Retailers feel there are too many channels to effectively sell through

A TV remote control.

Online shopping has never been more convenient for consumers, who have access to a plethora of channels through which to engage with their favourite brands.

However, this same variety is confounding retailers, with 47% saying there are simply too many channels for them to effectively deliver the best sales experience.

This is according to Wunderman Thompson Commerce & Technology’s “Brands don’t fail... eRetail!” report, which found nearly all (94%) retail...

Bye-bye search engines – social media is taking over

Social media apps on a smartphone.

82% of businesses believe that consumers will find brands using social media rather than traditional search engines, according to HubSpot's recent Social Media Report.

With 70% of brands selling products directly via social media, and nearly 80% buying advertising on the big four platforms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok), it's clear that businesses are seeing the value in reaching consumers on these channels. 

Cemented by the death of telephone customer...

Braze native WhatsApp messaging helps build customer relationships

Someone using WhatsApp on their phone.

Braze, a customer engagement platform that powers interactions between consumers and the brands, has made native support for messaging channel WhatsApp generally available.

Through this direct integration with WhatsApp, which had more than two billion active users as of 2022, marketers will be able to create, orchestrate, and send WhatsApp campaigns directly from the Braze platform to strengthen customer relationships with context-rich conversational messaging that can drive...

The European countries most reliant on social media revealed

New research has revealed the European countries most reliant on social media, with Cyprus coming out on top.

The study, conducted by gaming site AskGamblers, analysed the latest available usage data for Facebook, Instagram and Messenger to see which countries had the highest share of users compared to the population.

It found that Iceland is the European country most reliant on social media, with a score of 98.14 out of 100 for social media usage. The country has...

Pinterest launches Pinterest Academy e-learning platform for advertisers

Pinterest has introduced its latest edition of Pinterest Academy, a compelling interactive e-learning platform covering everything advertisers need to know to engage and inspire their target audiences on the platform.

Pinterest claims to offer unique and valuable differentiation for advertisers - where people come with intent and are looking to shop. People come to Pinterest early in their decision-making journey with the intent to discover ideas to both purchase and do, so ads...

Brave Bison acquires market-leading social media agency Social Chain

Brave Bison, a media, marketing, and technology company built for the new era, today announces its fourth acquisition: of Social Chain, a market-leading social media and influencer marketing agency founded by Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, for over $20m.

Since its foundation in 2014, Manchester-based Social Chain has made waves in the industry. The agency has gone from building some of the biggest communities in social and disrupting the market, to becoming one of...

B2B social media marks huge growth with Tik Tok leading the pack

TikTok logo on a smartphone.

Meltwater has published a report revealing that the importance of social media is increasing among organisations as a result of the global economic uncertainty.

With brand awareness as a priority, more than half of the survey respondents (52%) stated that economic uncertainty has made social media a more important channel for their organisation.

While Facebook remains the most used social media platform for organisations, in terms of growth, the use of TikTok is rapidly...

21% of consumers never want to hear from retailers

A gnome holding a sign that says 'go away'

Just 16% of UK consumers think that retailers react to their feedback, despite 69% of businesses claiming to do so.

This is according to new data released by Emarsys, an SAP company. The company's research, which surveyed both consumers and retailers across the UK, highlights the struggle to keep up with customers and identifies a number of disconnects between the two. It found that 28% of UK consumers believe their feedback is being used purely for marketing purposes rather than...

83% of marketers to prioritise investments in operational efficiency and hiring in 2023 

Someone taking a dollar out of a wallet.

Emplifi, a unified customer experience platform, today released a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Emplifi, uncovering insights from 154 North American CMOs, marketing VPs, and directors responsible for CX, marketing strategy, paid media, or social media marketing.

The “Social Marketing Leaders Are In Critical Need Of Integrated Data And Agile Technology” study found that changing customer demands, macroeconomic pressures, and the need for an...

Creating a recession-proof marketing strategy 

Someone taking a dollar out of a wallet.

Rob Freedman, head of growth marketing at Zuper, shares three surefire marketing strategies that can help withstand today’s recessionary environment.

Well-known advertising executive Bruce Barton famously said: “In good times people want to advertise; in bad times, they have to.” 

If marketers have learned anything over the past two plus years, it is that competition is growing, inflation is climbing, and consumers are spending more time online than ever...