An interesting development in the ecommerce world. After testing a Buy button on its platform for nearly a year, Twitter is aiming to become the “world’s biggest social marketplace” by permitting Best Buy Co., adidas AG and Pacific Sunwear of California and other US retailers to sell through it’s “Buy Now” button. This opens up tremendous opportunities for retailers to easily sell through Twitter’s platform especially smart phone users as now there would be no need for shoppers to click on retailer’s site. Twitter has been making steady moves to become a significant player in the ecommerce business. For instance, it allowed it customers to browse and shop for goods without exiting the Twitter. Similarly, othersocial networks like Pinterest and Facebook are also showing keen interest in adding e-commerce facilities on their platforms like the “Buy it” buttons. Competition is heating up to make social networks into effective marketing platforms. Find out how you can take advantage of this marketing opportunity and include selling through social network part of yourmarketing strategy.

One always hears employers complaining that the incoming new employees do not have necessary skills including digital skills while older employees are not willing to learn new skills. Karen’s article discusses the findings of a study which basically rubbishes the claims of the employer on both counts.

The study reveals that acquiring digital skills is a priority for all employees and they not only understand its importance for their career but also understand its benefits to the organization they work for. One of the three surprising findings of the study was that older employees also actively enhance their technical digital skills and contribute to digitally transforming the workplace. The other that the barriers to effectively using the digital skills of employees were primarily management related. The most surprising of all, that younger employees thought that the senior management lacked understanding of business technology.

The study suggests that organization should bring the multi-generational workforce together to remove the perception that there is a disconnect between the younger employees and senior management. A excellent read for ideas on talent management.

Behind every successful ecommerce business, usually there is an effective promotional design which brings in new leads and higher sales. Effective promotions enhance website experience, increases visitor engagement and give better sales results.

What makes overlay promotional design effective? Incorporating the right design elements in overlay promotions is the key to making them effective as some design elements yield better results than others. In this article, Grant uses “show and tell” format to present some of these design elements through 10 excellent examples of well designed overlay promotions.

You will get an opportunity to see great overlay promotions by brands like SoleRebels, Bandolier, Drop Bottle, Renovator Store, Horseland, Sol Angeles, MuscleEgg, Flow, Mustela and The Poster List using design elements like display ideas, short call to action, two field form to collect information, image building, encouraging subscription to mailing list, engaging new customers, displaying value clearly, contests, darkening of the overlay background, educational content, new product updates and clearance sale.

I recommend that you do not miss this opportunity to learn how to make your overlay promotions effective and your ecommerce marketing strategy a resounding success.

Business research conducted has provided us with certain trends marketers must keep track of. Data enables proper business analysis and thus it is critical to the way marketing is now undertaken. Social media is key part of digital marketing. Video mode engages audiences quickly. Marketing is veering increasingly towards the mobile and online platforms. Sponsored content is being produced in house by publishers. Social influencers are now being gauged to attract youngsters. Increasingly firms are implementing ad blocking software. Technology is getting linked to marketing but there is still some untapped potential. Programmatic ads are instead being the focus of publishers and marketers. Peer based reviews’ generation ahs now ballooned to be a full-fledged industry.

Business research conducted has provided us with certain trends marketers must keep track of. Data enables proper business analysis and thus it is critical to the way marketing is now undertaken. Social media is key part of digital marketing. Video mode engages audiences quickly. Marketing is veering increasingly towards the mobile and online platforms. Sponsored content is being produced in house by publishers. Social influencers are now being gauged to attract youngsters. Increasingly firms are implementing ad blocking software. Technology is getting linked to marketing but there is still some untapped potential. Programmatic ads are instead being the focus of publishers and marketers. Peer based reviews’ generation ahs now ballooned to be a full-fledged industry.

Due to the increased presence of social media in digital marketing, it has been observed that customers are more freely voicing their gripes. While addressing so much may prove to be a huge challenge, this can also turn out to be an opportunity. Social media can help companies monitor its feedback better and take corrective action. Customer service personnel may then be trained accordingly. Feedback can be gauged instantly and organization can learn through customer experiences.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is truly revolutionizing the way digital marketing is conducted these days. The power of location tracking is being used by beacons. These are wireless devices which track mobile phones within the location and deliver specific personalized content based on buyer behaviour. As permarket research conducted by Adobe, about a third of marketers in the USA will be using such devices in the year 2015. Three new media vistas are now being used. They include connected digital signage, wearables and connected Point-of-Sale terminals. Target is one of the biggest retail chains already fully utilizing the power of IoT.