Research Topic

In the first part of December, delivery providers experienced difficulties that probably left some holiday shoppers less than merry.

According to analysis of what more than 130,000 shoppers said in surveys about on-time deliveries of their full orders between Dec. 1 - Dec. 10 by Bizrate Insights, a division of Connexity, the timeliness trend is clearly downward.

Digital marketing is a discipline that is rapidly evolving; that’s because the Web itself is changing faster than ever. We’re nearing the realization of Web 3.0 – The Semantic/Intelligent Web – thanks to the mountains of data pouring out of new devices, products, and social platforms every second of every day.

As a result, marketers need to understand how this deluge of data impacts content & community marketing strategies.

Before you declare your personalized marketing efforts a success, check with your customers.

That is the overriding message from a global study of 1,200 consumers and 200 marketing professionals conducted in October 2015 by Forrester Consulting for hybris. The study, “The Contextual Marketing Imperative,” finds that while 66% of marketers rate their efforts at personalization as “very good” or “excellent,” just 31% of consumers report companies are consistently delivering personalized, cross-channel experiences

So far this holiday season, consumers are turning to their desktop PCs for shopping more than ever before.

According to new data from comScore, through the first 36 days of the November-December 2015 holiday season (Nov. 1 – Dec. 6), desktop spend totaled $35.36 billion. This marks a 6% increase from $33.38 billion for the equivalent period in 2014. Although rate of year-over-year growth is below the 9% previously predicted by comScore, the total figure still sets a new record.

So far this holiday season, consumers are turning to their desktop PCs for shopping more than ever before.

There is a new tourist attraction in Washington, D.C., and visitors have a retailer to thank.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has opened “Wegmans Wonderplace,” the first gallery on the National Mall tailored for the learning needs of children six and under. The space, made possible by a $1.5 million gift and in-kind donations from Wegmans Food Market, allows kids to “cook” in a kitchen inspired by Julia Child’s.

When it comes to understanding what consumers want, one retailer stands tall above the rest.

According to a new study of 1,000 consumers from beacon marketing platform provider Swirl Networks Inc., Amazon.com holds a clear lead in knowing its customers. Fifty-six percent of consumers say that Amazon demonstrates an understanding of their individual preferences and needs on a regular basis.

The National Retail Federation called on Congress to reject a customs reauthorization bill set for a vote this week unless it includes a provision allowing states to require online merchants to collect sales tax the same as local stores.