  | News about digital retail commerce |  |
- Thrillist provides media content, shopping opportunities
It's not necessarily clear whether recipients of Thrillist's daily e-mails are reading impartial reviews of local restaurants or paid advertisements for the eateries -- the new online media outlet and many of its peers are blurring the lines between content and commerce, saying consumers are sophisticated enough to know the difference. "This is not a digital magazine that sells some stuff. This is the beginning of what a new media company looks like," said Thrillist co-founder and CEO Ben Lerer. The New York Times (free registration) (3/20)        | Mobile barcodes make traditional media both interactive and measurable. When consumers scan these barcodes with their mobile devices, they are immediately connected to the web where they can view videos, coupons, and more. Want to learn more about mobile barcodes? Sign up for a FREE webinar today. | - Survey: Consumers buy more often from online grocers that deliver
Consumers prefer online grocers that offer home delivery to those that require them to pick up orders at the store, according to a new survey. Just 17% of respondents said their primary store provided home delivery, and of those, 5% said they use the service at least once a week. The preference may offer a significant advantage to pure-play online retailers such as Peapod and Amazon, which is testing home grocery delivery in some markets. InternetRetailer.com (3/18) - Survey: Suppliers at odds with Australia's online retailers
 Online retailers in Australia are optimistic about their future, but they are finding their dealings with suppliers are becoming challenging. Suppliers are trying to maintain their relationships with larger clients, which can put them at odds with smaller, online shops, according to research from eBay. "These suppliers are also working with big-name brands, and these companies know that online brands can undercut them. And so they don't want to supply to those businesses and upset their larger clients," said Jenny Thomas, communications manager at eBay. SmartCompany.com.au (Australia) (3/21)  | Three Trends Causing Paradigm Shifts in Online Retail
The growth of ecommerce is accelerating as consumers become more comfortable and confident transacting online. In this whitepaper you will learn about the three major trends re-shaping online retail.
• Video as a way to enhance the shopping experience
• Mobile as a channel for expanding marketing reach
• Personalization informed by advanced analytics |
 | New Media & Technology |  | | | - Study: Social media makes inroads with the over-50 set
The stereotype that social media is only for the young is just that, according to a study that shows that social media use among those 52 and older has risen fivefold in the past two years. Retailers who aren't using social media to reach out to older consumers are missing a key opportunity to market to them, said authors Bernie Brennan and Lori Schafer. "When you look at their buying power, it is less. But their sheer numbers are more," Brennan said. Hartford Business Journal (Conn.) (3/20) - How to use content to boost social-media retail results
The combination of multichannel content and social connections make social sites an ideal starting point for consumers researching product purchases and provide marketers with a valuable tool for forging ongoing customer relationships, writes interactive marketer Heidi Cohen. Cohen's five-phase plan for boosting sales from social media starts with providing basic product information for those starting to search and culminates with requests for post-purchase consumers to come back and rate what they've bought. ClickZ (3/21)  | Business Gold Rewards Card®
Use points to do more for your business:
• Offset business travel expenses
• Purchase office supplies and equipment with gift cards
• Recognize employees and thank clients - Find the perfect gift with thousands of options to choose from
Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express OPEN. Apply Now. |
  | Hot Topics | | | | Top five news stories selected by Shop.org SmartBrief readers in the past week. - Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.
| Companies in the News | | | | - Beetailer rolls out software to help merchants sell on Facebook
 Startup Beetailer has launched software that helps retailers import their online stores onto designated Facebook pages, as well as promote the stores and measure their performances. The software connects with existing e-commerce platforms and syncs online product information including prices, sizes, colors and whether products are in stock. TechCrunch (3/20) - New version of Chewsy app lets reviewers add photos
Application creator Chewsy has updated its three-month-old restaurant reviewing app to let writers snap and save photos of the food they're going to write about later. The free app also has added a location-based service to suggest nearby restaurants. VentureBeat (3/18)
| Interactive Advertising | | | | - Cause-related marketing walks a fine line with skeptical consumers
Companies that use their brands to raise money for causes have the potential to help but they also risk accusations of exploiting tragedy to boost sales, as Microsoft's Bing learned recently when a tweeted offer to donate $1 each time someone forwarded the message backfired. "Companies have an opportunity in this crisis to show that they care. Customers want that. But to take something as sensitive as a crisis and combine it with a brand message is a volatile situation that easily could explode," said branding consultant Dean Crutchfield. The Wall Street Journal (3/21) | Shop.org Spotlight | | | |  | - How direct-to-consumer manufacturers are changing online retail
More and more product companies are not only developing and delivering products to retailers, but becoming retailers themselves. As manufacturers begin to sell online, should traditional retailers view them as competition or marketing partners? In a March 31 Shop.org webinar, Resource Interactive Chief Strategy Officer Anne Marie Thomas and Puma Director of E-commerce Tom Davis will explore this new dynamic. Register or learn more. |
- Shop.org SmartStat: March 21, 2011
 Almost 15% of Americans will spend their 2010 tax refund on a big-ticket item such as a TV, furniture or a car. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch.
| SmartQuote | | | |  | The richer your friends, the more they will cost you."
--Elisabeth Marbury,
American theatrical and literary agent  |
| | This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com
| | | Advertise | | Senior Account Director: Dena Malouf (202) 407-7837 | | | | | | | | | | Recent Shop.org SmartBrief Issues: - Friday, March 18, 2011
- Thursday, March 17, 2011
- Wednesday, March 16, 2011
- Tuesday, March 15, 2011
- Monday, March 14, 2011
| | | Lead Editor: Megan Conniff
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 | | | | | | © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information |
|
Companies vastly overestimate their customers' interest in engaging with brands via social platforms and underestimate the attraction of special offers and social media promotions, according to an IBM study. Most consumers are more interested in bagging discounts and promotional offers than in building an online relationship with brands, the study found. 
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please comment thoughtfully CPG Brokers, your best resource to optimize your in store self exposure and maximize sku distribution.