2013 trends: It's all e-commerce (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest)

It’s no secret that I think we’re already in the age of “It’s All E-commerce” (documented, among other places, here and here). But this trend seems to be exploding as we move into 2013. Here are examples of what that means:

• Mashable notes that less than 30 percent of companies have social media-focused employees. But the study also notes that “…65% of companies add social media on top of other duties.” I think that’s an important trend. While there’s often great benefit to establishing “centers of excellence,” companies leading their respective industries often integrate new technologies and new channels into their DNA.
• For instance, Fast Company explores Walmart’s evolution from a “big box” giant to an e-commerce innovator. The key quote:
  

  “Somebody at one of the board meetings asked [e-commerce head Neil Ashe], ‘Neil, how long is this going to take, and how much is it going to cost?'” Ashe recalls. “And I said, ‘It’s going to take the rest of our careers, and it’s going to cost whatever it costs. Because this isn’t a project, this is the company.'”

• Continuing that theme, eMarketer looks at how retailers use multiple channels to keep customers happy.
• This idea of bringing multiple channels to bear to address your customers where they are was a big part of my HEDNA 2012 Winter Meeting Keynote – Today and Tomorrow: Marketing and Distribution in the Here and Now earlier this week, as well as recent posts on why mobile first matters next year and why the argument against “mobile first” is wrong. Additionally, Thinks Out Loud Episode 9: “Is Social Media a Waste of Time?” looked at it in some detail as well.
• Finally, Google understands where their customers are heading. So this Marketing Land video and live blog of Google’s Vic Gundotra at SMX Social Media Marketing Expo is well worth checking out.

Have a great weekend, Big Thinkers. See you next week.

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