Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) inked a wholesale mobile WiMAX deal with AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) MVNO Jolt Mobile.
The deal, which will eventually include Clearwire's TD-LTE service when Clearwire launches that network next year, will enable Jolt Mobile customers to add mobile WiMAX broadband to their plans. Jolt, a subsidiary of Net Inc., offers prepaid service using AT&T's network.
Currently, Jolt's plans range from $40 per month for unlimited voice and texting to $60 per month for unlimited voice, texting and 2 GB of data. A Jolt representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the MVNO will price Clearwire's services.
For Clearwire, the Jolt deal is the latest in a string of arrangements meant to expand its customer base. MVNO H2O Wireless, which also works with AT&T, has been reselling Clearwire's WiMAX service since February. In March Cricket provider Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP) inked a wholesale deal to use Clearwire's LTE network, which it plans to launch by June 2013. Clearwire is also providing service for Voyager Mobile, a startup MVNO. And FreedomPop is also taking advantage of Clearwire's network for its planned "freemium" mobile data service.
However, Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), Clearwire's majority owner, remains by far and away Clearwire's largest wholesale customer.
For more:
- see this release
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YouTube Shopping Channel Tells Stories About Their Products To Capture Male Buyers - PSFK
In preparation for the release of our upcoming Future Of Retail report, PSFK reached out and spoke to Yazid Aksas of Sharpmen- an E-retailer that has built an online shopping channel that features narrative-based YouTube videos around the products it curates as a way to capture the attention of its male-only audience. SharpmenTV showcases one-to-two-minute videos featuring information about the products across a wide swath of categories, including fashion, art and food. In the near future, Sharpmen plans to display personalized landing pages for each consumer based on the preferences he stated in his profile after signing up. For example, a wine lover will see videos reflecting their interests, while an outdoor enthusiast may enjoy features based on those expressed preferences. All information is presented through videos and through using both flash sales and “pop-up shops” formats, Sharpman offers additional product information to aid in connecting shoppers with the products they purchase. We spoke to Yazid Askas, to get his thoughts.
Tell us a little about Sharpmen. How does the service work? Can you tell us about SharpmenTV and share a little about the idea driving the concept?
Sharpmen is the first online shopping channel for men. We present brands and products through videos and you can buy what you are watching. The concept came from my own frustration: while I was browsing TV channels I kept on landing on those shopping channels that had nothing to offer to a guy like me. Then I realized this was a great opportunity to create something fully dedicated to men’s lifestyle and that would cover everything they need in their busy lives, from fashion to wine. Since men statistically traffic Youtube frequently, we are focusing all our marketing on it via SharpmenTV, our Youtube channel, which act as a source of traffic and enables people to discover what we are offering. I really think Youtube is the next big thing in eCommerce.
Are there any notable figures or statistics around customer engagement and usage?
We launched a week ago and we already have 6,000 views and 1500 Youtube subscribers without anybody knowing we even exist. So it’s kind of shocking for us. It just tells us that men respond really well to Youtube as a way to discover cool products.
We have noticed that curated shopping experiences are being built which take into consideration your likes and those of your friends. These services often help simplify the process of shopping online by building a user-centric experience centered on expressed preferences or those of likeminded individuals, often aiding in the discovery of new products. Do you see this trend manifesting on a wider scale? How so?
I think you can only see more of it in the future and the reason is simple: there is just so much out there, so many brands, so many products, it’s overwhelming, and next thing you know you end up spending 2 hours finding a tie, while if I present you 5 styles that I believe make sense for you, you will act right away and convert more easily. We are moving from a wide inventory play for big retailers, to a personalization play where less is better. The wide usage of Facebook Connect is probably going to help a lot to scale that seamlessly.
Can you tell us a little about the decision to display personalized home pages for each consumer based on the preferences profile he fills out when signing up? Why is this level of personalization important?
I think it’s very important to personalize your offering in order to save time to our customers. There is only one thing you can not buy in this world, it’s time and people are very sensitive to that. So personalization is key: We want your experience to be different from that of your neighbor because you are different from him. Your style might be very casual and you may like the outdoors a lot, while the next guy is the opposite. We should show you first what you care about. It’s good for you, and it’s good for us because you will convert better.
What are the opportunities for retailers partnering with Sharpmen?
We are very excited by the wide range of partnerships we can set up for Sharpmen. Whether that’s with cool brands that make sense for our audience, and we’ve signed 150 of those so far, media properties that want to push their eCommerce revenues or retailers who want to add a curated video commerce component to their offering.
Check out an example of one of Sharpmen’s YouTube videos below.
Thanks Yazid!
Beggs: Wholesale Market Becoming More Consistent - Auto Remarketing
Sharing what Black Book editors observed for themselves in the lanes or what the commentary survey personnel reported back to the home office, Ricky Beggs indicated that dealer sentiment is becoming more consistent about how wholesale conditions are nowadays.
In his latest video blog, “Beggs on the Used Car Market,” the Black Book managing editor described how the firm handled its information-gathering processes after Memorial Day weekend.
“What a week we just had, as we took a little time to honor our military friends and then had to dig a little deeper to make sure we were reporting the complete market,” Beggs began. “The editorial team stepped up this past week with focused analysis after each one attended at least one physical auction and watching several more online.
“As we received the reports from our survey personnel all across the country there were many comments similar to the previous few weeks,” he continued. “It is consistent that the market is still not overly aggressive in trying to buy additional or fresh inventory.
“It’s also clear that much of what is available on the dealer consigned lanes could be from slightly aged inventory that was previously acquired when we were at or near the peak of the market, thus leading to a few more no sales this week or maybe even a winkled brow if it did sell,” Beggs went on to say. “It doesn’t hurt too long, but as we overheard one dealer say, he at least turned his offerings into cash. That’s the beauty of the auction industry.”
Beyond the dealer commentary, Black Book found that its wholesale price data is shedding light on a market that’s becoming more consistent, too.
Editors determined the number of necessary adjustments that were increases remained in the low 30-percent level for the third consecutive week. That stretch comes after an 11-week run where Black Book’s increasing adjustments fell between 42 percent and 69 percent.
And the average change for those positive adjustments — $78 to be exact — turned out to be the lowest increasing figure since the week ending Nov. 18.
“This represents another sign of a slightly softening market,” Beggs pointed out.
“Over the past week or so I have talked with quite a few automotive journalists, all asking about the softening of the market and the reasons behind this changing trend,” he continued. “It seems that the price of gas and diesel at the pump always came up in these conversations.”
Black Book noted gas ticked another 4.5 cents lower last week to an average of $3.67 per gallon, what the firm said is the lowest level since Feb. 20. Beggs contends the cost at the pump is why prices within all 10 car segments have now softened for three weeks in a row.
Last week, car prices dipped by an average $31 or 0.2 percent — a figure editors said was consistent with the previous two weeks. The four segments with the greatest percent decline for the week at 0.6 percent and 0.5 percent were also the most fuel-efficient models overall.
Looking over at trucks, the prices for these units dropped by same amount on average for the second straight week. On average, Black Book determined trucks dipped by $29.
Prices for only one truck segment climbed week-over-week, compact SUVs, which rose by $9. Black Book noted this is the only truck segment that has increased each of the past three weeks.
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