8 Excellent E-commerce and Digital Strategy Insights: E-commerce Link Digest

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Hey, Big Thinkers! Hope you’ve had an awesome week. We’re going to skip all the setup for this week’s E-commerce Link Digest and just get you right to these 8 excellent e-commerce and digital strategy insights. Enjoy:

1. Marketing Charts uncovers data that shows the “CMO Role Evolving Towards More Strategic Business Leadership.” You might want to review these “32 Killer Resources to Improve Your Digital Strategy: The Top Posts of 2016 (So Far)” as well as “How to Keep Up With Technology as a Marketer: The Quick and Dirty Guide” so you can stay on top.
2. CMO.com says “Mobile Video Is A Marketing Necessity, Not A Luxury.” I couldn’t agree more, which is what led me to write “2016’s Top Trends — Make Room For Mobile Video” and “Digital Video is Taking Over: These 5 Data Points Prove It.”
3. The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating piece about “IBM Pushing Blockchain into the Supply Chain” that’s well worth your time. Clever titles aside, it speaks to how technology is not only shaping every step of the customer journey, but also how companies respond.
4. While we’re on the topic of blockchain — which is most famously used to power the bitcoin digital payments standard — you might want to check out “Why I’m Bullish on Mobile Payments and Messaging.”
5. These “13 Excellent E-Commerce and Digital Strategy Insights” from the the ongoing E-commerce Link Digest series are worth another look too when you have a moment.
6. Social Media Today posted a pretty great infographic that outlines “The State of Digital Marketing In 2016.” I’ll be sure to include the graphic below too.
7. Bloomberg highlighted “Facebook’s Really Big Plans for Virtual Reality,” which is a truly fascinating look at a big topic for the next few years — though, technically, I’m much more bullish on augmented reality than virtual reality for reasons I’ll explain at some point down the road. In the meantime, why not check out “VR, AI, and UX: 7 Posts Highlighting Top Trends for 2016” when you get a chance.
8. And, finally, I know I linked to this up above, but it’s really worthwhile to for you to take another look at these “32 Killer Resources to Improve Your Digital Strategy: The Top Posts of 2016 (So Far)” and “How to Keep Up With Technology as a Marketer: The Quick and Dirty Guide” so you can keep up with all the changes in digital marketing over the next year.

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”:

Finally, you might enjoy some of these past posts from Thinks to help you build your e-commerce strategy and your digital success:

• 6 Mobile Commerce and Strategy Insights: E-commerce Link Digest
• Content is Still the King
• The Digital Strategy Myth
• Why Mobile Payments Will Rule
• Driving Seamless Experiences in 2016 (Thinks Out Loud Episode 149)
• Mobile is So Much Bigger Than You Think (Thinks Out Loud Episode 140)
• It’s Not “Mobile First.” It’s “Customer First.”
• 8 Killer Entries About Improving E-commerce Experience: E-commerce Link Digest