate on MBK. The lady at the Tango reception was extremely helpful. We were allowed to keep our bags in the hotel (checkout was at noon), and she also gave us directions on where to catch the BTS Skytrain. We had initially thought of taking a tuk tuk to Siam, and catching the train to National Stadium. But as per the new directions, we were asked to set off for Chit Lom station. As soon as we got out of the hotel, a tuk tuk driver approached us and I asked him how much it would cost to get us to Siam. Only 20 baht he said, because he had a sponsor who would take care of his bills for the day, and then proceeded to explain the catch. We would have to visit his sponsor’s factory on the way. We skipped the deal and began what turned out to be a rather lengthy walk to Chit Lom.

    The ticketing system is pretty user friendly, but we still managed a slight embarrassment. We had taken a ticket to Siam, from where, depending on the time taken, we planned to figure out whether to use a tuk tuk or cab to National Stadium. So we took tickets to Siam. At Siam, we got out and decided to board the train to National Stadium. We were about to take tickets when we were told that the same tickets would be enough. Nice, we thought, until we got out at National Stadium and the damn gates wouldn’t swing for us. So we paid the ticket charge and walked right into MBK Centre, the train practically leaves you inside the mall!

    We began looking around in right earnest and realised we had reached a ‘branded’ floor. Though there were heavy discounts, we proceeded downstairs to where we hoped we would get more bang for our baht. It took a long while to drag D away from that floor which had apparel, footwear, food and so on, but I had a sneaking suspicion we were missing something on the floors above. We managed a quick tour of those floors before we went for lunch and realised we should have timed ourselves better.

    Lunch for the day was at the Black Canyon Coffee, selected after we realised that in general, only the pizzas had survived the Japanese restaurant invasion. The dishes were reasonably good, though the quantities were typically cafe-size. We had just over an hour to complete our shopping and in a mad rush we shopped more in that hour than we had in the 3 hours preceding it, and across floors. Our behaviour then vaguely reminded me of Arunachalam’s plot. I wished I had spent more time in the electronics floor and found a cover for the mobile. There were some awesome ones there, including Angry Birds, but in the only shop I managed to check in, they had pretty boring options for my phone.

    We took the train back to Chit Lom and an awesome driver landed us at the hotel just in time. The hotel security called a cab for us and it took us to the airport at 1/3 rd the price we had paid for the first journey. Despite the baggage being 7 kgs over the 20 kg we had paid for (shopping indicator right there) Air Asia didn’t make us pay. Yay! On to Krabi!

    There was quite some turbulence as we neared Krabi and some after we landed too – the driver who had come to pick us up waved the placard with D’s name at a rather large African American lady, and I couldn’t help bugging her. 😀

    We reached Ao Nang in half an hour and in the last stretch, laughed at the grandiose names given to apartment like accommodations. Harvest House turned out to be in that lot!! But a helpful staff and a decent room was enough to dispel our crabbiness. The beach was just less than a km away and we dined at Eden, where an awesomely enthusiastic waiter ensured we had a good meal. Though the restaurant faced the sea, all we could see was a massive darkness. Our scouting revealed plenty of shopping options and we slept, all set for the sea trips on the days ahead.

    Bangkok Notes and Budget

    Currency: Baht. Do only a minimal conversion inside the airport. Rates seemed much better outside. eg. in the grand Palace complex.

    Travel: Flight deals are many so you can probably check out the different ‘trip’ sites. Within the city, tuk tuks and whenever you can manage, BTS. There are detailed BTS maps on the web and it’s pretty easy to navigate. Also helps that they are faster and cheaper.

    Food: Plenty of options, especially street food – you can fill your tummy for 200-300 baht. Restaurants would cost you (very generally) upwards of 350 baht.

    Tour: We used Absolute Bangkok Tours who also gave us options of hotels to suit various budgets, and tour plans. They also made the booking for the river cruise. Our cost for the tour services came to 7300 baht (inclusive of hotel, driver, guide, entry fees, cruise) The service was reasonably good.

    Shopping: There are malls and malls. We chose MBK basis our needs of the things we were shopping for and our budgets. 🙂

    Resources: Wiki Travel, Travelfish

    More pics on Facebook

  • NH8

    This review was first published in Bangalore Mirror, and you are permitted to read further only if you promise not to LOL, because this happens to be a veg restaurant! Gasp! Those of my meat eating friends whose ribs aren’t being tickled and who can empathise, don’t worry, I compensated by refusing to meet vegetarians and following a meat-only diet during the rest of the weekend. 😉

    NH8 is on 80ft Road Indiranagar and this map should tell you how to get there. The Bata showroom above which it is located is a good landmark. While on maps, for the geographically challenged, the map on the restaurant’s signboard outside informs you that the National Highway 8 connects the country’s capital New Delhi with its financial capital Mumbai, and on its way passes the State capitals Gandhinagar and Jaipur. Ok, geography lesson over, now you can take your eyes off the road and focus on the gastronomic journey.

    The idea is to present the cuisine of the different cities traversed by the NH8 highway. The menu is still in the introductory stage, and they plan to add more options soon. For now, what is available is a thali with unlimited refills. From the tiny waiting area outside to the entire decor inside, a good attempt has been made to do justice to the geographical theme of the restaurant. Perhaps the only thing that sticks out is the gigantic TV screen, but then, that seems to be a hygiene item in restaurants now. The seating is of two kinds – low floor and regular, and the cushions are bright and comfortable. The staff also follow the theme with their colourful pagdis.

    The welcoming ‘Padharo Sa’ section with Chaanch and Jaljeera is followed by the savouries (Farsaan) that included the dhokla, Batata vada and Masala Bati among others. The main course (Aarogo Saa, Jeemo Saa, Rice) consists of gravies – dal, gatta, kadi and to go with it Naan, Roti and rice. There’s also a Moong Dal Khichdi and a variety of chutneys. The road ends with desserts in the form of burfi and Lapsi. There are more items on the thali on weekends as compared to weekdays. You can see the menu at Zomato.

    We started with the Paneer Kalimirch Tikka, and the Haryaali Aloo, both of which turned out to be excellent. Despite its companions being fancier, the Batata Vada was also appreciated. But the Khaman Dhokla was spongy enough but very dry. The line bewteen starter and main course is blurred since the items land on your plate at rapid speeds.

    The Dal-Bati was mildly spicy and good enough for multiple helpings. The Gujarati Kadi was sour, sweet and spicy and was much in demand. But clearly, the winner was the Jaipuri Gatta with its rich, thick and spicy gravy. The Gobi Masala turned out to be too spicy and lacking any other flavour. The Marwari Kadi was also too bland, and lacked the sour, tangy flavours associated with it. The Aloo Tamatar Rasawaala didn’t leave any good impressions either. Meanwhile, the Marwari Chaanch keeps you good company throughout the meal. Among the desserts, the Coconut Burfi was the pick of the lot. The Marwadi Lapsi, made of broken wheat, was found to be lapsing, quite a disappointment.

    The high speed delivery mechanism of one dish after another could overwhelm you, but if you let that pass, the service would rate as one of the best you’d have encountered. With smiling faces, they insist on serving you more and more and when you’re finished, pleasantly ask if everything was to your satisfaction. The finishing touch is in the form of the handwash, which moves away from the regular fingerbowl to a person pouring the water for you to wash your hands.

    The thali is priced at Rs.199 on weekdays and Rs.249 on weekends. (Fri-Sun) If you happen to be a vegetarian, this place is obviously worth a visit. Even if you’re not, drop in for a unique experience delivered in a most hospitable manner. The way to a man’s heart is a highway, and that’s not the ghee talking.

    NH8, 710, 3rd Floor, Above Bata Showroom, 80ft Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore – 560008. Ph: 42076575

  • EastforEaster: Day 3 – Bangkok

    Click here for Part 1 and Part 2

    It was a rainy morning when we left the lovely Siem Reap airport, made even more wonderful with free Wi fi. For some reason we didn’t have to pay the $25 tourist charge either. I am clearly a fan of this airport. We thanked our stars that we weren’t affected by the morning rains when we saw the faces of dejected tourists who had just landed.  Bangkok Airways, “Asia’s Boutique Airline” was indeed stylish and served us a good breakfast. (This was in addition to the breakfast at the hotel, but I’d always wanted to experience a double breakfast) Some good dining tips for Krabi were picked up from the in-flight magazine. We landed at Suvarnabhumi around noon and cleared immigration in a few minutes. This was an elegant, efficient airport, not as pretty as Siem Reap, but definitely more scalable. We picked a free Bangkok map (and airport map) and reached the public taxi counter where an uninterested aunty forced herself to fill a form and send us on.

    The taxi driver proved to us that all over the world, there are versions of the auto guys in Bangalore who give first time visitors a well metered city darshan. This was despite the city map and a Google Maps print with point to point directions (in Thai too). He pretended he had lost his way, called a friend to get directions and even tried to take us past our hotel before we opened the door and forced him to stop.

    The Tango Vibrant service apartments seemed a slightly grander version of the Ginger Hotels here. Despite being a self-help kind of set up, they provided excellent service and were an extremely helpful bunch of people.

    We had arranged our tour with  Absolute Bangkok Tours. Our guide was supposed to meet us at 1.30 and she landed right on time. In the hired car, she introduced herself and after being faced by blank stares and rapid blinking, told us we could call her Nikki. 🙂 Our first stop was the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha.

    The thing to remember here is that all that glitters ain’t what it’s supposed to be. That doesn’t make it look any less opulent though. Despite being a Mallu and being bombarded by gold ads all my adult life, this was something! Meanwhile, Bangkok continued our walk-in-progress theme and the Palace was just the start.

    The name of the king who built this is also borrowed from Indian royalty/ science fiction – Rama 1. The mural on the left is one from a long stretch that shows the Ramayana. Ravana continues his 4+4+2 head arrangement here too and this is the Rama-Ravana face off scene. (click to enlarge) There were some very interesting characters –  this one is half lion and half man, though an evil soul commented on Facebook that it was JLo. 😀

    There was Garuda doing one of his regular snake stunts. The gold rush continued with some porcelain and jade for relief. We also saw a model of Angkor Wat. And we walked on. While getting out, we saw a tourist being sent back for wearing shorts. 😀 You can hire clothes from across the street though.

    Despite the two breakfasts, we were hungry and went off to grab some street food near the Palace as we waited for the taxi. Pork, fish and mango for dessert. All absolutely awesome and only costing 20 baht each. The next stop was Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) which required a ferry crossing. We saw a monk who refused to endorse earthly signs even if they seemingly pointed in the right direction.

    Wat Arun is another beanstalk to be climbed and a pretty steep one at that. But as always, a good view awaits you. We also saw a few monks who reminded me of a soft drink commercial from years back. The colour of their robes and the drink in their hand is the indicator. 🙂 We crossed the river and proceeded to Wat Pho. Yes yes, I did ask D what for she was making me walk like this.

    Wat Pho is another walkathon. We saw the reclining Buddha and I wondered if he had taken a tour too. I vaguely remembered a story I’d read in Tinkle/ACK about a mouse (?) which had set out to find the tallest Buddha. I thought this Buddha featured in it. I tried to remember the story as D dropped 108 coins in 108 vessels kept by the Buddha’s side.

    There were also statues of Marco Polo – in what seemed like an extreme Chinese makeover, and another that seemed like Prabhudeva caught in one of his dance moves. The former is accurate and the latter was me seeing things because of excessive walking. But again, another place worth a visit for some beautiful Buddhas.

    If I had any hope that the walking had ended, D dashed it when she subtly indicated that there was a good view from the Golden Mount. The view was definitely neat, but it also meant that I began seeing stars early in the evening. That cafe there must be doing great business!

    Our penultimate stop for the day was the flower market. D was like a little kid who was seeing flowers for the first time. But I couldn’t really blame her – all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes and a bouquet’s worth of roses selling for 20 baht. Despite all the temptation, D didn’t ask me to buy her flowers. Mah wife is cool that way 🙂 Nikki seemed to be on a shopping spree though.

    We left for the last item on our agenda – the Chao Phraya dinner cruise. The sky seemed set for rain and we had about an hour to kill at the River City mall, where the pier was. As we sat inside the mall, too tired to walk, and munched away at the Foi Tong we’d bought earlier (vermicelli like dessert made from egg yolk), it started raining and continued as we got into the boat. We feared the worst. Dinner distracted us as soon as we boarded and we used regular buffet diversion techniques to manage the mobs at the counter. The crowd was a mix – from India, Middle East, Kenya, Bhutan and more, and in an attempt to please Indians, the lady massacred Bolo Ta Ra Ra and Munni!! Thankfully the skies cleared and we could enjoy the cruise despite not having ‘side-seats’. Our tuk tuk driver, on the way back to the hotel, an old man, turned out to be quite a speed demon. But it was a fun ride and looked forward to the shopping mania planned the next day.

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  • Weekly Top 5

    This week’s stories include Blackberry’s announcements at the World Conference – Playbook, NFC phones, Bing as default, Twitter statistics and third party ads, Facebook’s Social Deals and partnership with McAfee. Google Talk with video and voice and Google docs app for Android, YouTube’s expansion into Hollywood titles for rental, and a few Apple updates.

    [scribd id=54748243 key=key-29w7levc645b4k1p0d4g mode=list]