McDonald’s secret sauce. “McDonald’s secret sauce is really commercial surveillance,” says Jeff Chester. A WIRED reporter pulled their own file via California’s privacy law and got a 515-page dossier packed with predictions, profiles, and “attrition” math. ~ learn more
Fake Temu site gives shoppers a dopamine boost. “I noticed the satisfaction mostly happened before the purchase: in the browsing, the comparing, the adding to cart, and the waiting for delivery,” says FakeHaul creator Jack Yang. FakeHaul tries to keep […]
The ads make search worse. “The ads make the search worse.” Seth Godin argues Amazon search ads are a zero-sum toll: sellers pay to defend what they already earned, and customers cover the bill through higher prices and worse results. […]
A hairball rolls through Manhattan to sell supplements. “On Wednesday, August 12, hair-care brand K18 will unleash what it’s calling “The Tumblehair,” a larger-than-life rolling hairball that will make its way through several NYC neighborhoods before ending its journey in […]
GLP-1s might move GDP. “Citi estimates that GLP-1 drugs could boost GDP by 0.5 percent to one percent in rich countries.” The piece argues these drugs look like a general-purpose health innovation, with effects that could show up as higher […]
The $7 breaking point. “Every consumer has their limit as to how much they will pay for a given item, and for Dorito’s customers, that limit is apparently $7 a bag.” Frito-Lay tried promos and smaller bags instead of cutting […]
He charges $1,000 to haggle. “Tomislav (Tomi) Mikula charges a $1,000 flat fee to negotiate vehicle purchases on behalf of his clients, and business is booming.” He used to sell cars, now he livestreams negotiations and runs Delivrd with a […]
Why do commercial spaces sit vacant? “in many cases, lowering the rent on a building will force the bank to foreclose on it.” The piece explains why a half-empty storefront can still make more sense to the owner and the […]
Go unsexy. “Go for those categories that are ripe for disruption that really need someone smart representing the needs of the consumer.” PrettyLitter scaled past $100M in sales with about a dozen full-time employees and only $1M raised, before selling […]
Walmart’s drones are coming. “Walmart is bringing its Wing drone delivery service to the Philadelphia region.” Living in Austin and seeing Waymos drive around everywhere feels like the future. Hard to imagine delivery drones on top of that, but it’s […]