MEDIA: Craigslist is one of the ugliest websites on the Internet. The home page is an indistinct wall of links and text, the site is tough to navigate, the postings are cluttered, and the design has barely changed in the past 15 years. At a time when websites are competing to offer the best digital experiences, Craigslist is the pinnacle of user unfriendliness. And that's exactly what makes it brilliant, says Pascal Deville.
ECOMMERCE: We're using our inside access to cutting edge products, up-and-coming designers and innovative brands to bring you a mix of never seen before, limited edition, pre-release or collaboratively made things exclusive to COOL HUNTING. Not everyone’s box will be the same. Once you buy, we will ask you a few questions to help narrow our selections specifically for you.
BRAND: Multiple publications, including Fortune and Tesla Central, have confirmed the July 29th date. So far, it appears that Tesla has only sent invites to certain VIPs, including those who "won" invites to the event through the company's Model S sales referral program by referring five buyers. Media outlets have not yet been invited, and it's not clear if they will be.
CHAT: Everyone has been talking about Slack lately. The chat app, which is primarily aimed at offices and productivity, is simple, well designed, fun to use, and powerful. Slack is also the company people were obsessed with in 2015. Whether you love the product or not, though, it’s time to admit something: Slack is just Gchat.
DATA: Building a successful brick-and-mortar experience requires retailers to rethink how to make digital a core aspect of their physical stores. Mobile is the go-to technology to help bridge that gap. Whether it’s creating an ever-present shopping companion that provides contextual information and in-aisle advice or offering another channel to open up dialogues between shoppers and staff, phones—and, more recently, wearable devices—offer opportunities for stores to experiment and innovate.
ECOMMERCE: Connors: We see e-commerce as an opportunity to partner more deeply with our advertisers and more importantly, to learn more about our consumer. Plus, it’s a great service to our audience and a natural extension of what we do so well in print. We know that universal cart technology is getting better, so we are launching a program pegged to fall fashion.
ECOMMERCE: Thirty years ago, to buy just about any item would require a trip down to the store or mall. Once there, a brick and mortar retailer would have a selection of competing brands on the same shelves and your purchase would be a straightforward trip down the age-old purchase funnel. Flash forward to today and some of the world’s biggest companies, like Uber and Airbnb, don’t even own a car or a property. Rather they provide an innovative API that utilizes the collective assets to deliver a service to the masses.
ECOMMERCE: Two men decide to start a company. Everything is going well… until it’s not. That’s the moment they decide to start recording their conversations—painful, awkward, emotional conversations.Jason and Vincent launched Bento about a year ago. Their goal was to make Pan-Asian food fresh, tasty, and on-demand. They joined the food tech swell just as it was winding down, just as the funding was drying up, just as the smaller players were being weeded out. Bento’s odds don’t look good.
An Archived Chat With BVAccel's Dylan Whitman
We covered topics surrounding the illiquidity of several digitally native vertical brands, the success of Ben Lerer's media / eCommerce model (Jackthreads x Thrillist), and why it may be foolish to run both business models under one roof.