Author: Carl Franke (Page 2 of 5)

As a marketer in the multifamily apartment industry, spotting renters in their “journey” through the funnel is always exciting. Contact form conversions are shown in Google Analytics. Voicemails from prospects that called a tracking number can be played in a CRM. These are tangible. We can clearly see the marketing source working, at least the one in which they decided to connect with.

But these days, you could see a 15% decrease in Users visiting your website week-over-week, but actually get a boost in Users consuming data from your website from other means.

As Google continues to provide search result enhancements via featured snippets, knowledge panels, local packs (map results), the “zero click” phenomenon continues to rise. This is simply obtaining the sought out information directly in Google search, without clicking over to a website. Nearly 60% of Google searches now end without a click in 2024.

Never heard of “zero click”? You’re likely already doing it. Type in “The Bear reviews” and scroll through over 1,400 audience reviews of the Hulu show without leaving Google search. Type in “Phillies” and get the live score of the game. Type in an apartment community name and read reviews, view photos and floor plans, get ratings from other sources—all without leaving Google search.

With Google’s SGE (Search Generative Experience) now added to the mix, AI is packed into the search results, combining immediate research from multiple resources into one large answer. But how a search is phrased seems to be needed to trigger SGE.

Side Note: I’ve noticed that since SGE went from a Google Labs opt-in experience to public, the results for branded search have both positive and negative reviews removed from the mix. Previously, sentiments from customers were used to help define a company.

With voice search on the rise via smartphones, digital assistants, wearable devices and smart speakers, website visits will likely decrease. In 2024, 45% of Americans report using voice search on their smartphones.

And now with multiple AI solutions available for research, indirect conversions from website data will likely increase and get more difficult to prove. OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Bing Copilot, Claude and Perplexity don’t provide search query data, so today’s marketer can’t obtain any valuable info on what prospects are querying.

Are potential renters using AI tools to find their new homes? I’m not certain, but here’s how many active users some of big players have:

• ChatGPT: 200 million (May 2024)
• Google Gemini: 142 million (early 2024)
• Bing Copilot: 140 million (April 2024)
• Perplexity.ai: 10 million (July 2024)

Let’s test out some potential experiences.

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ChatGPT

For ChatGPT, with GPT-4o, I provided the following query:

Can you provide a list of the three best apartment communities in Austin, Texas that have a 1 bedroom starting at no more than $1,600. Other requirements needed are a dog friendly community that includes on-site parking and an outdoor swimming pool. Finally, can you include only those with rent specials with big savings?

I also tried it for Nashville, TN, Raleigh, NC and Columbus, OH, changing only the city name and market rate for a 1 bedroom. For each result, RentCafe was provided as the source. Example:

I then asked why RentCafe is only being used as a source of data. Response:

I then tried the same query for Manayunk, Philadelphia and sources then switched to Redfin.

In querying later in the day, the results were completely different, but the source remained the same for all “top three” answers. This creates a bit of distrust and realized source favoritism. Speaking of being partial, the query results for the Austin search listed only communities from Northland.

Utilizing the voice chat feature in the ChatGPT iOS app, the results were a let down. After reiterating what my absolutes were for a potential apartment in Phoenix, AZ, and then answering follow-up leasing questions, I had to wait through over three minutes of silence to finally be provided with advice on how to search elsewhere. Check out the conversation here:

@genxdada

ChatGPT AI let down. Trying to find the perfect apartment. #apartments #ai #multifamily #paa #phoenix

♬ Jacob and the Stone (Slowed) – Emile Mosseri & sped up + slowed

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Bing Copilot

Using the same query that I used for ChatGPT above, the Bing Copilot results included distracting ads for ApartmentList.com. See below in yellow. The ads didn’t link to the city specific section of ApartmentList.com either, which is some wasted ad dollars.

When I whittled down a Raleigh, NC search, I asked if it could provide the pros and cons of Google reviews for The Tribute and Cedar Springs Apartments. It then gave an analysis and chose The Tribute as the clear winner:

It also provided a screenshot of reviews from Facebook and Yelp, putting Cedar Springs in a bad light. It decided to show the 2.4 Yelp rating even though Cedar Springs had much higher ratings on other sources, including 3.5 on ApartmentRatings.com and 3.8 on Apartments.com:

When asking to provide a sentiment analysis and the pros and cons of living at each community, Copilot provided individual URLs to each category statement, shown in yellow below. When hovering over the quantity of sources, the links would appear. Copilot seems the most transparent for data attribution.

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Google Gemini

With Google Gemini, I asked for a pros and cons comparison for two Nashville, TN communities (The Lucile and Livano Trinity). I indicated that community events and a social atmosphere were super important to me.

For The Lucile, one of the cons was “potential for exclusivity”, hinting that luxury living could impede on the social lax vibe that I was seeking.

Interestingly, Gemini indicated that Livano Trinity’s large 300+ unit size could lead to a “less close-knit resident group”:

Both of these examples above reveal how Gemini highly values whatever is designated as vital in the query.

In requesting a sentiment analysis of Google Business reviews for both communities, Gemini was unable to do so. It stated: Google’s API restrictions prevent me from directly scraping and processing review data in this way.

Amazingly, you figure that this would be the one AI experience where Google reviews could be sifted through a colander and pinpoint spicy trends. But, nope.

Gemini also doesn’t reveal sources. It simply recommended visiting review sites, ILS sites and the community website. See below:

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Perplexity.ai

In utilizing the same query that I originally used for ChatGPT, Perplexity.ai provided three options and detailed the 12 sources for the results. Below are four of the ILS sources which have direct links to pre-filtered selected pages.

I then asked if it could search all review sites possible to determine sentiment and develop a pros and cons list. It was able to compile info from Yelp, ApartmentRatings.com, Zillow and the property website which utilized Birdeye. Google Business reviews could not be tapped into.

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ChatGPT … Another Test

So, I got more Philly centric and queried about some Manayunk area apartments. With one of my absolutes being an outdoor swimming pool, it provided the below three top selections. But only one of these communities, Henry On The Park, actually has a pool.

And when requesting some Old City, Philly apartments, it provided the website link to The View At Old City for ALL results. This is a disservice to the competitors and an obvious web traffic boost for The View At Old City.

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Claude

Even with the Claude.ai 3.5 Sonnet Pro version, the apartment search ends relatively early with this:

I don’t have access to real-time rental information or current availability. The rental market changes frequently, and prices and specials can vary. Additionally, what constitutes “the best” can be subjective.
Instead, I can provide you with a general approach to find apartments that match your requirements: Use apartment search websites like Apartments.com, Zillow, or Rent.com.

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Conclusion?

Although AI is effectively built into leasing widgets and chatbots, utilizing FAQs and tabled data for info, and although it’s fantastic for content creation, using these platforms as a prospect has a lot of pitfalls and inaccuracies.

For the tests above, I didn’t spend much time on the queries and the results are wildly varied. Spotting obvious errors and looming through UX oddities is perplexing. At its current state, I imagine many prospects would bounce from the experience and lean toward organic searches, ILS sites and social media.

Of course, these issues will probably disappear in a week based on the rapid progression of AI tools. 🤯 … More to come on that!

Have you tested the waters with these tools yet with your prospect hat on yet? What was your experience like?

Due to its close proximity and 11pm closing time, GIANT has been my go-to supermarket for many late night urgent purchases. From kiddo medications to a spice rack replacement, those meanderings around the vacant aisles at 10:45pm have allowed for quick and easy purchases. And its an ideal time of the day to experience the eerie advancement in tech and marketing. But, GIANT isn’t my choice grocery store—it’s just the only one that’s open.

Before I dive into where I’d prefer to go, here’s a breakdown of how supermarkets are increasingly leveraging AI to track and understand customer behavior.

1. Loyalty Programs

“Your GIANT Card has been accepted!” says the self checkout voice with such enthusiasm every time I bang that barcode down. Are there days when I wouldn’t be accepted based on what I was wearing? Don’t know. But these cards capture data about purchase history, frequency of visit, and preferred products with your name. Wouldn’t you like to see how many things you’ve purchased?

If you buy alcohol at GIANT, they scan your driver’s license, acquiring even further information. This is not a state law, but a store policy designed to show “due diligence”.

2. Cameras and Sensors

Depending on the store, camera systems and sensors are installed throughout stores to monitor customer movement and flow patterns. Of course, I shop aimlessly and am likely skewing their data. My wife and I can never shop together. I roam about as if I was at a carnival eating funnel cake.

Some stores can track shelf interactions, pinpointing how often customers pick up items and put them back. Others record checkout lines for peak hours.

AI can then analyze the video data to optimize store layout, improve product placement, and enhance the overall shopping experience.

3. Facial Recognition

Some supermarkets use facial recognition to identify repeat customers and tailor marketing messages and offers based on past behavior.

Of course, it can also enhance security by identifying shoplifters.

4. Mobile Apps and Beacons

Supermarket apps, often linked to loyalty programs, track customers via their smartphones. They can send personalized offers and notifications based on location within the store and collect data on in-app activity and preferences.

They can also use geofencing and beacons to understand movement patterns and engagement with in-store promotions.

5. Online Shopping

For supermarkets with online platforms, AI and analytics software can track browsing history, search queries, online purchase behavior, abandoned carts and more. I once had to run out of GIANT for an emergency with a cart full of nonperishables, leaving the stock team a lot of work, and leaving an outlier blip in their data.

This information also helps in personalizing online shopping experiences and driving targeted marketing campaigns.

6. Smart Carts and Self-Checkout Systems

Smart shopping carts, like the ones at Amazon Fresh, are equipped with sensors and scanners that can track items placed in the cart in real-time, along with shopping routes taken by customers and time spent in different aisles. (I know of two Amazon Fresh stores that have been vacant for over a year and never completed. I’ll see one someday.)

Self-checkout systems similarly gather data on purchased items and transaction times, offering insights into shopping patterns and preferences.

7. Customer Feedback and Sentiment Analysis

AI analyzes customer feedback from various sources, including surveys, reviews, social media interactions and customer service interactions. AI is used to gauge customer sentiment, identify common issues, and improve service quality.

8. Product Inventory and Stock Management

AI systems track inventory levels and sales data to:

• Predict demand and optimize stock levels
• Reduce out-of-stock situations and overstock
• Inform dynamic pricing strategies

9. Digital Signage and Personalized Advertising

AI-powered digital signage can change content based on time of day, customer demographics detected by in-store cameras, and real-time data on store traffic and sales.

These methods collectively enable supermarkets to create a highly personalized shopping experience, optimize operations, and drive sales while maintaining efficient inventory management.

One thing that I always wondered about is if particular songs drive cart content. Does a hit Olivia Rodrigo song drive impulse purchases? Does a sad Phil Collins song drive literal cart abandonment and have customers darting for the exit?

10 . Customer Grading

Some supermarkets use Recency, Frequency, Value (RFV) analysis to examine transactional behavior of customers and score them using a combination of how often they shop, how many items they purchase and how much they spend.

Supermarket Option Overload

It’s a golden age for supermarket options, especially in the suburbs. In the outskirts of Philly, I am about 15 minutes or less from all of these thirteen big chain stores:

• GIANT
• Mom’s Organic Market
• ALDI
• Sprouts Farmers Market
• Whole Foods
• The Fresh Grocer
• ACME
• Amazon Fresh
• Trader Joe’s
• Weaver’s Way Co-Op
• Target
• Sam’s Club
• Walmart

Also, I have these local, family owned neighborhood markets nearby:

• George’s Market At Dreshertown
• O’Neill’s Food Market

Each of the stores above has a wide list of pros and cons, and are better suited for certain purchases over others. It’s really about what your goals are as a consumer. I personally could never shop at Target, Sam’s Club or Walmart for groceries. It just seems too hectic in the parking lot alone, too massive of a store to explore, and somehow depressing.

Mom’s Organic Market has been my favorite. Here’s a breakdown why:

Pros:

• Low volume foot traffic. Sometimes I’m one in ten customers there! I often wonder how this place stays in business.
• Soothing jazz and classical music is played.
• There’s free samplings of great coffee.
• You can recycle electronics, batteries, old Christmas lights, denim and lots of other household items.
• Produce is from area farms, such as Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. (You won’t get a carton of strawberries that gets moldy overnight.)
• They have a banned food ingredient list and refuse to sell products that feature these ingredients. They list them out on their website.
• At the one I go to, there are about 25 pinball machines located near checkout that will take you back to a simpler time.
• If you join a local CSA, they house the pickup boxes.
• The staff really seem to enjoy working there and are friendly.

Cons:

• It’s on the pricier side, but they do have some inexpensive brands.
• There are zero overhead aisle signs that indicate what’s in the aisle. But the store is so intuitive and compact, it’s barely a problem.
• If you like to get cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, toiletries and other non-consumable items when you shop, they have options but they are minimal and super expensive. Same thing with pet food. You’ll have to go elsewhere. Mom’s is more about getting items for that perfect meal you’re planning tonight.
• They charge $0.25 for bags if you don’t bring your own.
• No bakery.

Every store has their perks.

• Whole Foods has the Amazon Return Center and the best seafood / meats.
• The Fresh Grocer has dim, tranquil lighting and has the similar vibe of a Starbucks. It also seems to sell brands with the most beautiful packaging design.
• Trader Joe’s has a wealth of premade meals and endless snacks / desserts, allowing you to somehow endure their hectic parking lots.

But, back to GIANT. It’s not my first choice— it’s just the sole option late at night. When you enter, usually with a wobbly cart, you’re greeted with intense fluorescent light. This white brilliance showers over stacks of beer cases, wine, and a host of glistening chicken wings. To the side is often the latest in holiday offerings, like fireworks galore and baked goods. It all screams, “Let’s get drunk and eat some blueberry pie while firing off Roman Candles!”

Sure, it has a kiosk style Starbucks to the other side, but it doesn’t produce that Starbucks feeling, like the boisterous ones with Miles Davis blaring, where the atmosphere mirrors the energy of a Venti buzz and somehow allows you to focus on writing that novel. Maybe there’s a cheesy gas fireplace nearby, but it adds to the aesthetic. At GIANT, there’s a Wi-Fi lounge with some booths, but most just take their cups to go.

Late at night, there’s usually just one human self checkout worker, and I usually feel guilty for not going that route. At self checkout, the “life guard” worker that gazes upon the twelve machines is ready to help, but always terribly bored looking. I always think these employees are staring me down, judging my organic Honeycrisp apple purchase, wondering if I’m trying to cheat the quantity.

Marty, the GIANT robot that’s trained to find aisle hazards, is often stuck, low on batteries and bumping into a corner. In the age of AI, this thing has the qualities of a toy robot from the 80s, but is super amusing for babies and toddlers.

When I exit, I usually stare at the beer section and try to remember how many ounces that you can buy at at time. I recollect having to bring beer back to my car, then come back in and buy more, and repeat the process for a party.

In the dark parking lot, a solar powered “lot cop”, a mobile surveillance unit, flashes its blue light light mounted on a mast. A recording plays from a speaker about how the lot is continually scanned for your safety. I’m usually parked next to the Volta “free-to-use” electric vehicle charging stations. These feature a large iPhone looking screen playing commercials about RXBARs and anti-age lotions. A woman splashes her face with water in slow motion with bright and crisp high def precision, but I don’t look for long as tunnel vision sets in and any lot criminals could have me cornered. I retreat to my 17-year-old Hyundai and drive off quickly, playing a CD, and eating the secret day-old donut I bought for myself.

Sources:

https://www.storetech.com/resources/how-does-customer-tracking-technology-work-in-offline-retail-stores

https://www.leafio.ai/blog/supermarket-technology-trends-with-ai-review

https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardkestenbaum/2023/09/27/artificial-intelligence-isnt-coming-to-supermarkets-its-there

What is ElevenLabs?

ElevenLabs specializes in creating natural-sounding speech synthesis and text-to-speech software, using AI and deep learning. 

The simple to use web software allows you to enter in your script and select from over two dozen voice personalities. Each voice has separate settings that can adjust Stability (more variable to more stable), Similarity (low to high) and Style Exaggeration (none to exaggerated). Nudging each of these settings a bit can produce very different outcomes. Sometimes words are over enunciated, extended in length, and sometimes a nervous chuckle get thrown in. But the results are highly realistic and ideal for short passages such as a voicemail greeting or video narration.

Over the holidays, there was a spot-on “Santa” character that was as boisterous and jolly as you can get.

Voice Options

The Voice Library provides user adjusted voices that you can add to your default voices. Descriptions really help with finding the most suitable voice. For example: “Middle Aged Man With British Accent”. Tags feature attributes such as: wise, clam, sassy, formal, intense, modulated, pleasant — making it easier to find the ideal voice.

There’s also a multilingual speech model that’s able to generate life-like speech in 29 languages.

How Much Does ElevenLabs Cost?

Five different plans starting at $0 and maxing at $330 are available, offering more features such as better quality, voice cloning, analytics and support.

What Does It Sound Like?

Here’s an example of the “back cover” description for BLIZZARD 96 using the character “Charlotte”:

Sometimes you need a custom stock photo image. The stock image websites, like Unsplash, Pixabay and Pexels are excellent free sources. But when you have something super specific in mind, Ideogram.ai is one of many tools that could do the job for you.

Here’s some Leasing Consultants giving tours to prospects, created with Ideogram:

What Is Ideogram?

Unlike many AI content creation sites, Ideogram.ai has a minimalist feel with UI with just a small question mark on the bottom right that links out to a few pages. Like another famous social media site that ends in “gram”, Ideogram is a similar social media style account with a very similar feel to that original “gram”. You can choose whether you want your creations to be private or public as well, gain followers, “like” other posts and remix other account creations.

With your Google or Apple account, you can create an Ideogram account and then “Describe what you want to here”. From there, you can fine tune your aspect ratio and add stylistic effects such as:

• Photo
• Illustration
• 3D Render
• Typography
• Cinematic
• Poster
• Dark Fantasy
• Graffiti
• Architecture
• Conceptual Art
• Ukiyo-e (I had to look this one up: It’s a Japanese art genre that include woodblock prints and paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries.)
• and more!

A fictional apartment community teaser made with Runway. The fire pits are extreme, and dog heads morph into cats, but it’s an aesthetic that keeps getting refined. Just watch out for those expanding donuts.

What Is Runway?

“Runway was founded by artists on a mission to bring the unlimited creative potential of AI to everyone, everywhere with anything to say. Beyond our innovative technology and creative tools, we also strive to create platforms and initiatives that will empower and celebrate the next generation of storytellers.”

from RunwayML.com

Check out a free trial version of Runway and you can create these types of content types based on descriptive queries and more:

• Video to Video
• Text / Image to Video
• Generative Audio
• Background Removals
• Text to Image
• Image to Image
• Infinite Image

There are many other video effects tools as well.

Baron Ryan is an entertaining TikTok creator that is breaking boundaries on what you can achieve with one person and an iPhone. His sketches seem inspired by the Wes Anderson cinematic aesthetic, and he packs social commentary with humor that will make you ponder.

This video of him having a contemplative chat with his reflection in a train window is a great example:

I sometimes close my eyes and imagine a hotel and behind every door are all the people I could have been and lives I could have lived, infinite beginnings.

I’m alredy nostalgic for people I’ll never be.

But in the end, you gotta have mercy on yourself, even if you don’t do everything you’ve set out to do in life.

At first you want your dreams to be real. But you realize that some dreams are nicer as dreams. They can be there and you open those doors and live those lives anytime you like on the other side.

Besides, a memory and a fantasy both live in the head.

Baron Ryan

@americanbaron

All the people we could have been. Life could have turned out any which way and every which way comes with its own cocktail of inconveniences. The people we could have been look at us and imagine they could have been us. #loop #life #nostalgiacore

♬ Memory Reboot – VØJ & Narvent

If you’re in a rut with any creative endeavor, or need a new vantage point, this book is an excellent compass. Packed with micro-chapters of every possible step on the journey to creating a song, painting, novel, design, web site–anything, this book will help you realize those eureka moments in the shower, or long gazes at inanimate objects, or stumped lacked of progress are just part of the process. Great read, void of fluff, straight to the point: The Creative Act: A Way Of Being by Rick Rubin

Perplexity.ai, touted as “where knowledge begins” is a research engine that utilizes AI and natural language predictive text to answer questions. Similar to Google SGE, it cites sources (with direct links) and has a “follow up” chat section. Unlike Google though, there is a paid Pro version that allows you to top into a “smarter AI and more Pro Search” and generate images for $20 / month. (I haven’t tried that.)

What’s welcome about Perplexity.ai is the clean interface and lack of ads. With your “ask anything” prompt, you can then choose a “Focus” setting of:

• All (Search across the entire interent)
• Academic (Search published academic papers)
• Writing
• Wolfram | Alpha (Computational knowledge engine)
• YouTube
• Reddit (Search for discussions and opinions)

Another cool tool is the Library, which stores all of your sources and allows you tap back into them for the answers. You can also group your searches in to Collections and then create Secret or Shareable links to them.

If you’re looking for a unique break from Google and give your searches a collective stronger purpose, the Perplexity.ai free version is worth a spin.