GroundCntrl Powers TPN Retail for Real Time Data During Thanksgiving

Consumer package goods companies, retailers, and agencies use GroundCntrl to provide real time data about in-store promotions, products, pricing and customer experience.  This Thanksgiving, we partnered with TPN Retail to deliver a real time view of shopper trends during both Thanksgiving evening and Black Friday.

TPN Retail (an Omnicom company), a leading retail marketing agency, created the TPN Live Shopper Pulse. Working with GroundCntrl, TPN defined a concise workflow of questions and data collection items that people on the ground in New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, and San Francisco could easily execute using the GroundCntrl mobile app.  As our mobile platform aggregated data from users at stores across the country, the results were presented to members of the press in real time during Thanksgiving day and Black Friday. Throughout the period, TPN tweeted and posted findings on their blog, Love of Retail.

“TPN designed this retail anthropology study to gain unprecedented access into shoppers’ minds and modes when they are ‘in-the-moment’,” said Sharon Love, TPN’s chief executive officer. “We want to understand what is in the shoppers’ psyches while they are engaged in the sport of holiday shopping, and what spending or social behaviors they exhibit during THE major shopping event of 2013.”

Over 90% of retail in the US still happens in physical stores. But one trend that TPN wanted to track was the use of mobile apps by consumers before and during their shopping sprees on Thanksgiving. Via TPN’s Live Pulse Update, they pointed out that many shoppers were so focused on Black Friday deals, that they were not using mobile apps while in-store. However, the data did show that roughly 10% of people audited used price comparison apps, while 14% of people used retailer specific apps.

Under VentureBeat’s Big Data heading, Jordan Novet picked up the TPN Live Shopper Pulse. As Jordan says, “Don’t wait for the pundits to tell you what happened this Black Friday. And don’t make generalizations based on a TV news reporter’s interviews with two random people in line at the local Walmart. If you’re smart — and you are, I know it — you’ll want to look at the data.” Jordan points out data from IBM for tracking online trends, Shareablee for following word of mouth trends in social media, but then points out that TPN is keeping its eye on the ground with data that updates every minute. And, you can’t get insights faster than that.

As TPN continues to sort and slice the data over the next few days, watch for more perspective, postings and press pick up for them on this innovative use of real time data at physical retail. Online at Love of Retail, and find them on twitter as @tpnretail

Halloween Real Time Store Audits: The Good, the Bad, and the Scary

According to the National Retail Federation, consumer spending on Halloween is predicted to reach $6.9 billion this year, an increase of more than 54 percent since 2005. Much of that spending will go directly to costume costs. The NRF estimates that trick-or-treaters and party-goers alike will spend more than $1 billion on children’s costumes and $1.22 billion on adult costumes this year.  In a saturated market, competition for these dollars is stiff. Retail giants like Walmart and Target, and thousands of Halloween pop-up stores, are all battling for the eye of the consumer this season.

While some shoppers have been planning their Ron Burgundy costumes for weeks, more than a third of costume decisions are made in-store, as quick, impulse purchases. This week, real-time in-store data from GroundCntrl reveals that major retailers and pop-up stores differ a bit in their strategies for how to woo shoppers in the final moments before the holiday.  Pop up stores, while carrying a full inventory of standard costumes at affordable prices, are definitely differentiating by attracting a consumer looking for a more individualized Halloween expression.  The survey is not meant to be statistically representative of the entire US, but it does provide some insights into how different stores are positioning Halloween this year.

GroundCntrl used its mobile data and analytics platform with on-the-ground researchers to audit real-time product on shelf, with prices and photographs from retailers like Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, and Halloween pop-ups in order to identify early trends in shopper experience and behavior. Here’s what GroundCntrl found on the last shopping weekend (Oct, 26 & 27) of the season in four key cities: Boston, Chicago, LA, and San Antonio.

In-Store Marketing Trends: What retailers are pushing this season

Most Promoted  – Major Retailers

Fueled by the success of Iron Man 3, The Avengers, Thor and other blockbusters, superhero costumes were widely promoted on end-caps and in-store signage across the major retailers from Target to Walmart this season. In fact, superhero costumes comprised 35% of the best-looking costume displays we saw.

Princesses topped the National Retail Federation’s list of most popular costumes this year, and came close to beating Justice leaguers like Batman and Superman for the lion’s share of the promotional pie within stores. Fantasy costumes like princesses and pirates ranked second in popularity with a 27% ranking in the stores we visited.  This marketing was fueled mostly by the Disney Princess category as parents and children alike scoured the aisles for Rapunzel, Ariel and the Princess and the Frog’s Tiana.

Best Looking Costume Displays

Interestingly enough, neither superhero nor fantasy costumes were reserved for children’s sizes alone.  Adult costumes also tapped into the popular categories with high frequency. If you thought your days of donning a cape and super-human muscles were over, major retailers are giving you another chance this Halloween.

Most promoted – Halloween Pop-up Stores

According to IBIS World, there are more than 1,700 Halloween related pop-up stores nationwide – a 30% increase since the research firm started tracking in 2009. This year Halloween pop-up stores diverged from major retailers in the range of costumes they promoted. The major difference between retailers and pop-ups was the focus pop-ups put on non-traditional costumes.

In terms of supply and promotion, superhero costumes only took 6% of the pie in pop-up stores when our researchers sought out costumes that were more creative or noteworthy.  Possibly ceding that category to the big-box retailers, pop-up stores instead focused their attention for individuality on the strange, funny and niche.  A full 38% of the most creative costumes in pop-up stores fell into the “Other” category, aiming to fill the long-tail needs of shoppers who want to step outside of the norm this season.

Looking for Individuality In Pop-Up Stores

Costumes within the “other” category ranged significantly, but included:  human bananas, rabbis, human breathalyzers, Angry Birds and more.  Pop culture references and celebrities were not as prominent as one might expect in these stores, but could be found across their online counterparts.  Nonetheless, the creative choices are easy for the consumer to find: a Banana Man at Walmart or an edgy Banana Flasher at a local pop up store.

Halloween Costume Pricing – Highs and Lows

If you’ve got $1,800 lying around, you can find an exact replica of a Star Wars Storm Trooper costumer online this year. If that seems a little excessive to you, the brick-and-mortar retailers can help you out.  Only 14% of costumes in our retail audit were above the $50 mark. The lion’s share of costumes fell within a more reasonable $20 to $30 range, and 72% were $30 and under. This price-point reflects National Retail Federation research, which estimated that although overall spending on Halloween this year would be up, the average spend per costumes would remain fairly flat at around $27.

Price of Halloween Costumes

By the time the candy has all been collected and Halloween pop-ups have disappeared, more than 150 million Americans will have participated in Halloween activities.  Because of its natural tie to pop culture and the holiday’s draw to creativity, Halloween will always be a moving target for retailers.  With GroundCntrl’s predictive reports and on-the-ground data however, it’s getting easier to understand how the holiday will shape up for retailers across the country and react in real-time.

Friday Roundup: BYOD and Mobile Enterprise

 The burgeoning BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend that has seen significant increase in the number of employees who use personal smart phones and tablets for business.  Having an enterprise mobile strategy in place can provide incalculable value to businesses who wish to engage their employees through their preferred tools, but the data feedback alone proves that taking charge of the BYOD trend results in significant ROI. Our customers rely on BYOD to gather critical insights and data for rapid decision making.

From around the web this week, we’ve seen a number of reflections on the nature of enterprise mobile and how the BYOD trend is transforming the retail sector:

How BYOD And Big Data Are Changing Marketing > Companies that embrace BYOD technologies are at a distinct marketing advantage, with the ability to learn and respond much faster than their competitors. Enabling your field employees to be eyes on the ground can net in rapid, big data. (Forbes)

Five Reasons CIOs Should Develop a BYOD Policy > Enterprises large and small are catching on to the immense value of adopting enterprise mobile technology. Ram Shamana of Intuit outlines some compelling reasons for why your company should implement a BYOD policy, like, yesterday. (CMS Wire)

Mobile Devices Make Anywhere a Workplace for SMBs > When the information you need is out in the field, mobile devices are the clear solution for collecting that useful data. This year’s Sage SMB Survey discloses some very positive statistics on the direction of the BYOD trend, including an 82.1% increase (this year alone!) of employees who use smart phones for business. (MediaPost)

Marc Andreessen On The Future Of Enterprise > This TechCrunch interview with VC and thought leader Marc Andreessen has been out for a while, but it’s a prescient look at the way mobile technology is affecting enterprise from one of the industry’s foremost insiders.  His take on the consumerization of enterprise underscores how enabling employees to use their own devices allows them to engage with their company’s goals and outcomes.  (TechCrunch)

We also made news this week with the launch of our updated platform. Read more about the improvements here and learn about how you can start your own program with GroundCntrl.

We Have Lift Off!

The team at GroundCntrl has been hard at work.  We want to share some exciting new innovations in mobile program and task management for remote workforces.

These advances are built on the foundation we laid when we announced the beta launch of GroundCntrl last fall. Now our product is even simpler to use, faster to deploy, and easier to scale. We’ve incorporated customer feedback to deliver a best-in-class mobile platform that can help any size company manage people in the field, engage them through incentives and rewards, and gather in-field data to make informed execution decisions. Use our platform for programs in shopper marketing, field research, retail setup & compliance – GroundCntrl is flexible enough to handle your program requirements.

Ready to take on the world!
We’ve added some major features and improvements to the GroundCntrl experience, including a first-in-category Self Start wizard that allows you to set yourself up with full access to our administrative capabilities. In other big news, we are now available on iOS and Android devices with updated mobile apps. Add in major UI updates like new task types, real time geo tracking and alerts, and GroundCntrl is the simplest, fastest to deploy mobile program management tool in the market!

Thanks to our beta customers.
It has been our good fortune to work with amazingly supportive beta customers, and we listen carefully to what they have to say. From large retailers to boutique agencies, we’ve proven that our platform has the flexibility to scale and deliver results.

We’re building an exciting new company.
Our new resources allow us to iterate our product faster and hire new talent, making us a reliable partner to both large and small companies. Because of our progress in product development and customer traction, we’ve attracted the attention of the investment community – particularly those who are interested in supporting a truly mobile enterprise platform.  All of this activity caught the eye of VentureBeat, where you can read more about our business and progress. For more details, check out our related press release.

All in all, 2013 is shaping up to be an exciting year! We’re proud to have your continued support, and look forward to what the future holds.

– The GroundCntrl Team

GroundCntrl For Android

When it comes to mobile workforces, the question is no longer, “Do my workers have mobile devices?” but rather “What kind of devices does my workforce use?” Strong demand from the marketplace and positive feedback from existing customers led us to the realization that a significant percentage of GroundCntrl users are bringing their own Android devices to work. Connecting employers to their mobile employees is our primary mission, but we weren’t adequately supporting our Android fans in the field.

Today, we are happy to announce that GroundCntrl is available for Android devices. Now program members can find the app in the GooglePlay store.

Of course, we’ve used the opportunity to revamp some of the usability of the existing mobile app, and are rolling out these improvements for all iOS and Android users. We redesigned the app to make it even easier to complete tasks and stay connected with the team while on-the-go.

Some Improvements:

• Pared-Down Navigation – we’ve cut out the fat, making our mobile app dead-simple to use in the field.
• Central Task List – access your tasks by team, and view when they’re due at-a-glance.
• Team Selector – now you can choose your team and stay with them as you move between your Tasks and TeamStream environments, or switch to a different team, by using a handy pop-up selector that appears when you use the bottom navigation bar.
• Location & Maps – we’ve expanded our geo-location functionality throughout the app, from new task types to sharing location maps via TeamStream.
• Community – check out your Team’s goings on through competitive leaderboards, gallery shots, and team contacts.
• Task Caching – complete your tasks offline and sync up when you regain connectivity.

We’re very excited about making these updates available to iOS and Android users, and hope you are too! As always, let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to start a GroundCntrl program of your own.

A few tips:

*If you currently have the GroundCntrl app installed on your iPhone or iPad, you will need to reinstall the new app in order to access it’s full benefits. This can be done by deleting the app from your device, and then installing the new version from the iOS store.

*While anyone can download the app, it is best used by those of you who are members of or have been invited to an active program. If you’re not currently a member, but would like to try out our exciting new features, we invite you to first start your own program here!

The Admin Panel, Redesigned

GroundCntrl is pleased to announce a redesigned admin panel that enables our account administrators to design and implement their own programs. With such a versatile platform, the challenge has always been how to offer flexibility while maintaining simplicity. After observing and listening to your feedback, we’ve redesigned the admin panel with a renewed focus on easy set-up and data monitoring that allows for a full view of your program’s activity, from the top down.

The Improvements:

Self-Serve Account Management – the first truly SaaS platform of its kind.

Perhaps our most significant addition: we are the first mobile program management platform in the market that offers a truly self-serve path to start and manage your own account. Using our step-by-step Free Trial wizard, anyone can try out our new features and create their own program. For those of you who’d just like to start right in – no wizard required – contact us and we will set you up with a full account.

Program Management Panel – all in one place.

One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is the new, centralized Program Management panel. Based on the way a typical admin sets up a program, we’ve placed all the relevant pieces – teams, tasks, and members – into one simple page. Now, administrators get a clear view of the program at hand and a convenient way to edit each program’s content.

Easy Member Management – send invites and track membership.

It’s now simpler than ever to add people to their assigned teams. Using the Members tab of the Program Management page, admin can add existing and new users to one or multiple teams, and send out quick reminders to those who still need to join.

Live Monitoring Dashboards – team activity at-a-glance.

Once your program is up and running, there are a lot of moving pieces to track. GroundCntrl’s dashboards give the admin complete control over what data they need to know, in real time.

Crossroads Classic Basketball for Heart Health

GroundCntrl is often used for managing field operations, but our customers engage their communities in a variety of ways. Our platform is highly adaptable to these needs, as seen in our current partnership with Close the Gap/Boston Scientific to promote hearth health and awareness. Mobile engagement has a broad application, and relies on the flexibility that GroundCntrl provides.

Close the Gap is the title sponsor of the CrossRoads Classic basketball tournament. On Saturday December 15, four of Indiana’s most-storied basketball teams will compete in an exciting double-header while raising awareness of heart health and care. In anticipation of the big event, Close the Gap is engaging employees and basketball fans with a fun, cardiovascular health program on the GroundCntrl platform.

CrossRoads Classic Doubleheader

Win tickets, improve your health.
As the big game approaches, supporters of Notre Dame, Butler, Purdue, and Indiana Universities have joined GroundCntrl to share heart-healthy habits and fun tasks in order to win tickets to the game! Nearly 300 fans have traded recipes and tallied bike miles, and their four teams are competing off-court to win an AED (automated external defibrillator) to donate to a local highschool of their choice.

We’re excited to support the efforts of Close the Gap in order to bring widespread access to cardiovascular care. Through simple, repetitive tasks, CTG has built a program that fosters habitual lifestyle improvements. Our off-court game transforms energetic basketball rivalry into strong team support for healthy goals – while working toward a good cause!

Join the action today at ctg.groundcntrl.com. Support your team, improve your heart health, and complete each task by midnight for a chance to win tickets to the Crossroads Classic game! You can also purchase tickets at TicketMaster.

Duplicate Programs and Persistent Teams

Our newest feature addresses two use cases that many users have asked us about:

1. Persistent Teams – How do I assign my existing team/s to a new program, without having to re-invite everyone to a new team?

2. Recurring Programs – How can I replicate an existing program, without having to recreate each separate team and task?

Introducing Program Duplication

We’ve added a ‘Duplicate’ button to the admin panel that enables quick and painless program and team duplication.

Simply choose which program you’d like to duplicate, and click the button to create a copy. You can tell by the title which program is the clone – it will say “Copy”.

The copy program is identical to the original, including:

• Program details
• Teams
• Members per team
• Tasks & details
• ‘Global’ task designations

A few things to keep in mind:

• Task start/end dates are reset to the current date
• Copies are saved as drafts – you must edit the program to publish
• Members are added and notified after publication

Edit Your Copy

Don’t forget to edit and review your duplicate program before publishing:

• Rename the program – remove ‘Copy’ from the title!
• Update your task deadlines –  set new end dates so the program remains live!
• Review members – you can kick people off these teams, but can only add new members after publication!
• Edit strategically – what is the goal of the new program, and what must change to reflect this?

Persistent Teams

Duplicating a program is the best way to maintain a team or teams across multiple programs.  Just delete the existing tasks and replace them with your new program! The teams will remain intact, and members will be instantly added and notified when the new program is published. This is a great way to keep track of specific teams over a longer period of time, and across various programs.

As always, we love to hear your feedback. If you have any questions, you can contact us here.

How will you use the new Duplicate feature? Let us know in the comments!

Redefining the Rules of Engagement

Mobile Task Management for the Remote Workforce 

Today’s workforce looks very different from that of even just 4 years ago:

·        the increase in part-time and non-professional workers,

·       the predominance of mobile devices at work including the BYOD (bring your own device) phenomena,

·       the persona of workers who have grown up with social media and gaming, and

·       the necessity of ongoing, cyclical employer-employee communication independent of geographic location that goes beyond simple phone calls.

Most enterprise organizations have been unprepared to effectively manage and engage this new workforce.  And the technology available to them through their IT department has not kept pace.  In particular, most social enterprise technology has focused on solutions for internal collaboration and work-flow management of highly trained employees (e.g. engineers, business people, lawyers), that is managed by an IT department and is not necessarily quick to deploy and scale.  This has largely left the issues of the efficiency and success of the increasing number of less specialized (and often geographically dispersed) mobile workers unaddressed.

We saw this as an amazing opportunity to create something new and needed – to use mobile technology to connect the completion of physical world tasks with digital monitoring, encouragement and compliance measurement.

So we created GroundCntrl – a self-serve SaaS mobile workforce management platform for mobilizing and directing the activities of dispersed groups of people by distributing tasks, tracking progress, and collecting aggregated performance data.  We had a theory that for the personality of this group of workers, if we integrated game dynamics, peer reinforcement, and incentives into our mobile product design, we would see high levels of engagement and compliance.  Our beta test efforts with multiple companies have proven this to be true.

And now we are opening up our self-serve tool to the public.  You can see examples of how to use and deploy GroundCntrl here.  But you can fully customize the mobile app and define the specific tasks and granularity that you want for your workers around parameters that include:

–       Time (e.g. complete the task in the next 5 days),

–       Location (e.g. a specific store location),

–       Documentation (e.g. – survey questions)

–       Interactive or rich media (e.g. take a photo of something and share it via the app).

Our current focus with GroundCntrl is largely in the marketplace of companies that conduct ongoing “high touch” consumer facing merchandising, product merchandising and research programs (e.g consumer product companies, multi-location retailers, event management, and marketing and research agencies).  These are areas where there is an ongoing need to track brand trends, understand the effectiveness of retail merchandising programs, and influence consumer purchases through seasonal cycles.

However, many other kinds of businesses have found GroundCntrl to be useful in their need to connect real world task completion with mobile/digital engagement and measurement.  This has included areas as diverse as educational institutions and student retention, health and wellness programs, and campaign fundraising.

We hope that you will get started with GroundCntrl today, whether you are a Fortune 500 company or a small business with a few different physical locations. Launch and scale a program to your workers in a matter of minutes – distributing tasks, generating engagement, measuring progress, gaining compliance, and collecting clean coherent data – and see what a profound impact this will have on your business.