10 Must-Read Posts About Mobile Commerce and Content Marketing: E-commerce Link Digest

Happy Friday, Big Thinkers. Just a few weeks left here before we ring in the New Year. I won’t waste the few short days we’ve got left in 2015 with a whole lot of setup. Instead, I’ll get you right to the links, this week featuring 10 must-read posts about mobile commerce and content marketing. Enjoy:

1. The Economist offers up a terrific slide show highlighting the “masters of disruption.” Fascinating insights and fantastically useful information.
2. Inc. Magazine outlines the future of digital marketing and how it’s changing in 2016. Really good read.
3. TechCrunch reports Amazon dominated 36% of online Black Friday Sales according to package tracking app Slice. This is interesting on a couple of levels. First, and most obviously, because it highlights Amazon’s dominance in e-commerce (a fact Mobile Commerce Daily calls out, explaining why retailers are still playing catch-up to Amazon’s app). But more importantly is the use of Slice as a source of analytics data, illustrating yet another way that mobile apps offer us unexpected insights into consumer behavior. Cool.
4. Speaking of “Black Friday” we explained that, really, it wasn’t “Black Friday.” It was “Mobile Friday.” Search Engine Land also pointed out that Google’s year of change hits mobile retail. Bottom line is that there’s no such thing as retail any longer that isn’t mobile and that, ultimately, mobile is so much bigger than you think.
5. One consequence of the mobile web’s growth worth noting is the fact that, according to Pew Internet (and reported by Gizmodo), a fifth of Americans say they’re “almost constantly” online. I’m almost surprised the number isn’t higher.
6. What are all those folks doing online? Well, it looks like they’re trying to find out about your products and services. According to eMarketer, accurate product info is a pain point for digital shoppers, which, if you think about it, is crazy. How can it be that customers still can’t find basic answers to their questions about your products and services? Something to work on in 2016.
7. As you’re working on that, you might want to take a look at this ‘4 step process to create compelling content for your audience from Social Media Today. Very helpful.
8. On a related note, Fast Company’s Co.Design blog explains why content reigns supreme in UX design. Yep. Good stuff.
9. A recent episode of Thinks Out Loud, our weekly e-commerce and digital strategy podcast outlined three trends to watch in 2016 that you’ll really want to check out.
10. And, finally, to tie this all up in a nice neat bow, be sure to review our recap of these 7 special mobile commerce moments: the top posts of November, 2015 from here on the blog. Just a whole heaping mess of good stuff, not to be missed.

If you’re interested in learning more about making the social, mobile web work for your customers, be sure to check out this round-up of posts about “Google, Mobile, E-commerce. What More Could You Want?” these “6 Must-See Mobile Commerce Messages for You,” this set of “10 Terrific Mobile, E-Commerce and Digital Marketing Missives”: and other entries from our E-commerce Link Digest series, plus these “7 Special E-Commerce and Digital Marketing Trending Topics: The Top Posts of September, 2015.”

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