In 2018, the Google Assistant learned to speak new languages (Nǐ hǎo!), expanded to new regions (like the Netherlands, Indonesia and Turkey), and became smarter with new features that can help you throughout your day. Along the way, more people started using the Assistant to get some help—active users of the Google Assistant grew four times over the past year….
Industry Insights Blog
Americans are expected to spend a record amount on Valentine’s Day this year despite a years-long decrease in the percentage of people celebrating the holiday, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. “Those who are participating are spending more than ever and that could be the result of the strong economy.“
NRF…
Around here, much of 2018 was spent discussing and writing about social media. The topic (and industry) arguably made a record number of headlines this year, with people and companies alike wondering how productive time spent on social media might be. Tools were integrated on both mobile devices and certain social apps themselves to help people manage that time. Movements began…
Retail is broken. Apple’s Angela Ahrendts has a plan
After turning round the fortunes of Burberry, Angela Ahrendts is five years into reimagining Apple’s bricks-and-mortar presence. Vogue Business meets the tech behemoth’s senior vice president of retail on the steps of its soon-to-be-unveiled Washington, DC, flagship
Despite the recent profits warning, Apple is bolstering its investment in experiential retail, with expansive flagships, and…
In 2018, it looked like there was no end in sight when it came to what direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands (also known as digitally native vertical brands, or DNVB) were willing to experiment with. Many brands opened pop-up shops, some made acquisitions and, of course, several expanded their product lines. This while companies also tested ecommerce on platforms like Snapchat and…
This is the year that everyone takes a critical look at the innovations they’ve pursued over the last decade to decide what’s worth taking forward into the decade of the ‘20s and what’s best left behind in the decade whose door will close 358 days from today. In 2018, it was estimated that roughly 45 percent of all digital purchases,…
Will even more fashion chains go bankrupt? Is Amazon really tackling the Benelux? Will Blokker survive 2019? Will Jumbo’s entry into Belgium be a walk in the park? Six retail experts look into their crystal ball.
“More retailers get started with voice assistants”
What was the most important retail event, trend or development in 2018 according to Gino Van Ossel, retail professor…
CES is not what it used to be. Attracting positive consumer attention, with consent-driven data, puts creative at the forefront with only a razor-thin margin for error. What was once a showcase for buyers to fill shelves has been completely turned on its head. The event, which took place in Las Vegas for the past week, is now much more than a…
First-party is now more valuable than ever, as online giants Amazon, Facebook and Google have demonstrated in recent years. As a result, marketers now say improving the quality of their data and their data collection practices is now a key priority for 2019. In a survey of 229 brand marketers by Digiday this November, 30 percent of respondents said improving their data…
The digital revolution has triggered tidal waves of innovation and change that show no sign of slowing down. It’s tempting to look back as we head into the holidays, but CMOs are even now peering at the horizon, trying to stay ahead of what comes next. Across a martech landscape that has grown exponentially in size in recent years, there are…
One of the biggest themes at this year’s National Retail Federation show (NRF) didn’t involve AI or robots. Instead, it was a new acronym buzzword: BOPIS, known as Buy-Online-Pickup-In-Store. And it’s a key part of what’s driving growth for retailers like Home Depot in the fast-fulfillment Amazon era. According to a new case study from Adobe Analytics, the volume of…
As the impact of innovations and disruptions of years’ past come into focus, leading players will battle for dominance in several key areas. The impact of mobile marketing innovations and disruptions of years’ past will continue to come into focus in 2019 as markets mature and leading players battle for dominance. That’s forecast to be particularly prevalent for mobile video…
From loyalty programs to bolder ad campaigns, here’s what’s in store for the coming year and what it means for retailers. Retail marketing is not a black-and-white, linear process. A consistent brand personality or story is likely on every retailer’s wish list, but marketing tactics and methods vary greatly. Some retailers rely on discounts, sales and avoiding politics to drive…
It’s time to change things up. As you put together your digital marketing plan for 2019, consider the latest and most effective new marketing trends and tactics, determine which ones might be the best fit for your business and give ‘em a shot. You may be surprised at how they ramp up results – traffic, engagement, lead generation and sales.
Here…
At Content First Marketing, we’ve been looking at the latest digital marketing innovations and assessing the trends that we think will be breakthrough stars in 2019. Every year there are tons of fresh new ideas for taking marketing to the next level. But we like to look for a balance between exciting, innovative, and practical. Read about the four key…
Instagram is one of the most important and most powerful marketing channels of our time. It is great for content marketing and paid advertising and, at the same time, for communication and customer service. It has the capacity to drive great engagement and better-than-average return on investment for a marketer, brand or agency. Instagram has been growing since it was…
Do you want to revise your content marketing strategy? Here are 15 Useful Content marketing tools for success that you should need in 2019.
Success on the internet based on targeted content creation and marketing. If you are not getting sufficient traffic and leads then it’s a high time to look around in your content strategy to make it more ‘powerful’ or…
YouTube, the ultimate destination for online video, is dominated by YouTube Creators who produce hours of video content for their communities of followers. This creator-centric culture has lent itself to a staggering variety of online video content on YouTube. YouTube released 2018’s # YouTubeRewind, an annual celebration of YouTuber culture which remixes the “videos, people, music, and moments that defined 2018.”…
You could argue that 2018 was (again) the year of the mobile: it came to dominate online sales, taking more than half of ecommerce traffic and conversions, while also cementing its position as the go to tool for research, showrooming, Ghosting and more. So what of 2019; what will it be the year of? Well, more mobile – only this…
Heather Larabee, a former Whole Foods Market executive and current VP of Marketing at GoSpotCheck, explores the transformation of relationship in retail. 1. Where do you see the intersection of humanity and technology in the retail customer experience?
In retailers who balance tech-enabled and human experiences and invest in technology that frees up team members to express their humanity in person…