YM

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On November 20, 2016, YM commented on GoPro: The Defiance of the Smartphone Era :

Great article!
I agree with you – the biggest challenge GoPro will face now is the competition from mobile phones cameras.
As companies like Apple and Samsumg start developing phones and accessories with similar functionalities to the GoPro (e.g. water-proof, fish-eye lenses), I don’t see how the company could survive. Something to consider would be how to partner with one of these providers to actually create a camera / accessory that could be use along with the hand device.

Great article. This is a very intriguing business model, in which we could see both (1) how the technology facilitated the interaction with the consumer (in a very tangible way) and (2) how the company used the data “behind the scenes” to improve its customer experience and operations.
My challenge for them going forward would be how far can data analytics actually bring them. There is a limit to how much the industry can grow in the US and if the overseas expansions is on the table, they still have a lot more work to do on understanding customer preferences (which vary a lot from country to country). Besides, it would also require a reflection on the business model itself ad the digital evolution is moving at slower pace in developing countries.

On November 20, 2016, YM commented on Sephora: Who wants a virtual makeover? :

Thanks for writing this – I am downloading the app right now to test it.
Additionally, I would like to share another anecdote of how Sephora is managing to mix the “real world” experience with the digital one.
Buying perfumes online has always been a challenge given that you cannot smell them beforehand. To solve that Sephora offers the purchase of a “TBD” perfume. With that, customers receive approx. 20 samples at home to test them before actually selecting which perfume they want.

Going forward, what I would like to have online is a feature to actually help me select my foundation color without having to go in-store to try.

On November 20, 2016, YM commented on HBO NOW – “It’s Not TV…It’s Transforming TV” :

Thanks for this post – I actually thought that it was required o have paid TV to access HBO now.
While I was reading this, I had a few thoights:
1- Is the HBO brand strong enough to be a “stand alone” brand? Is it strong enough to bring organic growth and bypass TV partners?
2- How can HBO manage its international customers? Last time I tried to use HBO Go outside my home country, I couldn’t because my IP address indicated I was somewhere else. Netflix addresses this issue by simply changing the available TV Shows / Movies based on location, but still allowing me to use my account. While I recognize this might not the reality for all of its customers, I would imagine that its “premium” customer base travels more than the average population. Did you read anything about this?

Thanks for the post.
I found it interesting how Uber is approaching developing countries – while bringing a digital plataform to transportation, adapting its business model to the economic reality of each country (i.e. accepting cash payments which sometimes can be more convenient for both passagenrs and drivers).
However, my concern in these countries are:
1. How many people actually have mobiles with internet access and how good is the mobile internet there? I know many developing cointries struggle with that
2. How can Uber manage the conflicts between offering easy access through mobile and the security concerns that may arise from: (i) a “non-professional” driver and (ii) a driver that needs to check the phone / location while diving someone around

Great article!
I am concerned that Delta does not really have any incentive to invest in the research of new technologies (and not even if it should, given the profitability target).
Although I agree that such projects can have positive NPV, they will require a huge investment upfront and a fairly big risk (they might not be able to create an environment-friendly aircraft).

Being realistic, I feel that Delta has the potential to optimize its routes and policies (e.g. garbage collection) to reduce its impact in the environment, but disruptive changes will probably come from outsiders developers. What we must ask from Delta is the adoption of these new technologies when the time comes – this will show their commitment to the environment in a more realistic and feasible way.

Great article!
But I am a bit skeptical that sustainability can actually lead to growth and I don’t really think this was Nike’s case. Nike used sustainability to avoid decreasing revenues (bad reputation), not to actually increase sales – and there is no evidence that sales increased because of that.

Along these lines, I challenge Nike’s true motives behind sustainability – building factories in places where they can have easier access to water sounds like a business decision to reduce costs, not to improve its impact on the environment. In addition to that, having one waterless factory won`t really change the impact, but I do agree this is one step further in the right direction.

Going forward, I do want to see what other initiatives Nike will implement and if competitors will follow.

On November 6, 2016, YM commented on Tesla is great, but what about trains? :

I like the idea of having a sustainable train, but there is a limitation to how much this can actually contribute to the environment.
Trains have not only a limitation of reach / distance, but also speed – in a world where the millenniums value convenience and fast-paced movement, will they (we) be willing to travel slower to save the environment? I am very skeptical about that.

In terms of reach, if trains are low utilized, I have questions on how environmentally friendly will the investment actually be. All the money, energy and other resources in general invested to created the lines might have a more negative impact in the environment than the carbon reductions they might bring in a later stage.

On November 6, 2016, YM commented on From EDLP to EDLT :

A retailer of Walmart’s size could definitely do more if it was truly concerned with the environment (and not concerned with customer’s perception of environmental issues).

For example, why don’t they reduce number of plastic bags? In Brazil, as there is no regulations on plastic bags, Walmart offers free (and unlimited) plastic bags for all consumers. Why not shift towards re-usable or compost bags in every single store?

Having LED in only a few store also sounded like a business decision (cost-related).

These evidences made me wonder even if the detergent initiative was truly drive by environmental issues or by shelf-space and warehouse optimizations.

I am concerned of the real impact that UberPOOL is actually having in the environment (I might even say it has a negative impact).
1- The reduction of total number of cars – from my experience I know that most of the times I use UberPOOL, my second option would have been walking or using public transportation. Having said that, it is possible that UberPOOL is actually increasing the number of cars given that more people are using cars rather than alternative methods.
2 – On the increased utilization aspect of SUVs, I don’t necessarily agree that more people in one car means less consumption of fuel. Not only because those people might have walked otherwise, but also because more people means more weight, and more weight means more fuel.
I would like to see further data on these topics before coming to a conclusion