Americas
Intriguing differences among global shoppers have been revealed in the iVend Retail’s 2018 Global Path to Purchase Report. Mia Farber examines the insights and shows that by varying your marketing strategies to suit your audience, you can significantly increase revenues and build customer loyalty . . . globally.
A survey conducted by BrightLocal among search professionals in the US has revealed key findings – such as growing optimism for this year and going forward. Jamie Pitman examines the details and compares revenues of agencies and freelancers, as well as looking into the most in-demand services asked for by local search industry clients.
It’s a quandary currently causing anguish for American law-makers: Should the US government (aiming to track and rout terrorists and fraudsters) have the power to search email data that’s stored on a server in another country? Or would this open the floodgates for international ‘snooping’ and thus be a potential violation of personal data privacy? How seriously would global business be affected if data no longer feels secure and protected across borders? Robert Howells investigates the facts, weighs up the pros and cons and worries about the future . . .
Sweet and charming or cheesy and sickly – whatever your view of Valentine’s Day and the hype surrounding it, many businesses do well to leverage events marketing tactics and make the most of the first of the year’s gifting events. Valentines data shows what couples are likely to be spending their money on in 2018:
Are marketers equipped and resourced to deal with major challenges ahead? How will the marketing landscape pan out this year? What’s at the top of a marketer’s wishlist for 2018? What did they get right last year and can build on in the months ahead? Robert Howells checks out the major annual research report from Winterberry (hindsight and predictions) and compares it with comments from Marketo’s community of marketing practitioners. Here’s what he found:
Digital innovation has led to countless changes in our modern world but, sometimes, accepting the challenge of change can be difficult. Authors Alison and Scott Stratten warn entrepreneurs and marketers not to be over-enthusiastic when it comes to harnessing the latest technology, because not everyone is quite ready to wholeheartedly embrace this ‘age of disruption’. The Strattens’ message is to look before you leap: analyse your data carefully, focus on loyalty and know your market first.
All too soon, deals won in the discounts battle fought during major retail events such as Black Friday & Christmas fade into last year’s bottom line and marketers turn their thoughts to a new year and fresh battlegrounds! But Chris Baldwin has advice and strategies that will create value for retailers all year round.
It seems to Robert Howells that marketers are beginning to see clearer skies ahead as the mist around GDPR lifts, panic subsides and the May 2018 deadline approaches. But, in case you are still wary and unsure of how to finalise getting your data shipshape and in good order before the new regulation comes into force, here are some guidelines to help you.
Global spending on native ads is predicted to hit $85.5bn a year within the next two years; it’s a format that is deemed to offer a more appealing and engaging user experience and is thus rapidly growing in popularity among marketers and brands – likely to overtake banner ads as the field leader in display advertising. Here’s a glimpse into tomorrow’s digital ad world and what the more creative, relevant and editorially compelling native advertising 2020 could add up to.
Testimonials, opinions, social proof – call them what you will, but consumer reviews are on the up when it comes to what influences a business’s potential customers. Whether fake or fair, people are reading and acting on these online reviews. Here’s a careful look at the latest trends and how consumer trust is measuring up: