This is part 3 on building digital moats. You need to build at two levels: Moats and structural advantages. That’s Warren Buffett land Operating performance. Elon Musk’s crazy pace is a good symbol for this. —–Transcript Below
Category Archives: Competitive Advantage
Personalization vs. Economies of Scope: Lessons from Shein and Unilever. (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
Last week, I was giving a talk in Shanghai about the digitization of manufacturing. And how this is creating a data ecosystem that connects consumers, retailers, logistics and manufacturing. This is something that Alibaba has been focused on with New Manufacturing. Their XunXi project is about being able to respond in real time to changing […]
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My Take on Nfx’s 16 Network Effects (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
I recently did a podcast on nfx list of 16 Network Effects. NFX’s 16 Network Effects. Plus, Embedding and Other Small Digital Ideas (Tech Strategy – Podcast 158) James Currier and his venture capital firm nfx really do go into a lot of detail about network effects as an idea. It’s worth reading his Network […]
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Dingdong, Grab and the Struggle for Profits in Ecommerce Services (Tech Strategy – Podcast 156)
In this comprehensive analysis, Jeff Towson delves into the ongoing struggle for profitability faced by leading eCommerce companies such as Grab, Dingdong, Meituan, Didi, GoJek, and iFood. Highlighting recent business model shifts, he discusses the newfound strategies these companies have adopted to strive for profitability. A major focus is placed on the crucial concept of geographic density, underlining its role as a significant type of economies of scale in the eCommerce industry.
How Alibaba Freshippo and Dingdong Got to Profitability in Ecommerce Groceries (2 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
In Part 1, I laid out some of the challenges of doing ecommerce in groceries. And two innovative business models that attempted to make it work. One by Alibaba Freshippo and one by Dingdong. Both very interesting. Both, especially Dingdong, being unprofitable. In the past month, both companies have announced operating profits. That was really […]
Monster Energy and The Secrets to CPG Success in Digital Strategy (Tech Strategy – Podcast 154)
Monster Energy is a leading energy drink brand that has successfully used digital technology to build its brand and reach new customers. In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson shares insights on how CPG brands can use digital technology to win in the competitive marketplace.
Lessons in Competitive Advantage from Warren Buffett’s Omaha Businesses: Oriental Trading Company (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
In Part 1 and Part 2, I went through Borsheims jewelry and Nebraska Furniture Mart. Both are good examples of retailers with somewhat similar consumer offerings. They both offer: Quality physical products that consumers want to see in person before buying. The largest selection of these products in town. Low prices (i.e., value positioning). And […]
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Lessons in Competitive Advantage from Warren Buffett’s Omaha Businesses: Nebraska Furniture Mart (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
In Part 1, I went through Borsheims, Buffett’s jewelry retailer in Omaha. It has historically had a very strong business model, although this may be changing. And his jewelry business has a lot of interesting parallels to his biggest retail business, Nebraska Furniture Mart. Company 2: Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) I was in Omaha with […]
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Two Digital Strategy Lessons from AB InBev and Zé Delivery (2 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
Key concepts for this article: DOB2: Never-Ending Customer Improvements and Personalization Economies of Scale: Geographic Density (CA13) *** As mentioned in Part 1, I recently visited Zé Delivery in Sao Paulo and toured their growing facilities with CEO Rudolfo Chung. Zé Delivery is a Brazilian beverage delivery app launched by global beer giant AB InBev. […]
The Rise of Alibaba in 10 Slides (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
Years ago, I started mapping out the evolution of Alibaba with pictures. I was having a hard time keeping all the moving parts in mind. And I was becoming more and more convinced that digital company development is path dependent. What comes next depends on what just happened. Microsoft is only capable of its current […]