IoT Device Owners: 3 Must-Do’s to Protect Your Privacy

Almost every new device or appliance on the market today connects to the internet.  While these devices can make our lives much easier, they also collect huge amounts of private, sometimes-sensitive data and expose us to cyber attacks.  As a consumer of such devices and a digital marketing student at Northwestern University’s Medill IMC program, I have found two articles that will inform you how to protect your household in the IoT age.

In an article from McAfee titled 5 Tips to Protect Your IoT Devices, consumer security expert Gary Davis outlines five of the most important steps tech consumers should take to ensure their safety.  Davis goes into detail about the definition of IoT devices, explaining what differentiates them from normal devices – the fact that their main purpose is to perform offline tasks.  He then explains some of the history behind IoT security breaches, namely the Mirai attack of 2016.  With the context of cyber attacks being on the rise, Davis finally delves into his list of tips.

In a very similar article on the Hubspot blog, titled IoT Security: Why Experts Are Scared -- And What You Can Do to Protect Yourself, staff writer Clifford Chi provides his perspective on the current state of security in IoT.  Chi does a great job of providing real-life examples of how we use IoT everyday, but he also utilizes some eye-catching statistics.  For example, IoT has made it possible for our refrigerators to order milk for us, but the criminal IoT compromises have also increased by 600% this year.  Chi then looks to the future to predict some future risks and suggest ways in which companies could improve their security.  This article, just like the previous one, ends with a list of recommended action items for IoT users.

After reading these articles and with my experience from Northwestern, I have decided on the three most important takeaways for IoT device owners.

·      Know Vendors’ Motivations - When you buy a device, consider who is making the product and what they intend to gain from you using it.  Some companies will overlook your personal security if it means they can profit off of your data.

·      Diversify Your Passwords - It’s the oldest tip in the book, but having matching usernames and passwords on all IoT devices can leave you susceptible.

·      Separate Your Networks - It is safest to separate your personal, work, and device networks.

As you're using your IoT devices, think about these tips to ensure no personal data is leaked.

Oliver Hodgetts is a senior at Northwestern University studying economics, marketing, and history.  He enjoys following trends in technology and plans to work as a consultant in Chicago after graduation.

You can connect with Oliver on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Retail Store Owners: 3 Recommendations on How to Prosper in the Digital Marketplace

With Amazon and the rise of online shopping, retail stores are quickly going out of business. As a Northwestern student studying communication studies and Integrated Marketing Communications, I have found two articles that provides tips on how to prevent retail stores from going out of business.

In the first article “Retail Trends Taking Shape in 2018,” TomMcGee, a writer for Forbes, discusses the changes in retail stores are taking to market themselves and stay in business. He believes “that 2018 is coinciding with what feels like an entire new era of retail and retail real estate, though brick-and-mortar remains a proven formula.” One of the changes McGee mentions is that retail stores are now expanding beyond just traditional shopping; they’re incorporating entertainment and other activities to attract both shoppers and non-shoppers. He also focuses on technology and its impact on the retail world. By 2020, he believes that approximately 45% of retailers will incorporate artificial intelligence into their store to enhance the customer shopping experience.

Source: medium.com

The second article is “Top 14 Retail Trends of 2018 ThatWill Redefine the Industry” written by Michael K. Spencer for Medium. This article, as the title suggests, shares current trends in the retail industry. Spencer and McGee share similar thoughts on the usage of new technology and creating more than just a shopping experience in stores. Spencer goes more in-depth into the different technology functions, such as mobile payments, QR codes, and retail robots, that will ultimately help improve and create a memorable in-store customer service experience.

Based on these two articles and my experience as a Northwestern student and avid shopper, I have developed 3 action items you should consider when revamping your retail store.

Incorporate new technology
Brands are incorporating more advanced technology and should continue to do so to enhance customer service and satisfaction and gain their attention in our digital society. 

Think entertainment
Physical stores need to be more than just a place to buy to prevent closing. They should offer other sources of entertainment to keep customers in-stores.

Stay up-to-date
Brands need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technology to update their stores as needed and not lag behind everyone else.

Retail stores must remember the three tips above to gain customers and prevent closure.

Grace Hong is an undergraduate student at Northwestern University majoring in communication studies, minoring in Chinese, and pursing the Integrated Marketing Communications certificate. You can get in touch with Grace via LinkedIn or Twitter.

Ecommerce Entrepreneur: You Can Be the Next “Amazon”

As an Entrepreneur, you know e-commerce has shifted the marketplace and changed customer expectations about the shopping experience. As a graduate student of Integrated Marketing Communications at Medill, Northwestern University I have been investigating e-commerce for startups and have found two articles you will find interesting and helpful.

           Ecommerce is a bear, written by Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn, shows current viable ecommerce strategies and lists out real successful example. Why is bear? Think about Amazon! It is like a bear in this industry – it’s fearless and it’s fierce. The authors observed four strategies in the marketplace to deal with Amazon’s incumbency: proprietary pricing, proprietary selection, proprietary experience, and proprietary merchandise.

(source: bearlegend.com)

           Nowadays everybody is talking about big data. The article “9 Data Sets Every Ecommerce Company Should Measure” written by Scott Gerber gives you the perfect answer about what specific dataset an ecommerce business should focus and analyze. Knowing the strategies of making a good ecommerce business, we need to understand what are the most efficient and effective ways to measure the success. Have a closer look at what user acquisition costs, abandoned carts and ROI are and tweet with your comments!

In reviewing these two articles, I have found three action items you should consider taking.  They are:

• Customer feedback is fundamental and crucial  - Not only does customer feedback help businesses evolve and perfect their product or platform, listening to customers can also have a "juggernaut" effect when it comes to building a business.

• Invest in mobile  - Remember this is a trend. Research shows that 80% of smartphone users use their devices to shop online. In the meanwhile, it’s easy to track customer’s behavior over mobile devices and it is also a better way to communicate with the customers.

• Take advantage of social media   - Building up good networks on social media sites can help you drive traffic and target your customers. What is more powerful is that this is the best way to create word-of-mouth buzz for ecommerce business.

         All in all, customer is always the key to start and improve your business. Try to think and act from the perspective of the customers will always give you a bigger possibility to win the advantages and eventually win the market in ecommerce.

Joshua Chen is an MS candidate in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. He has previously worked as marketing specialist at a consulting firm in Australia and a law firm in China. Follow Joshua’s Twitter @joshuaaachennn