Victoria Greene says voice assistants and chatbots are much more than just the latest gadgets, they are changing the way we consume – and that’s an issue those who are currently evaluating their e-commerce strategy need to be aware of especially. Here, she takes a look at the latest trends affecting those who are selling online and offers her own strategies for success in the year ahead.
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:
Research shows 62% of UK smartphone users ‘can’t live without a smartphone’ – which makes this device a powerful channel for marketers aiming to engage with consumers in the run-up to the biggest holiday event of the year. So how mobile is your marketing strategy? Have you optimised your business showcase for mobile? Is the shopping experience you offer via mobile swift and simple? Don’t leave it any longer – here’s a checklist of holiday marketing ideas to action NOW:
Many consumers use their smartphones to shop, so it makes sense for marketers to know where all that traffic is going and where to concentrate their mobile marketing efforts. Measure mobile traffic usage in real time, says Karthik Reddy, monitor the constantly changing statistics of companies that do business through mobile data – such as the amount of Google searches worldwide on mobile devices; the amount of WhatsApp messages sent; the amount of products purchased on mobile devices from Amazon marketplace sellers. Check out the ever-changing infographic, here:
Marketing has come a long way since the scattergun approach. Customer-centricity has driven the need for polished personalisation and technology is empowering ‘laser-guided marketing’. Doron Youngerwood discusses this concept and offers some artificial intelligence ideas and tips to guide marketing ‘artists’ into becoming marketing ‘scientists’.
From product selection and presentation through to search, filtering and promotions, retailers such as ASOS, Missguided and PrettyLittleThing are top of the class when it comes to speaking to Generation Z. As these technologically fluent post-millennials enter the world of work and start to purchase from a wider range of brands, how can retailers tempt them across their virtual front door? Katie Woodhead examines lessons other brands can learn from the online fast fashion fraternity in communicating with the twentysomethings –
the next generation of consumers.
Do you use a celebrity or the girl next door to share your marketing message and win share of voice within your target marketplace? The tone you take is telling, as research shows, says Stephanie Ciccarelli.
Facebook and Google increasingly dominate the time people spend online and there are both pros and cons in this web duopoly. Verto Analytics’ Dr Hannu Verkasalo spells out the implications for data-driven marketers of having two such powerful internet giants.
Ranging from which consumers are most likely to purchase to which campaigns are most effective, marketing automation tools with their heads in the cloud keep marketers’ feet firmly on the ground, presenting them with instant information and access to data. But there are giants out there, vying to be the best automation platform. Daniel Wiglas has been personally testing and studying form avidly – as part of his Master’s thesis – and here presents a round-up of his findings:
Don’t take a risk – make sure your start-up plan is for a product or service that people will actually want to use and that is therefore viable. Infographic shows nine signposts to setting up and running a successful operation.