Latest Articles
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Recent research indicates that consumers now prefer email to a phone call when it comes to providing businesses with feedback. The use of social media for feedback is also growing, but consumers have yet to show a preference for social networks over more direct communication methods. This is likely to change as younger consumers age, bringing with them increased expectations about customer service on social media.
For marketers, the fact that earned media on Facebook has proven effective in influencing online and offline sales validates the time and resources spent developing campaigns for the site. However, for the sake of its own revenue model, Facebook needs to prove that paid advertisements can also succeed, and as of now, that success is linked with earned media’s dominance.
eMarketer reported that a solid majority of marketers in China intended to increase digital budgets in 2012, with online video being the marketers’ favorite choice for increased investment. Other research supports this position, showing that online video ad revenues in China more than tripled from Q1 2011 to Q1 2012.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Most Shopping Done Between 5pm and 9pm
The ubiquity of mobile devices and connections in Germany is leading to widespread adoption of activities, the most popular of which, unsurprisingly, is text messaging—along with using applications and mobile internet browsers, and playing music. Previous reports showed that mobile users in Europe, including Germany, were more receptive to mobile ads than users in the US, leading to potential marketing opportunities for mobile-savvy brands.
This year, online political advertising is estimated to grow a staggering 617% from 2008 levels. But that growth rate is warranted, given the growing use of the internet by voters to research political candidates and issues. Research shows that almost three in 10 likely voters get their political information largely on the internet.
Smart device users are not shying away from using location-based services. But research shows that privacy concerns are lingering in the back of their minds. In fact, one in five mobile app users thought the risks associated with geolocation services outweighed any benefits they provided.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Jeanniey Mullen, global EVP and CMO of both magazine app platform Zinio and VIVMag, an all-digital magazine for women, spoke with eMarketer about how tablets have impacted Zinio’s digital magazine business.
A new eMarketer report examines the growing adoption of tablets, particularly by consumers keen to use their devices to shop and buy online. But their expectations for tablet shopping are high and thus far many retailers have missed the mark.
Much like in the US, a majority of consumers in Australia are simultaneously using other media while watching TV, new research has found. Simultaneous usage is leading to more immediate opportunities for marketers to adopt multichannel marketing, both outside and inside of the home.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Contrary to healthy annual growth predictions for US online ad spending, US marketers’ reported investment in Q1 2012 on select marketing tactics remained relatively light. Email, social, mobile and search saw the biggest budget boosts.
Online shoppers want retailers to offer a wide variety of products and an easy checkout process. But shipping is an important factor lingering in the background—and may be too often ignored by etailers. Research indicates that almost six in 10 buyers thought their online shopping experience could be improved with a free shipping offer.
A high number of consumers in Russia are adopting social media. eMarketer expects Russia, with 57.9 million social network users in 2012, to be the fifth-largest socially connected country in the world. New data suggests that mobile social media users could potentially account for a third of that total by year's end.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
India, with a fast-rising population of 1.2 billion people, is far from typical in terms of the trajectory of ad spending among media formats. For instance, print, declining rapidly in the West as users migrate to digital and interactive media, will experience solid growth and maintain the largest share of total ad spending in the country through 2016. Digital ads, which started at a low base, are rising faster still and catching up.
A new eMarketer report examines 16 forces helping the integration of video advertising, hindering it, or doing both. From fears of cannibalization to fears of ad-skipping, there are plenty of pressures arrayed on both sides.
The overall percentage of US consumers on Twitter has stayed fairly stable, but the percentage using the site daily has doubled in the past year. Additionally, as Promoted Products on Twitter grow and gain traction among users, marketers have an opportunity to expand their advertising strategy.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Research indicates that Facebook’s social ad units, including Sponsored Stories, deliver higher returns for advertisers than Facebook Marketplace Ads. The social ads are more expensive, though, and their price is likely to climb higher as adoption grows.
Heavy mobile internet users clearly prefer browsing on the larger screens offered by tablets. But research shows the size of a mobile device has not yet had a discernible effect on clickthrough rates—though clickthroughs were significantly higher on Apple and Amazon products than their competitors’.
A new eMarketer report explores the mobile market in China, including users, their habits, the devices they own and how marketers are reaching them on a network that lacks the infrastructure of more advanced countries.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Amid Europe’s economic turmoil, it seems that one area is maintaining enviable growth: ecommerce. Online sales to consumers showed significant increases in 2011, and 2012 looks to be no different, especially for Italy. A relatively slow start for ecommerce in the country ensures growth, with online retailers diversifying their offerings and implementing social media in order to keep up the strong pace.