8 Must-Read Marketing and E-Commerce Posts: E-commerce Link Digest

Not much setup this week, Big Thinkers. Just a quick list of 8 must-read marketing and e-commerce posts to get your through the weekend. Enjoy:

1. eMarketer says that mobile is still for upper-funnel shopping activities. Eh… maybe. By now you know that we’ve reached one mobile and millennial milestone after another and that mobile will disrupt your industry, so you need to protect your business. Because, even if it mobile’s “only” top of funnel, that’s only going to be true for a little while longer.
2. One thing moving mobile deeper into your customers’ purchase path is how effectively it helps your customers solve their problems. For instance, Gigaom reports on an Nokia Here for Android, out of beta and in Google Play. With the addition of indoor mapping, it’s highly likely your customers will ask their phone where to find what they need in your stores, bypassing your staff altogether.
3. Similarly, eMarketer reports that marketers spent $4 billion on click-to-call advertising in 2014. That’s another example where customers will use whatever tool is at hand to solve their problems, as well as an opportunity for you to get in front of those needs.
4. Speaking of mobile for browsing, shopping, and buying, the latest episode of Thinks Out Loud explores the mobile commerce myth. Definitely worth a few moments of your time.
5. eMarketer also talks about the trend of marketers increasing investment to provide customer experience makeovers. It’s about time. As we examined during last week’s Thinks Out Loud episode, “Is Customer Experience the Future of E-Commerce?” getting customer service right is going to play a huge role in shaping your brand’s future.
6. According to Forbes, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer claims Tumblr is now the fastest-growing social network over Instagram. Whichever one is actually biggest, it surely suggests how much the web now revolves around images, not just text.
7. While you’re considering which social network is indeed the biggest, you might want to review this post that considers another key debate: That of marketing vs. math. Insightful stuff about a sometimes-contentious—and entirely unnecessary—division.
8. Finally, we kicked off this past week with a set of 20 terrific e-commerce insights for a long winter’s nap. Great round-up and worth checking out.

What? You want more? OK, I’ve got some more for you. For starters, you might want to check out last week’s link digest, “Freezing? 8 Fabulous Marketing and E-commerce Posts to Warm You Up.” Really solid stuff. You should also check out this round-up of 8 Great Mobile Marketing and E-commerce Reads for a Snowy Weekend, these 7+ Super E-commerce and Mobile Must-Reads to Enjoy Before the Big Game: E-commerce Link Digest, and the rest of our E-commerce Link Digest series.

And 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