How Netflix Could Use Recommendations To Increase Subscriptions

One of the challenges of highly customer-driven systems like the iPod, Tivo, and Netflix is the keeping it fresh. I wrote about my experience with this problem last fall (New, Unexpected Music on Your iPod). I’m sensing the same “2,000 songs and nothing’s on” wall with Netflix. Sure, there are 50 discs in our queue …

The Buzzword Blacklist

Here’s a small (and growing) list of meaningless, negative words that I’d like to strike from my world. User Consumer Content Sticky Leverage Synergy Facilitate Doc Searles has a nice follow-up on these terms and language in Relating to Customers …customers don’t like being “consumers” or “targets.” Being “reduced” doesn’t stir their hearts, either. Least …

McDonald’s Learns From Best Buy

In the Star Tribune’s recent “Best Buy Copes with Costs” article, they report that Best Buy’s customer-centric format roll-out (and here) has been scaled back 40%. The customer centricity strategy has its costs. Operating expenses as a percentage of revenue were 2.2 percent higher at the test stores, the company said. But the test stores’ …