Shopify broadens the services it offers merchants: It partnered with YouTube to allow creators and merchants to sell products on their channels and bolstered its logistics platform by buying Deliverr.
Rural China's internet penetration climbed in 2020
YouTube Shorts debuts in the US: The feature may just be another TikTok clone for now, but if YouTube can successfully harness its existing base of video content creators, it could set Shorts apart.
On today's episode, we discuss Facebook and Apple's next virtual and augmented reality moves, Netflix cracking down on password sharing, whether Google and Facebook killed the concept of "free," what Americans will do with their stimulus checks, how ESPN+ will do on Hulu, where in the world there is a giant plughole in the ocean, and more. Tune in to listen to the discussion with eMarketer forecasting analyst Rini Mukhopadhyay, senior analyst Sara M. Watson, analyst Blake Droesch, and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jeremy Goldman.
Apple is facing yet another potential hurdle to IDFA: As Chinese tech companies work on a new way to track users on mobile devices, Apple will be faced with either barring a slew of Chinese developers altogether or forging ahead on a policy with no teeth.
Hey Alexa, do people like voice shopping?
On today's episode, we discuss in-person events in 2021, how to put on an engaging hybrid conference, and how to consider making money from virtual events. We then talk about Twitch's "Brand Safety Score," new ads envisioning post-pandemic life, and TV makers leaving no ad spot unturned. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jillian Ryan.
The dominant digital path to purchase begins with a product search—often unbranded—during which the consumer demonstrates intent. They are subsequently delivered paid and organic results for relevant brands and retailers, steering them in the direction of a conversion event. But what about all those times when a consumer doesn’t know what they want? That’s the opportunity for discovery, and where social commerce platforms are beginning to fill the void.
A new paradigm of physical retail, created and accelerated by the pandemic’s disruptive forces, is ready to emerge. In the coming year, the “retail apocalypse” will reach a crescendo as many teetering legacy retailers close hundreds of locations. In their place, frictionless, digitally enabled retail experiences will dot the landscape.