6-Plus Incredible E-Commerce, Mobile, and Marketing Posts: E-commerce Link Digest

Am I the only one amazed that we’re in October already? I still feel like the year’s just warming up. Regardless, consider this list of 6-plus incredible e-commerce, mobile, and marketing posts a strong step towards getting you ready for whatever’s ahead, this year or next. Enjoy:

1. Marketing Charts lists US e-commerce benchmarks, by device, from Q2. Very cool data. While smartphones trail tablets and desktops/laptops, as you might imagine, they’re very much on the rise. In fact, some data suggests mobile e-commerce now plays a bigger role than desktop in customers’ purchase decisions. And this data from eMarketer that shows mobile affects purchases way before the store. So, there’s that.
2. While we’re on the topic of mobile and e-commerce, take note that the increasingly large role mobile plays in your customers’ shopping experience helps explain why the top search ad position more important on mobiles than desktops, according to this Marketing Charts data. Don’t expect that to change any time soon.
3. Continuing with mobile and e-commerce, we’re really going to see the war among various mobile payment options heat up. For instance, as Quartz says, PayPal is finally free and it’s time to let the real mobile-payments battle begin. Indeed. Curious what this means for your business? Well, you’re going to see plenty of businesses — including your competitors — expanding customers’ payment options, just as Airbnb is doing by adding China’s Alipay to its options. I’d plan on a lot more to come.
4. New data from Marketing Charts this week that looks at why consumers open emails from brands. Given that lots of customers, including Millennials, value email on their mobile devices, you’ve got to continue growing your email list.
5. Now, shifting to the social side of the street, Mobile Commerce Daily says that Facebook fans spend almost 50% more at grocery stores. Expect that number to climb, especially now that Facebook will tie web, mobile, apps data together in its new ad platform. They’ll be able to provide marketers incredible insights into customer behavior, and offer increasingly targeted ads before, during, and after the point of purchase. Plus, they’ll pressure Google (and Apple, and others), to improve their ad platforms, too.
6. Another Mobile Commerce Daily report says visuals are indispensable for converting Millennial shoppers on mobile. I’m amazed that this remains news. We’ve known for years that bigger, better, richer imagery plays a key role in driving purchase decisions. Why would mobile be any different? Of course, this focus on enhancing images — and user experience overall — probably explains why Capital One (yes, the bank), just acquired design firm Adaptive Path. Nothing highlights how important design and user experience have become in differentiating your product than when a friction’ bank decides it needs to run its own world-class design studio. This is a trend you ought to keep a real close eye on, particularly as you set next year’s digital strategy for your company.

Like what you see? Want more? Check out last week’s “7 Marketing Tips You Won’t Want to Miss” and my round up of these “8 Crucial Marketing and E-commerce Posts: The Top Posts from September” along with the rest of the E-commerce Link Digest series when you get a moment.

Plus, don’t miss these slides and video from my recent webinar, “Digital Marketing Directions: Three Key Trends Driving Your Marketing Next Year”:

And, if you’re interested in learning even more about how customers changing behavior shapes e-commerce and marketing, 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.

Finally, you might also want to check out some of our past coverage of the mobile, local, social web and how to make it work for your business, including:

• What Your Customers Expect from Mobile and E-commerce in 2014
• The Secrets Behind “It’s All E-commerce” for 2014
• Should Marketers Really Trust Google in 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