8 E-commerce and Mobile Marketing Must-Reads: E-commerce Link Digest

Lots of good stuff from the ol’ interwebs this past week Big Thinkers, all too good to miss. So without further ado, take a few minutes and check out these 8 e-commerce and mobile marketing must-reads. Enjoy:

1. In light of Marketing Charts data that showed Holiday Desktop E-Commerce Sales Grew by 15%, I asked “How Big Will E-commerce Be in 2015?” Turns out the answer is “really frickin’ big.” You should check out the whole post to see why.
2. Continuing this week’s e-commerce info, eMarketer asks “When Do Shoppers Shop Online?” There’s a bit more to it, but the answer essentially is “all the time.”
3. Luxury Daily highlights the recent trend of e-commerce providing a testing ground for bricks-and-mortar expansion. This is a great approach, with an outstanding track-record. Back in my corporate days, we’d collect information about where customers searched for locations that didn’t return results. We’d share the top searched locations with the area dev folks so they could go find new places to set up shop. It worked really well and remains a best practice today.
4. The integration of brick and mortar locations with e-commerce/mobile commerce represents exactly the kind of thinking shared during Episode 105 of the Thinks Out Loud podcast, “The Future of Mobile Commerce Starts Now” as well as in Episode 104, “15 Key Mobile and E-commerce Trends to Prep You for 2015.” Well worth a listen when you get a moment.
5. And while we’re on the topic of tying online and offline marketing together more tightly, Mobile Marketer outlines why location-based marketing is an overripe low-hanging fruit. eMarketer has a report that shows over half of Canada’s population will use smartphones in 2015, illustrating Mobile Marketer’s point. Of course, Canada’s hardly alone on that score, so expect similar numbers in many other markets around the globe.
6. You might also want to check out this look at e-commerce’s big secret. Spoiler alert: It’s about the power of marrying online and offline. But read the whole post anyway.
7. Mobile has become one of the top tools your customers use for checking email, extending the channel’s success to a new generation of customers… but only if you use it correctly. “Are You Still Making This Major Email Marketing Mistake?” asks an important question to make sure that you do.
8. Finally, due to their essential “disconnected” nature, automobiles remain a vast opportunity for many marketers. And the tides may be turning when it comes to how connected your customers will be behind the wheel as Search Engine Land reports that GM is turning its cars into rolling (local) search engines. Exciting and well-worth watching as we go forward.

Like this list? Then make sure to check out this round-up of 7 Magical Mobile Marketing and E-commerce Picks and the rest of our E-commerce Link Digest series. Plus don’t miss the top posts of 2014 right here.

If you want to learn even more about how customers changing behavior shapes e-commerce and marketing, be sure an register to receive a special report I’ve produced in conjunction with hotel marketing firm Vizergy, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World.” While it’s targeted specifically at hotel and resort marketers, the lessons apply to just about any business. You can get your free copy of the report here.

You can also check out these slides and video from my recent webinar, “Digital Marketing Directions: Three Key Trends Driving Your Marketing Next Year”:

And, finally, you might want to take a look at some of our past coverage of the e-commerce, mobile commerce, and digital marketing overall, including:

• Will E-commerce Kill Retail?

Retailers Lose 32% of Shoppers to In-Store Mobile Use. Or Do They?

• How to Use Emotion and Storytelling in Digital Marketing
• The Shocking Truth About Millennials and Digital Media
• Want Proof that Mobile Drives Purchases?
• The Future of E-commerce and Mary Meeker’s 2014 Trends
• What Your Customers Expect from Mobile and E-commerce in 2014
• 7 Reasons E-commerce Growth Has Nowhere to Go But Up
• The Little-Known Factors Behind E-commerce Growth in 2015