5 Posts Highlighting Big Shifts in Digital: E-commerce Link Digest

Hey, Big Thinkers, hope you’ve had a great week and are looking forward to a great weekend. While you’re at it, you’re probably about to look forward to next year’s marketing plan, too. To help you figure out where you’re headed, be sure to review this list of 5 posts highlighting big shifts in digital. Enjoy:

1. Stuart Davidson gathered the opinions of 16 top influencers on the “next big marketing development”. Interesting read, well-worth your time.
2. One big e-commerce development that’s beginning to see gain some serious traction is the world of mobile payments. A recent podcast episode looked at why mobile payments will rule, while Mobile Commerce Daily highlights the coming launch of Samsung Pay in September. As Eric on Twitter notes:
   

   @tcpeter wrong comparison. It's Samsung Pay vs. Google Wallet/Pay

   — Eric (@eric_analytics) August 20, 2015

   He’s probably right. In any case, your business is the real winner as more consumers shift towards mobile for purchasing.

3. Another big shift coming in digital marketing is the rise of ad-blocking among consumers. eMarketers writes, “Ad Blocking: A Growing Audience, but Little Advertiser Panic—Yet”, while Marketing Charts asks “how prevalent is ad blocking?”. The answer: A lot more prevalent than we want. What both of these articles illustrate is that, more than ever, your customers have complete control of their experience with your brand, including the ability to avoid experiencing your brand at all.
4. While we’re on the topic of the control your customers have over their experience, a recent episode of Thinks Out Loud—our weekly digital marketing and e-commerce podcast—takes a good look at “What Customers Really Want”. Definitely worth a listen when you get a moment.
5. Finally, what connects all this week’s links is how much disruption we’re seeing in marketing overall. As it happens, that’s the topic of another recent Thinks Out Loud episode, this one focused on “What Disruption Means”. Be sure to check it out when you get a chance.

It’s no secret that the rise of mobile and Millennials represent some other significant trends shaping marketing in the coming year, too. So if you’re interested in learning more, make sure to check out these “7 Mobile E-Commerce Must-Reads from the Past Week”, these “8 Amazing Mobile and Millennial Posts from the Past Week”, and this set of “6 Major Stories About Millennials and Mobile Commerce” from our ongoing E-commerce Link Digest series, as well as the top 15 digital marketing and e-commerce posts of 2015 (so far). You’ll be glad you did.

And if you want learn even more about how your customers’ changing behavior shapes e-commerce and marketing, be sure and 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