Digital Marketing

San Jose, Calif. — PayPal has launched PassPort, a website designed to provide small businesses with free tools to expand their global sales. PassPort provides country-specific guidance on seasonal sales peaks; shipping and distribution logistics; currency exchange and fees; and customs procedures and taxes.

In addition to holiday-specific content, PassPort presents buying and selling patterns around the globe and across key corridors. PassPort helps businesses start selling internationally quickly via direct links to eBay Marketplace tools.

A study conducted by DHL e-commerce that compares consumer behavior across 20 markets has created a detailed look into how people shop around the world.

The “Shop the World” survey, which uses data from some 11,000 respondents, shows the growing prominence and earning potential of ecommerce and distance selling operations in different countries.

Vera Bradley has named Angel Ilagan as EVP, chief marketing officer, effective July 21.

Since 2010, Ilagan has served as marketing chief and VP of marketing in the Americas for Pandora Jewelry, where he oversees consumer advertising, promotions, marketing research, public relations, co-op advertising, Web management, customer relationship management (CRM) and social media management. His additional global responsibilities at Pandora include branding, strategic marketing and e-commerce content.

The clever marketers at Jack Link’s have outdone themselves, creating a replica of Mount Rushmore out of meat snacks in New York City’s Columbus Circle.

San Mateo, Calif. – Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is debuting its U.S. e-commerce site, 11Main.com, with a beta rollout on Wednesday, June 11. The home page of the invite-only website says “We’re opening soon — our shop owners are getting unpacked and unsettled,” and has an online invite request option. (Alibaba has filed for an initial public offering in the United States, in May.)

Chicago — BrightTag, a provider of real-time, cross-channel marketing technologies, has changed its name to Signal to reflect its focus on helping marketers strengthen the signals between brands and customers. The company also unveiled its Open Data Platform, a patented suite of products designed to help brands make their data and marketing technologies work better together to drive increased engagement, loyalty and conversions.

Risk averse retailers were quick to shun Paula Deen after she displayed racial insensitivities last year, but now she is back with a new approach that appeals directly to fans of her brand.

Paula Deen Ventures plans to create an interactive digital experience called the Paula Deen Network that allows viewers to engage and access Deen and her Southern home cooking on a variety of digital platforms. The network will be a paid subscription model and is scheduled to launch this September.

With coupons for anywhere from J.C. Penney to Jos. A. Bank, instant savings are now in people’s pockets with the addition of Groupon Freebies to the coupon giant’s mobile app.

The feature, which was launched late in 2013 on Groupon’s website, was added to its mobile app on Tuesday. With Freebies now available to deal seekers on the go, some 30,000 coupons, discount codes and other deals that it features will be at customers’ fingertips.

Digital business company Acquia launched Acquia Campaign Cloud, offering customers a software as a service that it says is faster and more affordable than similar products like the Adobe Marketing Cloud.

With a single dashboard that’s meant to help manage client campaigns, as well as templates and multichannel delivery opportunities, and the company’s Cloud Site Factory powers the Campaign Cloud. The new service also comes with Acquia Lift and the recently acquired TruCentric, which personalizes experiences with content.

Kohl’s has further endeared itself to residents of America’s Dairyland with a sizable donation to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.