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Ikea’s New Holiday Catalog: Now That’s How You Do Interactive

posted on November 12, 2012

Ikea has just released a brand new, online holiday calendar that has me very excited. It’s not the store, or the products, it’s the catalog itself because it’s the future of digital advertising.

The world is changing and people no longer respond to a jiggling banner ad the way they used to. People want to interact with the screen and now, with Windows 8 and touch-screen tablets, that’s become an even bigger priority.

Have you ever read the kid’s book Pat the Bunny? Each page has a touch component such as Daddy’s scratchy beard (a bit of sandpaper) and a cloth you can lift to play peek-a-boo with Paul. We naturally like to interact with our surroundings and we remember and respond to things we can touch, watch, smell, taste and hear. Just last week, I wrote about a study that showed people’s natural inclination to touch the screens of their tablet while reading.

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Hottest Trend in eCommerce: Alternate Shipping Options

posted on November 12, 2012

Shipping is often the make it or break it portion of an ecommerce sale. Cost of shipping, length of time and delivery method all come into play. Amazon jumped ahead of the pack by offering free 2-day shipping with their Prime membership. BestBuy and other online / offline retailers allow you to buy online and then pick-up at the store. Amazon’s version of that is buy online and pick up via a locker at Staples.

Now we have ShopRunner, a third-party program that is all about getting your e-purchases delivered cheap, fast and safe with PickupPoints.

To prove the need, ShopRunner commissioned a study and found that 75% of Americans are concerned about having packages delivered to their homes.

Biggest worries?

52% said theft

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Some Cross Channel Marketing Troubles Attributed to Staffing

posted on November 12, 2012

Cross channel marketing is one of those subjects that is SO easy to throw around in a conversation about marketing but when you get down to the actual execution of the different facets of it things get a little less easy.

A recent study from ExactTarget and Forrester called “The Keys to Successful Cross Channel Marketing” gives us a look into the struggles that marketers encounter in trying to truly execute and measure the success of cross channel marketing efforts.

The study looked at marketers in companies of $100 million plus in revenue and it found that 78% of those surveyed feel cross channel efforts are important or very important to their business. Other major findings include

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In Honor of Our US Veterans

posted on November 12, 2012

Yesterday was Veterans Day in the US where we honor those who have served in our country’s military at any point in our history. Today, many people will have a day off from work or school in honor of this observance. We want to help folks remember that this ‘vacation’ day was earned and not simply created.

Thank you to those who have served and sacrificed for the United States of America.

Also, thank you to those currently on active duty. We appreciate you and may God bless you and your families.

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Holiday Shopping: eCommerce Expectations Are High, mCommerce Not So Much

posted on November 9, 2012

They say good things come to those who wait and retailers have waited long enough for a boost in sales! Looks like this might be the year.

Chase Paymentech talked to a variety of retailers and found that the majority (59%) of them expected 2012 sales to top those of 2011. They were also very optimistic about the percentage of sales coming in through online channels.

Now, I’d like to present my reward for the Short and Sweet Graphic of the Week. It goes to eMarketer!

Seriously folks, it doesn’t get more plain than that. eCommerce is on the rise but mCommerce is still barely a blip on the radar.

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Poynter Study Shows How We Interact with Tablet Content

posted on November 9, 2012

As a teen, I learned to speed read using a machine that brought each line of text up into my line of vision like a teleprompter, pushing me to consume each sentence at a glance. Once I had the skill, I transferred it to books by moving my eyes down the page instead of the page moving up to meet my eyes.

But now that I do the majority of my reading digitally, I’ve naturally graduated to a hybrid of the two which Poynter says is becoming the norm for tablet readers.

The Poynter Institute is training a new generation of journalist and that means looking at how our reading habits are changing to meet digital requirements. For their new study “Poynter EyeTrack: The Tablet,” they monitored two groups of people, 18-28 year-old “digital natives” and 45-55 year-olds “printnets.” (People who grew up with print but have moved on to the internet.)

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SPONSOR: How To Use Facebook For Mobile Marketing

posted on November 9, 2012

Social, local, mobile. SoLoMo. Or is it SoMoLo? Aw, heck you get the point.

This is the new trifecta for business in the online space. Considering the current state of social it is impossible to ignore the behemoth of the social space, Facebook. Our Inbound Marketing channel sponsor is a pretty smart bunch of folks and they have put together a guide for you combining two of the three called “How To Use Facebook for Mobile Marketing”

So if you have ever wondered what some of the best tricks of the trade are regarding the use of Facebook in your mobile marketing efforts this FREE ebook is probably a good place for you to be.

Get yours today!