Brands need fresh, innovative ways to appeal to new audiences while artfully retaining already hard-earned fans. Partnering with a virtual influencer is a proven strategy to accomplish this goal, giving brands new, direct access to younger generations as they age into the consumer market. These ultramodern, digital creations consistently garner greater engagement and drive more actions than your average human…
Industry Insights Blog
Consumers who connect with brands on social media are loyal customers, with about nine out of 10 people saying they buy from companies they follow on social networks. Seventy-five percent of people said they increased their spending with a brand they follow, a 12% increase from 2019, per a study from social media marketing firm Sprout Social. Social sharing platforms…
Consumers’ preferences, attitudes, and behaviors are heavily influenced by social, economic, and political factors. Marketers must often deal with sudden shifts in these areas; however, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected almost every aspect of our lives in unprecedented ways. While we hope this is short-lived, it’s critical that brands are sensitive to the rapidly changing environment, particularly with respect…
The impact of COVID-19 on businesses around the world is profound. Many have gone into bankruptcy and others are struggling to survive and respond in ways that will help in the short term and the long. But responding well now is key to future survival. What’s more, the unique opportunities for change that the situation presents can competitively empower businesses….
Mainland China becomes the focus, e-commerce increases in importance and sticking to seasonality seems like a weakness. Brands are pointing to mainland China, where they hope shoppers that would otherwise be travelling might be convinced to spend more on luxury at home. Given concerns about visiting stores are likely to linger, e-commerce and digital platforms are more key than ever to…
Reports have begun to surface that Amazon plans to move forward with Prime Day in September, a two-month delay from the typical mid-July timing. While challenges from the surge in online shopping attributed to Coronavirus called into question whether or not Amazon would still have its sales event at all this year, the news that it’s likely to take place…
It comes as no surprise that retailers are struggling as COVID-19 continues to take its toll across the globe. With social distancing and lockdowns still in effect in many key cities, storefronts and shopping malls remain empty and closed as restless shoppers sit at home. Although the future of retail has always been uncertain, the industry has been heavily hit…
The company unveiled a business account and debit card called Shopify Balance, a “Buy Now, Pay Later” option called Shop Pay Installments, and a new Local Delivery product. Shopify also announced its AI-powered fulfillment network is now actively accepting merchant applications.
The announcements were made at Shopify Reunite, the company’s first virtual event. The Canadian company was supposed to host the fifth…
Marketers are watching — often without much influence — as commerce changes before their eyes. Beyond the obvious supply chain challenges, consumers are forcing brands and retailers to rethink the way their customers are enabled to shop, whether that be through contactless solutions like pickup and delivery, or via a hygienically modified version of the legacy in-store experience. In response,…
In the next era of ecommerce, you have two options: lose your hard-earned customers to the competition, or invest in building a brand that customers truly love. We all know how the story goes: the retail world is changing, and Amazon is the new sheriff in town. Big box retailers are shutting down stores, while digitally native brands are opening pop-up…
Shoppers are buying less clothing to wear out, opting instead for athleisure outfits to be worn at home. Department store brand Kohl’s is responding to these new consumer preferences with an updated digital shopping experience. Kohl’s is remodeling its virtual closet on Snapchat. Using augmented reality, Snapchat users can go shopping at Kohl’s via the app. Mobile site visitors account for…
Facebook has always been about connecting you to what you love. That means friends and family, but also products, brands and businesses. For years, people have used our apps to buy and sell things from the early days of posting a photo of a bicycle with the caption “for sale,” to selling your coffee table on Marketplace and now shopping styles…
In mid-March, when the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic began to become clear, I talked to more than 40 of our retail customers about their concerns and asked how Google could help. Weeks later, I’m continuing to hear from these customers about the challenges they’re facing, especially with the ongoing closures or restrictions on their physical stores.
Consumers are facing uncertainty…
Amid soaring downloads, and brands and influencers flocking to capitalize on the growth, TikTok’s evolution is being shaped by changing media habits during the pandemic. TikTok is a unique beast. Videos on the viral platform rarely exceed 15 seconds, forcing creators to quickly produce punchy, ultrashort content — and a lot of it. The Bytedance-owned app entered a boom period last…
A month ago, the natural foods online marketplace Bubble saw sales increasing very quickly. People around the country were freaking out, and they were trying to buy everything they could online. Conversions went through the roof in late March and early April; customer growth exceeded 10x. Now, said founder and CEO Jessica Young, the ways people are shopping on her site…
Nikki Baird, vice president of retail innovation at retail enterprise solution provider Aptos, has spent her entire career at the intersection of retail and technology. She has been an industry analyst for nearly 15 years, co-founding Retail Systems Research, the premier boutique analyst firm focused on the retail industry, and was an analyst at both Forrester Research and Retail Systems…
After three years of testing augmented reality in a selection of its 4,500 stores, MAC Cosmetics is going all-in on an AR try-on tool for its e-commerce site. Beyond its large fleet of stores, MAC sells through department stores like Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. MAC has been working with YouCam to roll out AR smart mirrors in its stores since…
As the ‘new normal’ is affecting the globe, I reflect on a few of the major behavioural shifts we have observed so far and the impact they might have on eCommerce in the months and years ahead. Lockdown has been a huge catalyst for shifting behaviours to embrace eCommerce. I’d be very interested in seeing the adoption curve for online grocery…
There’s a lot that goes into becoming a great ecommerce marketer. You might be phenomenal at writing website copy, email marketing, social media strategy, and paid advertising. But even if you possess all the most sought-after skills, how do you decide where to spend your time? The answer lies in your customer analytics.
To better understand the customer analytics you should be…
“Data is the new oil.” In the years since mathematician Clive Humby coined this phrase in 2006, the idea has taken on new meaning. For businesses today, personal data is not just a resource — it is a core profit-driver. But the value placed on “drilling for data” has come with a high price at the human level: a dangerous…