13 Near-Perfect Posts Featuring Future Marketing Trends: E-commerce Link Digest

There’s lots of talk about the way digital shapes our world every day. Not just among marketers, but among your friends, family, fans, and followers too. That’s why it’s worth a few minutes to review these 13 near-perfect posts featuring future marketing trends because they’re going to shape everyone’s experience online… and maybe not so far in the future, either. So let’s get right to it, OK? Enjoy:

1. Austin Frakt of the New York Times looks at a huge shift coming down the road in his article, “You Mean I Don’t Have to Show Up? The Promise of Telemedicine.” Healthcare is one of many industries only just beginning to see the effects of digital transformation… and it won’t be the last. But the crazy part is what this means for all kinds of service delivery, not just medicine. And that’s definitely worth thinking about.
2. Jonathan Shieber broke news on TechCrunch that “Twitter tunes up SoundCloud with a fresh investment.” One potential reason? The rising popularity of podcasting, which Ben Thompson of Stratechery examined here and, ironically enough, in a podcast here.
3. Speaking of podcasts, you might like to sample our weekly e-commerce and digital strategy podcast, Thinks Out Loud, here.
4. Over on Fortune, Leena Rao explained “How PayPal Plans to Get Back on Top in Digital Payments,” which we also looked at a bit in “A Quick Snapshot of the State of Mobile Payments.”
5. Shifting slightly from mobile payments to mobile search, Emily Adams over on Mobile Commerce Daily explained some ways to stay on top of mobile search habits to benefit from Google’s ‘Micro-Moments.’
6. eMarketer rounded-up a bunch of data that suggests growth in time spent with media is slowing. That data also suggests that we’ve hit “peak attention,” with few opportunities apart from multi-tasking (i.e. users consuming multiple media types at the same time) to grow the pie.
7. Another possible culprit? The growth of messaging stealing some share from “traditional” media consumption (even if some of that is already digital). For instance, Sarah Frier at Bloomberg highlights how Snapchat has redesigned its app to shift attention to media channels. This really matters for those in media because, according to Marketing Charts, “Snapchat User Forecast Sees Strong Youth Skew Continuing Through 2020.” In other words, by moving media to where the eyes are, media companies might still steal share from their competition despite “peak attention.”
8. All of the above help highlight why I’m bullish on mobile payments and messaging.
9. Did you happen to see this recent report from Reuters published on Fortune.com, “Tech CEOs Declare This the Era of Artificial Intelligence”? We collected a set of insights about “VR, AI, and UX: 7 Posts Highlighting Top Trends for 2016” that you might want to review.
10. Cora Lewis from BuzzFeed takes a slightly “glass half empty” view of these changes, noting “As Tech Evaporates Jobs, ‘The Tipping Point Will Be Driverless Trucks’.” It’s absolutely possible, though I suspect a bit too pessimistic. One big reason? We’re not the first generation to live through a technological upheaval, and, despite a population increase of around 1,800%, most people have managed to find jobs. Clearly I could be wrong about this. And, clearly, some folks will almost certainly be impacted along the way. But I’m guardedly optimistic in the longer term.
11. By the way, in case any of these changes make you wonder how people fit in, George Dvorsky writes that “Humans With Amplified Intelligence Could Be More Powerful Than AI.” So we’ve got that going for us.
12. One consequence of these changes of course is that all of a sudden, we’re really starting to see “What the Future of Marketing Might Look Like,” as a recent podcast episode explained. And if you like that, you might also like this episode called “A Quick Postcard from the Future of Digital” too.
13. Speaking of the intersection of digital, people, and marketing, John Ounpuu wrote a thought-provoking piece on CMO.com that proposes “Why Less Digital Is Better Digital.” A recent Epsilon report also highlighted on CMO.com says “Digital Matters, But So Do People.” I completely agree, arguing that “It’s Not ‘Mobile First.’ It’s ‘Customer First.'” And that seems like a great thought to close out this look at 13 near-perfect posts featuring future marketing trends, don’t you think?

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
• 2016’s Top Trends: Make Room For Mobile Video
• 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