As consumer mobile adoption continues to increase, people's expectations of how companies should connect and engage with them have also changed.
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Ever since the emergence of digital, much has been written and discussed about bridging the social/mobile and traditional marketing divide by getting a handle on Big Data and ultimately having the ability to understand and respond to consumers' ever-changing needs and behaviors.
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It's that time of year again, when predictions, trends, and resolutions articles come out of the woodwork to help guide our expectations for the coming year. At 1to1 Media, we've included a few of our own around the customer experience.
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Like Thanksgiving and Black Friday, Cyber Monday has become an annual "holiday" for consumers who seek online sales in an effort to avoid crowded stores and to find better deals. Research from BIGinsight for the National Retail Federation estimates an even bigger turnout today compared to last year, with an estimated 129.2 million Americans shopping online, compared to 122.8 million this time last year.
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1to1 Media's Tom Hoffman speaks with David Petersen, CEO of Sense Networks, about different ways that companies can use analytics to better understand the mobile customer and how customers are using mobile devices as part of their multichannel journeys.
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Many people neglect to realize that today's technological takeover has been in progress for decades. From the very first light bulb, to the invention of the Internet, these creations are the fuel that has propelled us into the present. We only notice technology's rapid evolution now because today's constant experimentation highlights how far our society has come in such a short amount of time.
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This week marks the start of the official 2012 TV season where networks will introduce a bevy of new comedies and dramas with the hope of attracting the magic number of viewers sufficient enough to get the green light on a second season.
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Over the Labor Day weekend, I read an article in Mediabistro which states that up to half of the workforce for Fortune 100 companies by 2020 could be freelance, contract, or temporary workers. As the Mediabistro article points out, gains in temporary hiring have historically preceded any upticks in full-time hiring. But in the current economy, full-time employment hasn't picked up any momentum. The topic got me to thinking more broadly about the type of skills and mixes of worker
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Email has become an increasingly popular marketing channel. Yet, while it has the propensity to reach many, email communication has the tendency to lack that personal touch we all prefer. Earlier this month, we took a look at how marketers in the space are using email to expand their reach and connect with customers in relevant, meaningful ways so as to cultivate relationships instead of stopping them dead in their tracks.
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In today's smartphone-driven world, organizations are constantly bombarding us with new apps that promise to make our lives easier and better. Just this morning, for example, I made a hairdresser's appointment through an iPhone app, even before I had got out of bed.
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QR codes are everywhere. They're on direct mail flyers and they're on posters at the mall. There's even a tiny one on my mouthwash. Yet, while these codes keep popping up like dandelions, there must be a point where companies draw the line.
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The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver represented early days for streaming video and mobile. In fact, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad only a couple weeks prior to the start of the 2010 Games.
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A great product is no longer serving as a differentiator for companies. Customers have come to expect great products and services and are making purchase decisions based on the experience that organizations deliver.
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If you don't have a mobile strategy, you're late to the party. According to Gartner Vice President and Distinguished Analyst Nick Jones, businesses are missing potentially huge opportunities by not weaving mobile into their customer interaction approaches.
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Though we speed through our day, we don't have time to run in circles. We want to move forward and we want our information to travel at lightning speed--just like us. Yet, while smartphones and tablets cater to our on-the-go lifestyles, many mobile sites don't measure up, leading to higher bounce rates due to frustration from lag and incorrect image and text sizing. But for Bonobos, a Web-based premium men's apparel e-tailer, poor mobile service was not an option.
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Customers are becoming more demanding and also more discerning. One of the reasons behind their amplified expectations is an increase in choices, which mean that customers no longer have to settle, but can choose the best products and brands they do business with. But more than anything else, customers are expecting these brands to treat them as individuals and invest in building a relationship with them. Rather than one-off interactions, customers want a long-lasting rapport that starts even before they've
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In the next few weeks, both Verizon and AT&T are expected to introduce family data sharing plans where customers will pay for a fixed amount of data to be shared between family members or between device types (e.g. 5 gigabytes for two devices instead of 3 GB for one), according to USA Today. For its part, Verizon would phase out unlimited data plans for customers who renew their contracts or upgrade to new phones. Only customers who pay full price
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Social media is like the new cool kid on the block: Everyone wants to be its friend, but they're all worried of mishandling it and end up doing more harm than good. Although many marketers are trying to leverage social media to get close to both customers and prospects, this relatively new medium is not about likes and fans, but about engaging with people.
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Today's customers are no longer bowled over by a great advertisement unless it targets them individually, giving them information that's relevant to them. This puts extra pressure on organizations to develop marketing campaigns that aren't just captivating, but also give added value.
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How many times have you bought something from a retailer online only to find yourself facing a sudden onslaught of emails from the company? Too many, I'm sure. Yes, online retailers need their customers' email addresses to confirm their purchases. But it's the more customer-centric companies that actually 1) note that the email will be used for confirmation purposes only, and then 2) ask if you'd like to opt in to their mailing list(s). Many retailers simply opt in customers
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Today's issue of 1to1 Magazine highlights the Top Mobile Trends to Watch. A number of experts in the industry share what they think are hot topics related to mobile marketing, customer service, and the overall customer experience. Data shows that mobile is a burgeoning channel. However, its promise has yet to be fully realized.
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Mobile is no longer about the phone; it's about being connected. In fact, in some countries there are more mobile subscriptions than there are people (Mobile Marketing Association). Additionally, it takes 90 minutes for the average person to respond to an email, but it takes 90 seconds for the average person to respond to a text message (CTIA.org).
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I stated in this January article that 2012 will be the year that mobile more successfully integrates with other customer interaction channels. As Forrester reveals this week in the report, "Mobile is the New Face of Customer Engagement" for mobile to successfully blend with other channels and engage with customers, CIOs need to rethink their role, strategy, and organizational structure.
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Each year we put a stake in the ground to identify trends that marketers should pay special attention to. This year we see these on the horizon:
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Madonna's Super Bowl half-time show won't be the only attention grabber this Sunday. Mobile ads and location-based services will play an important role in this year's Super Bowl as companies include them in their marketing strategy in a bid to reach more customers and transform a moving image into a sale.
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Often, while browsing the Internet, I notice advertisements that pertain directly to items or topics I've just searched. When shopping at the mall, I'll suddenly receive an email that connects me with an offer for the very store I just left. The eerie wave of awareness stops me dead in my tracks and I wonder, where is Big Brother and how does he know my every move?
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Quick Response (QR) codes are either poised to take off in 2012 or eventually join the junk heap of other tech flops such as the Apple Newton and Internet currency (remember Flooz and Beenz?). While the emergence of other technologies such as near field communications and digital watermarks may shape the durability of QR, ultimately, the potential for the technology rests with how effectively companies place customers at the center of their QR efforts.
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Last week I was rushing to a restaurant for a dinner that I was already late for when I realized that I'd forgotten my phone at home. Without any considering for how long it would take me, I turned back and went to pick it up.
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You can't avoid the noise generated by holiday shopping this year; whether it's because of a slow news day or because people are tired of hearing about a somber economy and dizzying coverage of the presidential campaign, there has been definite momentum for a deep dive into consumer's shopping habits this year. This past Black Friday I was invited to speak on Fox News Channel to offer tips to consumers who might be worrying that they missed the best deals
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This year, on Black Friday, I had to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Since the one in Manhattan is situated right across the street from Macy's, I couldn't help but pop in. But the crowds of people quickly made me do a 180-degree turn out of the store and I made my purchases on my phone while in a cab. I wasn't the only one using my mobile to clinch some Black Friday deals. According to an IBM
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Last week the 1to1 Media staff provided in-depth coverage of the upcoming holiday season. Articles ranged from sharing new mobile initiatives and gift card best practices to e-marketing campaign tips and research such as holiday consumer spending predictions. Even with coverage of the many facets of the industry, a few themes shown through.
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The holiday season is rushing towards us quicker than a harried Santa on Christmas Eve. Many stores have already stocked their shelves with greeting cards and decorations, putting their customers in the mood to fill their shopping carts with gifts for their loved ones.
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No holiday season is complete without the toy catalog. Every year, kids the world over study each page carefully, pondering which holiday gifts to add to their wish lists. This year Toys R Us is giving its holiday catalog a new twist, adding mobile quick response (QR) codes to its pages. Select products in the 80-page book will have accompanying QR codes, which customers can scanned with a mobile QR reader to access additional multimedia content including videos, product reviews,
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As mobile usage continues to accelerate across the globe, new McKinsey research that tracked consumers' digital habits through a series of surveys covering more than 100,000 respondents, highlights the increase, with results showing nearly 50 percent of U.S. online consumers are now advanced users of smart phones, social networks, and other emerging tools--up from 32 percent in 2008.
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1to1 Media's Tom Hoffman speaks with Mogreet CEO James Citron about the opportunities companies have to connect with customers using mobile video marketing and advertising campaigns.
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Last week the coupon site Groupon announced it plans to raise $750 million to go public--six months after refusing Google's colossal $ 6 billion offer to buy the daily deals site.
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Shop.org and Forrester Research last week announced results of its annual online retailing study in the The State Of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social, and Mobile. Of course, social and mobile are hot trends that retailers are beginning to experiment with, though financial results of such initiatives tend to be vague.
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In 1999 Forrester proclaimed the proceeding 10 years the digital decade. Today at Forrester's Marketing Forum in San Francisco, that decade-old proclamation is crystallized in conversations in keynote addresses and among marketers on the conference floor.
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We use mobile devices throughout the day to communicate with each other, get timely information, and entertain ourselves. And, because they're almost always within a few feet of us, these devices offer myriad opportunities for brands to insert themselves into our lives in meaningful ways. But brands have been slow to realize this opportunity. Whenever I browse the Apple app store, I'm always shocked by the small number of apps that have been commissioned by big brands -- and this
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According to ABI Research, U.S. mobile commerce sales will reach $4.9 billion this year, and will account for $163 billion in sales worldwide by 2015. Additionally IDC reports that the U.S. smart phone market will increase 50 percent this year. Despite the growing number of consumers conducting mobile transactions, a new study conducted by Tealeaf shows that the medium is laden with issues that impede customers' ability to complete transactions and prevent them from returning.
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SMS is a bit Jekyll and Hyde; it's among the most private forms of communication available, yet is extremely social. Therein lays the intrigue. My question is this: "If someone hands you a business card, there is implied permission to call or email. What about texting?" I started an exploration with a query on Twitter. As responses began to come in, my curiosity was piqued. I began to wonder about where this peculiar channel fits into customer service and social
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Even though software companies and agencies create content for the mobile phone, mobile providers need to take ownership of their subscribers' experiences. New research shows that nearly half of smartphone users blame mobile providers for service issues.
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Jim Somers, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Antenna Software, offers recommendations for creating electrifying mobile applications that resonate with business customers.
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Email's demise has been greatly exaggerated. Some have predicted that as smartphone usage grows, email use will decline. That's just not the case. In fact, people are combining their email and smartphone use to enhance both activities. And data around how people use mobile email sheds light on some interesting customer experience opportunities.
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As each year begins anew, there is much hope for how the year will play out. For customer strategists, the hope renews that companies will bring customer focus to the forefront of their business practices. We asked experts in customer service, mobile, multichannel marketing, social media, and voice of the customer to weigh in on their thoughts for the coming year.
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Some of this year's hottest holiday gifts include smartphones and iPads. These mobile devices can do what many other mobile phones can't. With new technology and information access also bring with them new privacy concerns. As a result, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is taking proactive steps to address privacy with the creation of new mobile privacy guidelines.
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An interesting question was asked during Email Radio when I was discussing mobile marketing with mobileStorm's Jared Reitzen and Jim Ducharme: "Can mobile be used to do acquisition?" At the time of the show I answered that mobile wasn't a good source for acquisition. I've given this a bit more thought, and although I don't think it is an ideal channel for acquisition, I do think there are growth opportunities.
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