Top Ten Toys for Girls and For Boys

If you are like me (single, no kids) you may have no idea what to get various neices, nephews and various ‘toys for tots’ type programs. So, in my ongoing quest to make the lives’ of my readers easier, here is what kids want this holiday:

GIRLS:

1. Barbie

2. Bratz

3. Dolls (generic)

4. Dora the Explorer

5. Disney Princess

6. Disney Hannah Montana

7. Nintendo Wii

8. Webkinz

9. Elmo

10. American Girl

BOYS

1. Transformers

2. Video Games

3. Nintendo Wii

4. Cars (generic)

5. Spider-Man

6. LEGOs

7. Thomas the Tank Engine

8. Xbox 360

9. Elmo

10. Remote Controlled Vehicles

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSKUA57367520071115?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews&sp=true

Serious Online Consumers Seek out Peer Reviews

The E-tailing Group surveyed over a 1000 consumers who shopped online at least four times per year and spent cumulatively spent $500+ annually.Among the respondents, 65% were identified as “Social Researchers” – consumers who frequently sought out and read customer reviews prior to making a purchase decision:The study also showed:

• 86% of Social Researchers find customer reviews extremely or very important, vs. 70% of all online shoppers.
• 76% of Social Researchers find “top rated product” lists to be extremely or very important, vs. 62% of all online shoppers.
• 64% of Social Researchers research products online more than half the time, no matter where they buy the product (store, web, catalog, etc.)

Consumers Save HUGE Online vs. Offline

From Internet Retailer: “Consumers can save between 10% and 87% by buying digital cameras and high-definition televisions online versus in stores, according to a recent survey by Digital Advisor LLC, which operates four consumer electronics research web sites. And that includes the cost of shipping. “

read more: http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=24370

Android SDK Now Available: Real Google Phone News

Check it out http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/

Google Buying Sprint? Hell No.

Google is no stranger to randoms speculating about their plans (and normally quite wrong), and today Rich Tehrani ruminates on the possibility of Google buying Sprint. Yeah that Sprint . He says,

 “The company now needs a wireless network to allow it to grow in the mobile search and related spaces such as watching YouTube videos on the subway.” 

I call bullshit.  

Let’s assume Rich’s hypothetical is correct. (Obviously Google is looking at the mobile market pretty heavily). Why would they want a CDMA network?  Google has always looked for young, fresh companies with better/best technology out there… not a bureaucratic mess saddled with an aging technology and a dissatisfied subscriber base that is steadily decreasing. 

Google has never wanted to be a infrastructure company…its always been about content and information.  I don’t see that changing.

New Look

No need to worry…its the same blog. I will be playing with the look of the blog for the next few days. If you have input, please feel free to share it with me!

Comparison Shopping Engine Traffic up 56%

Hitwise is reporting that comparison shopping engines saw an online market share increase last week compared to the same week in 2006. Traffic to the leading comparison shopping engine traffic increased 56 percent. Search engines were the main driver of traffic to the top comparison shopping websites with Google referring 20 percent of visits and Yahoo! Search referring 14 percent for the week ending Nov. 3, 2007Yahoo! Shopping had the largest market percentage with 20 percent and their market share increasing 44 percent from the same week last year. Smarter.com and Bizrate followed with 15 and 14 percent, respectively.

• Retailers benefiting the most from downstream traffic from the top comparison shopping websites were Amazon, eBay, Target, Overstock.com, Wal-Mart, and JCPenney
• The leading product search terms driving traffic to the comparison shopping websites were laptop computers, Nintendo Wii, LCD TV, digital cameras, iPods, and Xbox360 for the four weeks ending Nov. 3, 2007.

Obsolete Thomas.net Releases White Paper, Only 8 (10?) Years Too Late

Thomas.net, that ailing, flailing dinosaur of a directory of industrial and manufacturing companies released a white paper today (not 1999, I swear!) with such topical and useful bon mots as:

 ·          Consider how the Internet has changed their buyers’ habits

·          [this] whitepaper proves the need for a designated person or team

·          Create a website that is a 24/7 sales channel. 

Businesses: If your online marketing company offers this level of competence and insight, I would strongly suggest looking for new help.  I would be mortified if I had to put my name as author on this ‘whitepaper’.

If Google Really Wants To Help Consumers at the Pump

Google will soon dispense driving directions at thousands of gasoline pumps across the United States beginning early next month.But If Google wants to really help drivers at the pump with oil prices getting ready to hit $100/barrel, I propose Google start serving up ads at the same time in exchange for a discount on the gas purchase. How will advertisers know that people will view the ads? Are you kidding me? What else is there to do when pumping gas!? OK, if sheer boredom isn’t enough, make the consumer answer (could be by the existing pump yes/no buttons, or on the ad display device) a simple question about the ad at the end. It is so fiendishly simple and its good for everyone! Consumers, advertisers and Google, too!  I have just made Google another billion or so, and I just saved you 25 cents a gallon on gas. Sergey, I’ll expect my check to be in the mail today.

Ask.com Thinks the Very Worst of Us (not that I am arguing)

If this is what people are seacrhing for on Ask….I’m not sure I want to meet them. Oh, and no you can’t get preggers that way….god I hope not. From http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9809826-1.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave