MGR Unplugged

Today we discussed where we expect eCommerce to be headed for the rest of 2020 and into 2021, then we discuss the fall of retail and malls, and we finish with our thoughts on what we think will happen to universities in the near future.

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What have we learned after George Floyd's killing as a result of another police brutality?   We dissect all the events of the past seven days in an attempt to separate the true facts from the distorted headlines. 

The sad reality is that racism and discrimination towards black people are still very present in our country and unless we all work together on eliminating it, it will keep erupting time and again.  How can we take action to grow as a nation and truly make America the great and free country for all of its citizens, regardless of race, religion or any other factor? 

Phrases like "I can't breathe" or "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" have never had a stronger impact in our society... and for a good reason.  

Why peaceful demonstrations are tarnished by a small group or anarchists to turn them into violent riots?  How can we prevent these professional anarchists from robbing peaceful people of their right to gather and demand justice?

Why we need a strong leader to guide the nation during these difficult times rather that send single line tweets that provoke more violence and divide. 

Is social media making the problem worse by snowballing each negative headline into a viral and global spread of negativity in our society?

As we come out of the worst pandemic in a hundred years that included severe confinement and shelter-in-place quarantine periods, the highest unemployment numbers in recent history and the deepest setback for a large number of businesses of all sizes, we're now a nation on the edge. 

But we can ALL end racism in America and make it a thing of the past once and for all.  This is a different type of pandemic.  It's a discrimination pandemic for which we haven't found a cure in more than 400  years.  And if the killing of George Floyd triggers this change, this cure for humanity, that would be his greatest legacy. 

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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Trump signs an executive order on social media "censorship" targeting companies granted liability protection through Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

How does that affect the future of social media?  And what role should social media play when it comes to monitoring or fact-checking users posts? 

The order could give regulators the power to pursue legal action against platforms like Twitter and Facebook, holding them responsible for content posted by their users.  Zuckerberg doesn't want to monitor posts.  Jack Dorsey has said that he is the one "ultimately accountable for our actions as a company."

Is it time to separate social media platforms into a "wild west" all-comments-allowed option and a monitored option for users to choose which platform they prefer to use?

Moving on to the economy after 3 months of pandemic.  Is Wall Street disconnected from main street?  Based on the market behavior, that seems to be the case.

And finally, some good news for sports fans.  Most leagues and sporting events are scheduled to re-start in the summer and that's a welcome distraction from all the bad news these days.

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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Facebook & Shopify are going to bring it to Amazon like no platform ever has.  There is now a serious competitor in town, and platform competition always benefits the merchants.

We read through the announcements and listened in to Mark Zuckerburg and Tobi Lutke's call, here are the highlights:

• Shops will be US only for now.
• Facebook Shops are live today, Instagram coming in the next few months, WhatsApp and Messenger coming down the road.
• Directly integrates with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and other platforms. Simply import your inventory database with a few clicks and everything will be synced.
• Shops will be free forever (no 15% fee like Amazon), they just want to use them to grow ad revenue.
• Facebook will store customer payment info allowing for 1-click checkouts and payments.
• There will be a new "Shop" tab on Instagram where users can scroll through and discover new products and brands.
• Brands can now sell products directly through Facebook and Instagram Live with one click. 
• Loyalty programs can be seamlessly added in, cutomers can see their points and rewards from Facebook & Instagram.
• Once launched on all platforms it will be a unified experience. Ex: Add to cart on Instagram, ask a the brand a question through Messenger and buy within it it without having to go back to Instagram.
• Open ecosystem for 3rd party apps, similar to Shopify.

Shopify news & updates:  

• Shopify Balance Debit Card: Shopify Balance is a merchant account with no fees and no minimum balances
• Shop Pay Installments: Buy Now, Pay Later FeatureS
• Shopify Launches Local Delivery

Spotify keeps growing:
Joe Rogan exclusive contract, including all past library and video streaming.

Food Delivery Wars:
GrubHub, Uber Eats, Door Dash, Postmates: Who will survive and who will disappear?

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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In this episode: 

• Quibi not doing so well now... We predicted that!
• Starbucks asking landlords for rent concessions over the next 12 months after losing almost $1B in sales during the pandemic, and why that's a good move for them.
• Facebook paying media companies ad revenue share?  Australia thinks is fair... we don't.
• Movie theaters boycotting Universal Pictures.  Good luck with that!
• Uncertainty about summer and overall reopening of businesses.  Nobody knows what they can or cannot do.
• Stock Market starting to react to the crisis.  Will we revisit March's bottom?
• Sports coming back?  UFC did last week.  NASCAR and Golf are next.  Basketball? NFL? MLB? Auto Racing?
• California Colleges to go online for the opening semester.  Teaser for next week.
• Strange rules for LA County businesses and beaches
• Should we send a bill to China and deduct stimulus money from our debt?.  We didn't get to this but good food for thought.

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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• How things are progressing as more states and countries around the world start to loosen lock-downs and deconfinement plans are implemented.
• In the US: New unemployment numbers: 3 million filed this week for a total of 33 million since the crisis started
• Yet, the stock market shows some disconnect?  NASDAQ is positive for the year… 
• Suddenly, questions about how UBI will be funded have been answered by the Fed and the government just adding trillions in stimulus packages.
• The government can only print so much money for so long before you realize that the economy needs to be restarted naturally.  Inflation or deflation?  We'lll see both this time.
• Reopening of retailers and service businesses.  It's not just "open and they'll come."  
• Trouble for retailers.  Neiman Marcus just filed for Bankruptcy protection. It won't be the last one either.
• Now there are two pandemics.  The Coronavirus pandemic and the Fear pandemic. People are people afraid to resume their lives the way they used to be and go back to work.
• There’s a lot of misinformation out there, from government leaders and from the media that seems to only be focused on click bait headlines.  Is there a trusted media source out there?
• Companies thriving in this crisis. Tech (Zoom, MSFT, FB, AMZN, Twilio) Fitness (Peloton, others).  Others, Pharma sector, Tesla, Beyond Meat. 
• What if hotels offered all the perks from the companies that consumers are already liking like all of the above?
• Which world government has acted best in the face of Coronavirus?  Is it just totalitarian governments that are better suited for these types of crisis?
• Only the more creative companies will survive:  Adapting and agility to pivot will be key factors to succeed.  This is a great opportunity for startups, DTC and more limber company to jump ahead of their larger competitors. 
• Manuel going to Austin to race at the Circuit of Americas next week.  First travel in 3 months. Let’s see how it goes.

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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• Shopify launches "Shop", a new app that replaces the former "Arrive" app.  It's only version 1 but will it become a large market place aggregator in the future competing with Amazon?
• Facebook betting on India again with a reported $5.7B investment (about 10%) in Reliance Jio Platforms, largest telecom in India. 
• New unemployment numbers in the US.  4 million additions total 30 million unemployed since the crisis started
• Part of the job recovery will depend on US and other countries bringing manufacturing back from China into their domestic factories.
• Travel and Hospitality is one of the hardest hit sectors.  Are some restaurants victims of their own lack of forward vision and difficulty adjusting to the pandemic?  How many will survive and do we need so may restaurants after all?  
• Predicting this year's holiday season.  How can retailers be ready to the new way of shopping?  How much will eComm sales grow compared to previous years?

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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“You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else.”  Winston Churchill

• New unemployment numbers in the US. 4.4 million additional filings for total 26 million unemployed since the crisis started
• Some low wage employees are electing to collect unemployment benefits over returning back to work.  Is the system broken?
• Part of the job recovery will depend on US and other countries bringing manufacturing back from China into their domestic factories.
• New $484B Small Business stimulus package set to be approved by the House.  Going really to small businesses?
• Reality Check: All governments are announcing confinement extensions in small doses.  I think we know now that this could last for 6-12 months with more or less intensity.
• As deconfinement plans start, are citizens and businesses really ready to resume life and business as usual?
• Travel and Hospitality will be the hardest hit sector in the long run and the slowest to recover.  Hotel industry is typically in denial until they decide to act, which is usually too late.  
• How soon will you wait before feeling comfortable traveling by plane again?
• Airbnb: Will Airfbnb recover faster if more people prefer to travel to a private residence versus a crowded hotel?
• OpenTable reported zero reservations over the past 30 days. Air travel has dropped more than 95% since COVID-19 started.  Hotels are closed or barely able to keep their doors open. 
• If the Central Banks print money at will to stimulate the economy, why don’t they just print money year round to build roads, bridges, etc. and cancel our income taxes?
• Suddenly, questions about how UBI will be funded have been answered.   The government can just fund it on its own.
• Which world government has acted best in the face of Coronavirus?  Is it just totalitarian governments that are better suited for these types of crisis?
• Contact Tracing.  Are we ready to give up some of our civil liberties in exchange for a safer life and a more rapid response to future pandemics?
• Will a “Health Certificate” or a "Health Passport" be required to travel or to enter certain public spaces?  Restaurants, Hotels, Museums, Theme Parks, etc.

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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Join Manuel and David as they project how would the gradual reopening of America's economy affect our lives, how air travel may change in the future, and all other aspects of our lives.  We also discuss Quibi's launch.  Will it succeed in the streaming media war? 

Will some sort of “Health Certificate” be required to travel or to enter certain public spaces?  Restaurants, Museums, Theme Parks, Movie Theaters, etc. 

Trump's plan is to reopen America's economy in three phases, allowing state governors to decide when each phase will start in their states.  Some states are ready to start phase one as early as May 1 with a full reopen completed by June 15.  Is that too soon?  

Then we shift gears to discus Quibi's launch.  The app is full of promises but so far it lacks quality content.  It's too soon to tell but David has been using it and he's not impressed.  Is it too soon to judge or did they launch prematurely?  The funding is there but growth at all costs may be costly if they don't succeed.

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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How you react is who you are.  As the pandemic number of cases keeps growing and we're all getting impatient, Manuel and David discuss Trump's press conferences, biased journalism, hidden politics, the worthless W.H.O., worldwide economics, the SBA loans that are yet to arrive, the Fed's new injection of cash and everything in between.  Lots of ranting from David at then end!!

What do you think?  Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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This episode is brought to you by MGR Agency. Scaling marketing for leading digital brands.

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