Kickstarter & the Like

I recently have been amazed at the plethora of products being offered on Kickstarter and similar crowdfunding websites. I have had both good experiences on crowdfunding sites (my Pebble is still going strong, and getting smarter), and poor experiences (the Coin card...2 years, no shipment, and reduced functionality), but I thought I'd revive my blog to start showcasing some of the good, bad, and plain stupid ones I come across for your entertainment.

First up today: a good one (I think). The FlipFlic offers a small device that clips on to your existing window blinds. It's solar powered, and a has a plethora of light and temperature settings. When the room's getting too cold, it allows the light to come in, rotating your blinds open. Too warm, and it closes them. Not only is this a good energy saver, but it's a clever use of "smart technology" to accomplish a task without having to invest in a whole platform of smart devices. And yes, it claims to be app based, as well, for scheduling and manual overrides. Nice touch to have it solar powered, so no wiring or batteries.

My only criticism is $150 for a pair is a bit steep for the functionality, but I'd be interested to see if they could provide a good case study on the energy savings (something a company I advise, EnerAllies, does really well for retailers) to offset the cost. And, of course, it being Kickstarter, you never know if the final product is going to match the statements or if it will even ship, but this is version 2 for them, so I'd say there's a good chance.

I look forward to showcasing some less than exciting Kickstarter finds.

Comments

Loyalty Review: Kohl's Yes2You

As some of you know, I've spent over 15 years in the customer loyalty space. So, when I come across a new retail loyalty program, I can't help but see the pluses and minuses. After this many years, it's kind of ingrained. Periodically, I'll share my thoughts with you. Today, it's Kohl's turn under the scope. Let's have a look, shall we? I've divided the review up into three sections: what's good about the program, what's bad about the program, and what I'd change about it. That last one has some actual value: I charged hundreds of dollars per hour for loyalty program consulting, and had over a dozen clients, before I moved to JustAnswer FT. But, being a pandemic and all, I'm giving it away for free here. Kohl's, you're welcome. Here we go! The Good Sign up is opt in Seems odd to praise Kohl's for this, but in department store loyalty, this is a rarity, and a smart one. It means the customers who are opted in are already prime...

Revisiting Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 1

I recently started rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation from the beginning. I have nothing but fond memories of the original run in the 1980s, given how excited I was for a new Trek series in my lifetime (I had only reruns and the movies to stoke my Trek interest), and it recently occurred to me that, while I diligently consumed every TNG episode, I had not experienced the series since it's original run. Why did I do this? Well, a few reasons: With the triumphant return of Sir Patrick Stewart to the smaller screen as the venerable Jean Luc Picard , I thought it would be interesting to contrast this version with the previous, and see how far he has come. It would add color to the character, as well as Sir Patrick. Frankly, with the COVID19 lockdown, the series I have binged upon have been intense, dark, and disturbing. Combined with the activity of the world, including insane politics, homicidal police who seem to view people of color as "prey," rather than their ch...

The Icarus Effect

This morning's news started with the latest grim proof of overdevelopment in a tough sector: SkyBus Airlines shut down , less than year from when it started. Never heard of Skybus? Not surprising; they chose to focus on trips from Ohio to the West Coast for ridiculously low fares. Yes, you read that right: the airlines' unique niche was that they focused on trips from Ohio . Was air travel such an amazingly profitable business that we needed that much segmentation and focus? Of course not. A year ago, when Skybus was just getting off the ground (har har), fuel costs were at an all time high. United was still in bankruptcy; Delta, a fellow airline with a major hub in Ohio, was just exiting Chapter 11. And yet, "irrational exuberance" led investors like Nationwide Mutual Capital, Huntington Capital Investment Co., and Battelle Services Co. to ignore the obvious signs of risk, and dive into what was a dubious investment. Today, they, and the passengers who were lured by ...

Tretakoff Musings

Search This Blog