The mobile analytic leader Flurry recently conducted a study to explore the usage of shopping apps by consumers. The study, which was conducted with more than 1,800 consumers on both iOS and Android shopping apps Read Full Article >
Big 4 – Australian Social Media Trends 2013
Hot off the press – the Yellow Pages 2013 Australian social media report was released 2 days ago and if you missed some of the key takeouts, I’ve summarised my 4 big takeouts that I deem most relevant for marketers – to save you from reading the entire report.
1) The importance of mobile in social media strategy
As mobile internet usage continues to grow exponentially – consumer consumption of social has shifted to the small screen. For the first time, mobile has become the preferred platform to access social media. The report revealed 67% of consumers are now accessing social media (up from 53 per cent in 2012) from their smartphone, while the proportion using laptops and PCs to access social media decreased to 64 per cent (down from 69 per cent in 2012) and 46 per cent (down from 54 per cent) respectively.
Implication? One of the most obvious implications relates to timing – 37% of consumers now check their social media presence first thing in the morning and 42% do so just before they go to bed. Equally mobile traffic is known to peak after ~5pm and as well as on the weekend therefore marketers need to consider how this impacts timing of content distribution to maximise effectiveness.
2) Social influence on path to purchase
The report revealed one in five consumers research a product or service on social media before buying and 58% of those who had researched ended up making a purchase (up from 40% in 2012). Of those only half were made online highlighting the importance of social media for bricks and mortar stores.
But which product categories are people researching? Fashion and electrical goods topped the list, followed by computers, cosmetics and fragrances and music.
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Not so odd bedfellows – Marketing & IT
According to Gartner by 2017 the average CMO will influence / control more IT spend than the average CIO. And there is little wonder why, in a hyper connected world customer communication and interaction is becoming increasingly digital, which, in turn is heightening investment in technology as brands attempt to connect with consumers in the “digital world they live in”.
The technology shopping list for marketers is vast and growing – driven by investment in;
• Building and enhancing digital platforms (websites, apps etc)
• Marketing automation
• Storing, managing and effectively leveraging Big Data and more.
But the real challenge is not in identifying “what” to invest in, for senior marketers the challenge is how to create a partnership and collaborate with IT to make the marketing vision a shared one with IT to achieve key marketing and business objectives.
But it’s not for the faint hearted it takes a lot of effort and hard work to build a strong partnership from both parties but there are several key challenges which marketer need to consider as a starting point;
Challenge 1: Setting the pace
In the world of “real time” marketing and eCommerce, agility is integral to compete in a new digital world. In industries like retail, it couldn’t be truer as pure plays tend to have leaner organisational structures and more agile processes to; quickly deploy technology changes (sometimes as rapidly as daily), innovate and continually test and learn to improve the customer experience / marketing activities.
But working in an agile way is not necessarily the methodology IT departments utilise to bring new IT projects to market.
The speed at which projects / initiatives are able to be delivered are dependent on both resourcing and processes. And it is here that IT and marketing must begin to collaborate to;
1) Drive change in internal approval and release management processes to enable more rapid development and support innovation
2) Clearly articulate the roadmap and resources required to service the growing need for IT support and investment.
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CATEGORY: Digital News & Trends, Digital Strategy
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Succeeding in a multi-channel world: A Q&A with Martin Newman
H&Ms announcement of their impending arrival to Australian shores is a timely reminder for Australian retailers that they are no longer playing with their bat and ball Read Full Article >
CATEGORY: Digital Strategy, eCommerce
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The power of who you know and what they know: Facebook’s Graph Search
Google’s known it for years, despite consumers turning to search engines to answer their burning questions – it hasn’t replaced one’s circle of friends as a trusted source of information – particularly when it comes to product / service recommendations Read Full Article >
CATEGORY: Digital News & Trends, SEO, Social Media
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Mobile: Retailer Loyalty Friend or Foe?
Some hail mobile as the saviour of the high street – whilst others are concerned about the impact mobile is having on bricks and mortar businesses as retail stores become showrooms for online retailers. Regardless of which corner you sit … Read Full Article >
CATEGORY: Digital Strategy, Mobile Marketing
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