Digital Marketing

http://embed.wistia.com/deliveries/7ad5f292105fd929c54377f967a03b1ac4a10047/my-file.mp4

Starbucks has launched its first-ever animated web series — with the help of some veteran comedy writers. 

Best Buy pulled out its latest weapon in the battle to win last-minute holiday shoppers: free shipping.     For the third year in a row, Best Buy will offer free expedited shipping in the final stretch of the holiday season. Starting Thursday, Dec. 15 through 11:30 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 21, BestBuy’s online shoppers will automatically have their shipping upgraded to two-day shipping on almost everything.     

Digital touchpoints are accelerating the pace of retail from all perspec-tives, including consumer demands.    A new report from digital benchmarking firm L2 identifies "must-have" omnichannel features that retailers can deploy to meet rising consumer expectations. The study evaluates the approach and performance of 96 re-tail brands with regards to key omnichannel pre-requisites.   

A mixed bag of activity for the second week of December indicates that weekends — and perfectly timed promotions — will make or break the remainder of holiday e-commerce sales.  

Walmart is leveraging its mighty store network to gain a competitive advantage over Amazon for last-minute holiday shoppers.    The discount retailer announced Tuesday it will offer shoppers a Christmas Eve store pickup commitment for eligible orders placed online by 6 p.m. local time on Dec. 23.   

Retailers continue to launch digital deals this holiday season to snag new customers — but these efforts come at a price.    Retailers’ promotional offers are eclipsing 2015 efforts. Customer orders using a promotion are up 34% versus 2015, and up 52% over the holiday season (Nov. 1-Dec. 5) versus 2015 in North America.     

The countdown is on.    With 12 shopping days left before Christmas, holiday shoppers mean business. They have their shopping lists in hand, devices are charged, and they want their desired merchandise in their hands — fast. And with Adobe reporting that 5% of customers drive 35% of revenue, retailers would be foolish not to deliver.   

While mobile commerce flexed its muscle during Cyber Week, desktop shoppers keep representing this holiday season — and in a strong way.