Social Media

The 80 million strong Gen Y is a retail force to be reckoned with

A generational shift is afoot that’s about to upend the retail landscape.

Chicago -- A majority (88%) of retailers are using social media as part of their 2013 holiday marketing blitz. But they still remain divided about mobile marketing, with only 38% using it this year, down from 50% in 2012.

Sears will be participating in KIIS FM's Jingle Ball 2013, Friday, Dec. 6 at LA Live in Los Angeles. The main event will include a Sears Style fashion show in the Jingle Ball Village.

Boston – The top five brand experience trends for 2014 include retail relevancy and “small data,” according to brand experience agency Jack Morton. The company predicts the following five trends will prove dominant in brand experience during the upcoming year.

New York -- Hispanic adults are more frequently visiting retailer websites than the average online population, according to Experian Marketing Services.

During a 24-week period, from June 2013 through November 2013, Hispanics' market share of visits to Experian Marketing Services' Hitwise Retail 500 Websites was 21% higher on average than the online population. Further, the analysis found that this market share widened in October 2013 and continued to increase through November.

Fortified by growing e-commerce sales and time spent across digital channels, the U.S. retail industry will grow its digital ad spending more rapidly this year than in 2012, according to new figures from eMarketer.

By the end of this year, eMarketer predicts, U.S. retailers will have increased digital ad budgets by 15.7% to $9.50 billion, following growth of 14.5% last year.

Sorting fact from fiction in the so-called strikes and other worker protests taking place this weekend is a challenging proposition, but one organization hopes to set the record straight.

A group called the Worker Center Watch supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is calling attention to a number of organizations such as OUR Walmart it contends are fronts for organized labor who exist to dodge regulations governing labor organizing activities.

By Andrew Kokes, global VP, marketing & product management, Sitel

One of the most significant trends in customer engagement over the past several years is the rise of social media outside marketing and inside customer service. Social media is moving beyond contacts and interactions to a culture of community and collaboration for the most engaged and customer-centric companies.