Amazon: Not Right for Some Authors
November 8, 2014
I wanted to call this write up Godforsaken ID. But you might plug in the letter “C” or you might not. I suggest you track down a dead tree edition of the still dog paddling New York Times. Check out the business section and look for the Google pleasing headline “Prominent Editor’s Exit a Setback for Amazon Publishing Unit.” I quite like the juxtaposition of prominent, setback, and everyone’s favorite online WalMart.” You may be able to view a version of the story at this link, but I make no promises in this money oriented era.)
The write up has a great quote or two.
- “His [Ed Park, a literary luminary unknown to me] departure reflects the challenges that Amazon faces in a publishing ecosystem that largely views the online retailer as a rapacious competitor.”
- “Some literary agents say Amazon’s publishing operation seems to be retreating.”
In my view, I don’t want my work sold on the Amazon system. I have enough experience writing and selling monographs that appeal to maybe 300 people in the world. These folks are not reached via WalMart.
You views, like those of Dave Schubmehl and IDC, may differ from mine. As you know, without a written agreement, Mr. Schubmehl (an alleged expert in information retrieval) and his employer (the large mid tier consulting firm, IDC) reworked my research, put their names and brand on the material, and attempted to sell the result for $3,500 on Amazon.
Is that clueless? I don’t know. I am relatively confident that whatever executive decision lead to that move may suggest some management challenges. You can read about the “surfing on Arnold” play and the IDC hopes Amazon can move 10 pages for $3500 at these links:
- IDC and Reports by Schubmehl
- Are HP, Google and IDC “Out of Square”?
- IDC Attivio Report Spotted by a Librarian
Several observations:
First, Amazon obviously did not check with the authors on the IDC report that permissions were in place. What’s this say about Amazon?
Second, who at IDC perceived Amazon as a way to move 10 pages of my recycled content for $3,500?
Third, how desperate are companies like Amazon and IDC to earn monikers like rapacious and name surfer?
We live in interesting information centric times. As I reveal my research results about the new direction in content processing, how long will it take for this information to surface with the name of a person who did not do the nitty gritty work? I should emulate the NCAA basketball gambling craze start a pool for this digital publishing sport?
Oh, I like old fashioned bookstores too.
Stephen E Arnold, November 8, 2014
EasyAsk Adds Glitter to Oya Costumes
October 29, 2014
I learned that Oya Costumes has tapped EasyAsk to provide the search function for www.oyacostumes.com. You can read the news release here. I clicked around using drop downs and facets. I did run a query to locate a suitable Harrod’s Creek Halloween costume. I searched for Darth Vader. The results were mostly on point. There was one anomaly, an inflatable purple suit. Perhaps Darth has a side few know about.
Here’s the result page for my query:
Here’s a close up of the purple outfit mapped to the query “Darth Vader.”
I quite like the inflatable purple suit. I assume it is semantically related to Mr. Vader.
Stephen E Arnold, October 29, 2014
SLI Systems: Stunning Factoid
October 21, 2014
SLI Systems reported its financial results in mid October 2014. The numbers were interesting. The company reported revenue of $22.1 million, which is good for search software. However, the company said that it lost $5.9 million. See “SLI Systems Poised for Continued Growth in Rapidly Expanding E-Commerce Industry.”
In the write up was a remarkable factoid; to wit:
More than 500 e-commerce businesses are using SLI’s solutions, which can service more than a billion queries in a single month,” said SLI CEO Shaun Ryan. “That’s ten percent of the volume that Google reportedly serves in North America in the same time frame. And with continued growth, we expect to continue adding scale to our high-margin business.”
From my point of view, this is an intriguing number. In order to break even, SLI Systems needed almost $30 million in 2013-2014. Based on the information I have gathered over the years, search vendors dependent on venture funding find themselves in an SLI Systems boat frequently.
Keep in mind that the cost of maintaining a search system is often higher than revenues can support; therefore, search vendors face red ink each time the accountant tallies up the numbers.
Why not get more customers? Well, that costs money.
Why not charge more? Well, savvy customers may look at open source options like Magento.
Well, why not come out with a killer product? Most search vendors believe they have killer products.
Convincing analysts and prospects is a different type of pizza. But if the factoid is correct, SLI Systems is generating hefty traffic when aggregated. Is it time for a revised business model?
Stephen E Arnold, October 22, 2014
Exorbyte: Yep, eCommerce Search
August 1, 2014
Despite the mid tier consulting firms trying valiantly to convince some that Exorbyte is an enterprise search company, there is some evidence to the contrary. I noticed a tweet from a Twitter fan billed as MarketLinks. The link points to a service with which I was not familiar, Vidyours. On that page, Exorbyte presents a number of videos:
A word of possible interest: This video distribution search wanted to install a suspicious video viewer on my system. I declined.
Net net: Exorbyte has a number of eCommerce video for what appears to be the purpose of selling licenses to companies looking for a eCommerce search system. Perhaps the enterprise search videos are out there, just not on the dicey Vidyours.com site? Is Exorbyte performing a search pivot or just stretching its system to generate more leads and revenue?
Stephen E Arnold, August 1, 2014
Improvements to Kidrobot Website Yield Positive Results
May 21, 2014
The article titled Kidrobot Turns to SLI Systems to Boost E-Commerce Sales and Strengthen Brand Visibility on EConsultancy LLC discusses the changes implemented on the Kidrobot website. Immediately visible on the website is the suggestion to “Try our NEW Search”, suggestive of the excitement at Kidrobot over the improvements, which have yielded an 87% increase in users finding what they are looking for (within the first five results to appear) since November 2013. The article quotes a Kidrobot employee as follows,
“From the capabilities of their technology to the helpfulness of their support, the whole package of working with SLI is a huge improvement from what we had before,” said Kelsey Vendetti, e-commerce and digital marketing manager for Kidrobot. “Learning Search has created a better overall user experience, and when visitors use Rich Auto Complete, it opens their eyes to all that we have to offer – they’re three to four times more likely to click on a search suggestion.”
Kidrobot sells trendy pop art toys with unique names, making search tricky for users who weren’t certain of exactly what they were looking for. SLI’s Rich Auto Complete aids in this by actually learning from past experience what customers are most likely trying to find.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 21, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Watson and Shopping: No Service, Just an Assertion
April 26, 2014
I read “Make IBM’s Watson Your Personal Shopping Assistant.” IBM wants to leapfrog www.pricewatch.com, www.amazon.com, and the aging www.mysimon.com, among other shopping services.
Now quite a few people have embraced Amazon’s flawed, yet popular, recommendations service. I am trying to remember when I first noticed this somewhat annoying feature of the digital WalMart. I cannot recall. I am reminded of the weaknesses of the system each time I log in and see recommendations to my wife’s book selections. Undoubtedly she and I are not following Amazon’s best practices. My wife is pretty familiar with my user name and password, Amazon, and the ease with which she can order products (dog vitamins), novels (wonky mysteries infused with herring), and oddments I know won’t plug into my computer systems; for example, something for a faux soft drink machine.
My view is that for some folks, an Amazon habit is going (note the present progressive) difficult to modify. Even though Amazon is struggling to deliver profit joy, the Amazon online shopping thing has quite a following.
Well, just in the nick of time–is it years too late?—IBM says it will apply the billion dollar baby to meet my shopping needs. Oh, yeah. Here’s what I learned from the write up:
IBM is partnering with Fluid, a digital commerce company, to create a one-on-one experience with Watson’s capabilities. For example, let’s say you’re looking for the perfect gift for your significant other. Tell Watson about the likes and dislikes of your loved one and let the computer score through piles of data, and eventually pick out a product (or group of products) with those details in mind. Or let’s say you’re going on a hike in the Himalayas and need the right gear for your trip: once you tell Watson what you need, the computer does the research and picks out all the right equipment for you.
I suppose this means that Amazon’s reviews are about to be staring at Watson’s tail lights. The article doesn’t pay much attention to Amazon or lesser services that pepper Google results pages with offers of prices, reviews, and suggestions for the procrastinating Mother’s Day shopper.
I read:
IBM is working on an app for XPS that will work on desktops, tablets and smartphones. It will be able to ask the same sort of questions you’d expect from a salesperson in a physical store, but without the hard-sell techniques and with a lot more personalization.
I think my grade school teachers called this the present progressive. I translated this to “it may sound now but nothing is showing up right now.”
Several observations:
First, is IBM or a “partner” going to design, build, debug, deliver, and support this magic carpet shopping service? On one hand, it looks like Watson’s brain trust in Manhattan is on the job. Then it struck me that an outfit called Fluid will have to lift that barrel and tote that bale. My hunch is that IBM will watch from the veranda of the hotel overlooking the laborers unloading the good ship Watson.
Second, I keep reminding myself that IBM has yet to provide a demonstration of Watson that makes it possible for me to compare throughput, precision, and recall with the search systems to which I have access. Talk, it appears, is much easier than making and selling a product.
Third, what about that Amazon thing? The Bezos-A-Rama is busy creating yet another digital monopoly. In addition, that big store offers recommendations along with one click shopping, reviews, a so so search system, and fawning Wall Street believers.
To me it looks as if IBM, on the other hand, is doing what IBM does best: Working its public relations firms extra hard. I hear the faint sound of Tennessee Ernie Ford singing,
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go
I owe my soul to the company store
Mr. Ford’s backup singers are IBM’s sales and marketing team after a tough day of talking about what Watson will someday soon be. Hard work is moving 16 tons of marketing.
Stephen E Arnold, April 26, 2014
Free Online Commerce Advice from SLI Systems
March 5, 2014
Here’s a free book anyone managing e-commerce should look into. SLI Systems’ blog, Site Search Today, suggests we “Create a Better Shopping Experience with Refinements.” Writer Kemberly Gong advises:
“If users encounter a large set of search results for a particular keyword, they can also feel overwhelmed. As an e-commerce merchant, you can help them tremendously by offering refinement options to narrow numerous product results to a manageable set. While site search is considered one of the most essential elements to an e-commerce site, refinements are just as crucial in guiding shoppers to the right product, and to a sale.
“Our new Big Book of Site Search Tips for 2014, available for free download, is filled with ideas for improving this vital part of your site search solution. Here are just a few of the suggestions from the Big Book – and you’ll also find more than 100 tips on everything from search box placement to merchandising in the Big Book.”
The tips Gong cites include: “make refinements intuitive”; “pick the right place for refinements”; “refinements for ratings and reviews”; and “allow users to navigate between refinements.” See the article for more on each of these points. Better yet, see here to download the free book.
More than 500 e-commerce sites use SLI Systems‘ services. The company, founded in 2001, prides itself on its customer service. SLI Systems maintains offices in San Jose, California; London; Melbourne; and Christchurch, New Zealand.
Cynthia Murrell, March 05, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
EasyAsk Upgrades Musician Superstore Website Search
December 27, 2013
The article titled Metakinetic Teams Up with EasyAsk To Provide A New On-Site Search Solution To Andertons on the ecommerce agency Metakinetic’s website promotes the partnership formed in order to overhaul their top client’s site search. Andertons superstore for musicians is being upgraded, the article explains,
“The solution from EasyAsk has been rapidly deployed as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution and empowers Andertons to take control of a single solution for their on-site search, navigation and merchandising functions. Using natural language processing, the solution allows Andertons to give its website visitors an easy and intuitive way to navigate the site, helping them to easily find the product for which they are searching.”
The natural language capability offered by EasyAsk taps into the unstructured data on the products and makes it searchable. Keywords from product descriptions will ensure that every relevant item appears, but the user also has the option of placing limits such as price minimums and maximums. A Director from Metakinetic named Darren Bull lauded the EasyAsk team for their professionalism and efficiency, and claimed perfect confidence in seeing an uplift in sales as a result of the changes made. Online customers have high expectations for the ease and ingeniousness of shopping websites, and the adjustments to the Andertons’ might have just brought them into the 21st century, just in time for Christmas.
Chelsea Kerwin, December 27, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
HP Leaps into E-Commerce Software Sales with HP Pronq
December 18, 2013
The article titled HP Launches Portal to Sell Its Software Online on eweek introduces the HP Pronq effort. No, that’s not a typo, but a new business that will sell HP software. Still confused?
The article states:
“The Pronq portal currently offers HP’s Fortify on Demand security service, Agile Manager, Vertica, Performance Anywhere and Service Anywhere solutions. “Pronk” is an actual word that is defined as jumping up into the air or moving forward by leaps and bounds, Caroline Tsay, vice president of Web and eCommerce at HP’s Software division, told eWEEK. “It’s a metaphor for what we’re trying to do with Pronq, with the attributes of agility and ease of use,” Tsay said.”
The launching of this new business is meant to draw more attention to HP as a software provider. Often HP gains more attention as a PC and printer brand, and with Pronq the company is working to put their software in the limelight. Pronq is using Drupal, the content managing system, and a private cloud different from the HP public cloud OpenStack-based infrastructure. Careful to avoid the insinuation that by selling software directly through Pronq HP is trying to outmaneuver or work around their partners, Tsay claims the e-commerce business will actually “complement” the sales teams and “support” HP’s channel partners.
Chelsea Kerwin, December 18, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
E-Retailers Guide Ranks EasyAsk Semantic Search Leader in E-Commerce Technology
December 13, 2013
EasyAsk Ranked Among Top Four Providers of E-Commerce Technology, an article on Virtual-Strategy Magazine, recognizes the achievements of EasyAsk, the natural language search company. EasyAsk was recently named one of the top 4 vendors (out of 1,000) in driving e-commerce sales by the E-Retailers Guide. Craig Bassin, CEO of EasyAsk, expressed no surprise at this, since reports show that 43% of visitors to a given website will head straight for the search box.
Bassin expanded on his company’s progress:
“”EasyAsk is poised to capture a significant share of the growing spend on e-commerce technology, said Bassin. “EasyAsk eCommerce Edition delivers amazing value to our clients. EasyAsk is embedded within Infor Storefront and has out-of-the-box integrations with the leading e-commerce platforms, such as IBM Websphere Commerce, Magento, Hybris and Netsuite. Our customers consistently tell us we help them turn shoppers into buyers.” Gartner Inc. estimates that retailers spent about $3 billion on e-commerce technology in 2012. “
Semantic search has become unavoidably important, with Google and Microsoft adopting their own offerings since in the last two years. But EasyAsk stands out as offering “natural language search for e-commerce enterprise, on-premise and cloud platforms.” Their work in raising online revenue by allowing users to search in plain English and receive specific and relevant results has made them a leader in the field.
Chelsea Kerwin, December 13, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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