7 Marketing Must-Reads : E-commerce Link Digest

Well, that was a good idea. Last week, I resurrected my long-dormant “E-commerce Link Digest” series, only to see it rocket to one of the top posts for the month. Clearly, you like this sort of thing. Well, you don’t have to tell me twice. This week, I’m continuing the series, looking at 7 marketing “must-read” articles from around the web (with a handful more hidden within the list to provide additional context or commentary). That ought to get you through the weekend. Enjoy:

1. eMarketer tells us what millennials would do if they won $100,000. The fact that the top 2 items, by far, among Millennials, Baby Boomers, and Gen X are “pay off debt” and “save for a rainy day” goes a long way towards explaining the current state of the economy.
2. The current economy helps explain, at least in part, the rise of companies like Uber and Airbnb. Expect that growth to continue. Jeremiah Owyang has a great look at how collaborative companies opening up APIs will change commerce. For instance, Mobile Commerce Daily has a story about Hyatt integrating Uber into its reservations process, illustrating precisely the kind of collaboration between service providers Jeremiah Owyang is talking about.
3. TechCrunch has data showing that the majority of digital media consumption happens comes from mobile apps.
4. Speaking of apps, Quartz lists the top mobile 25 apps by unique users. No real surprises. Facebook, YouTube, Google Play, and Google Search represent the biggest, with music, search, social/messages, email, video, and maps representing the largest categories. Also from Quartz, it looks like the vast majority of smartphone users download precisely zero apps every month.
5. Fortune has a cool, in-depth look at what Google’s new research lab headed by a former DARPA director means to you. Well worth the read.
6. On a far more tactical level, Search Engine Land tells us to say farewell ‘pure’ exact match; AdWords will soon require all campaigns to use close variants. While it’s not a big deal for most companies, it’s going to suck for those who’ve done the research to figure out exactly what works — and what doesn’t — in their search marketing campaigns.
7. Finally, check out last week’s list of 10 key posts about Millennials and mobile and this look at whether Millennials will use email when you get a chance. Good stuff all around.

Speaking of Millennials and email, I recently took a look at growing your email list and its importance as an e-commerce best practice. I also gave a talk to a fantastic audience all about email marketing in an age of mobile and featured the topic as part of my weekly podcast. If you’re interested, you can view the slides from the talk below:

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.

As an FYI, I’m presenting a webinar called Digital Marketing Directions: Key Trends Driving Your Marketing Next Year on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. You can read all the details here.

Finally, you might also enjoy 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