Digital Marketing

I recently participated in an SAP-sponsored panel discussion on Game-Changers Radio about how consumer product companies are using real-time consumer insights and engagement. Buoyed by constant customer connectivity, consumer product firms are gaining a much clearer and timelier picture of their end customers, and also directly engaging them near or in real time.

New York – As millennial moms are making back-to-school preparations that include planning school lunches, many are turning to their peers and the Internet to get ideas. According to a survey of millennial moms about their back-to-school lunch plans by online review site Influenster, word of mouth (79%) is the top influencer for school lunch shopping decisions.

That is followed by online reviews (59%), social media (57%), brand websites (43%), television (37%), news websites (16%) and newspapers (15%).

GameStop is known for innovative promotions, but now the specialty retailer has made social marketing personal with its latest Summer at GameStop event.

The retailer has announced the winners of Summer at GameStop, a five-week social engagement and contest series aimed at gamers who shared their personal stories on how video gaming brings fans together to create unique friendships and lifelong relationships - and brought longtime friends together from across the country in the process.

A week after reporting disappointing sales growth for the second quarter, Kohl’s launching another exclusive celebrity fashion collection that aims to appeal to the millennial shopper.

Phoenix – Holiday shopping often starts earlier than commonly thought and also frequently being online. According to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers from G/O Digital, 62% of respondents go straight to search engines when researching gifts for the holiday season and more than three-quarters look online for holiday shopping deals and discounts.

New York – Teen girls are known for being social, and they are staying true to form for the back-to-school season. According to a study of 1.035 teen girls by Teen Vogue and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), 75% of respondents will use their smartphone to seek out back-to-school inspirations and ideas.

A new study seems to support the theory that holiday shopping is often starting earlier than commonly thought, especially online.