8 Great Mobile Marketing and E-Commerce Must-Reads for a Snowy Weekend

Brr… I don’t know about where you are, but it’s stupid cold here in my neck of the woods. We’ve hit that part of the year again when it seems like you spend every weekend digging out from the latest round of Snow-pocalypse 2015™. So, when you’re ready to warm up after an afternoon of shoveling snow, be sure to curl up in front of the fire and thaw yourself out with a lovely glass of Malbec and this list of 8 great mobile marketing and e-commerce must-reads.

Or, even better, do all that and pay someone else to shovel the snow. Enjoy:

1. Marketing Charts offers a click-bait headline that says “marketers’ most exciting opportunity in 2015 is…” I’ll spoil the surprise and let you know that it’s “customer experience.” But check out the whole chart for more detail.
2. Search Engine Land offers a big digital marketing resolutions for 2016. Yes, 2016. But I say, be a rebel; do them now. Great stuff.
3. Net neutrality remains a critically important topic—one I’ve talked about before both here and here—and an issue that’s near the top of headlines recently. It’s so important, in fact, that I’ll have a full-length post highlighting the issues, why you should care, and what you can do about it next week. In the meantime, though, be sure to check out this outstanding post from our friends at GetElastic explaining why, for online commerce, net neutrality is about speed. Hugely important and well-worth a few minutes of your time.
4. Shifting gears entirely, Marketing Charts shines a light on B2B marketers’ budget allocations in 2015. One big area requiring further investment is website personalization and optimization. The Future of Commerce blog follows up that point, asking “should you optimize and personalize web experiences for B2B customers?” Spoiler alert: The answer is “yes.”
5. The rise of mobile continues to yield changes on the local marketing front, as highlighted by these next two stories. First, eMarketer asks “Has Growth in Local Mobile Ad Spend Helped Yelp?” The answer is a qualified “yes,” by the way. Building on that notion, Venture Beat reports that Facebook invades Yelp and Foursquare territory with geo-specific Place Tips for iPhone. Expect a lot more activity in this area over the next few years as Google, Apple, Uber and others look to make inroads on the local front, too.
6. Mobile Commerce Daily reports that 55% of retailers say mobile’s purpose is to drive in-store sales. I more or less agree, though question the heavy emphasis on “in-store.” For instance, The Future of Commerce blog outlines the [growing and important] role of voice in the omnichannel journey. I explored this topic in more detail in this week’s episode of our e-commerce and digital marketing podcast, Thinks Out Loud, “E-commerce is More Than Just One Channel.” Definitely worth a listen when you get a moment.
7. New research from Forrester—and reported by Mobile Marketer—says that 80% of time spent in just five apps. Given that 4 of those 5 are owned by Google, Apple, or Facebook, it’s probably a good time to check out what Apple, Google, and Facebook’s earnings can teach us about mobile marketing and e-commerce again.
8. Finally, let’s wrap up this round-up by reminding you to review the 10 Must-Read Marketing and E-Commerce Missives: The Top Posts from January and these 14 Key Concepts for Next Year: The Top Posts of 2014 to see what trends and topics are most important to your fellow Big Thinkers.

Stay warm this weekend, Big Thinkers. And if you need even more to carry you through to next week, check out this round-up of 7+ Super E-commerce and Mobile Must-Reads to Enjoy Before the Big Game: E-commerce Link Digest, these 7+ Marvelous Mobile E-commerce Posts: E-commerce Link Digest, and the rest of our E-commerce Link Digest series.

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:

• 10 Key Posts about Millennials and Mobile: E-commerce Link Digest
• The Secrets Behind “It’s All E-commerce” for 2014
• The Zen of Digital Marketing Strategy
• 7 Steps to E-Commerce Heaven
• Today and Tomorrow: Mobile and The Changing Customer Journey
• Mobile Makes E-commerce Even More “Frictionless”
• Your 2014 Internet Marketing New Year’s Resolutions – Thinks Out Loud Episode 56