the insight blog

36 Per Cent of the UK Read Marketing Emails on Mobile

Jim Webster — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:44:40 +0000

36 per cent of UK consumers now read marketing emails on their mobile devices, according to a report from digital agency STEEL London– and, among 18-34 year olds, that number rises to 55 per cent. 69 per cent of people who read marketing emails on their mobile have immediately acted on it in some way – most commonly clicking through to a site (42 per cent), followed by making a purchase (30 per cent). And once again, 18-34 year olds are the most likely to do these activities. Consumers are increasingly using their mobile as their preferred media and communication device,” says STEEL CEO Andy Hinder.

Read the full article at mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk.

Retailers back instore WiFi

Jim Webster — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:38:53 +0000

IAB Mobile Engage: Retailers including Debenhams, Marks & Spencer and Dominos are open to instore WiFi despite the risk shoppers will use it to find products cheaper elsewhere. All three retailers confirmed they are exploring or expanding their uses of instore WiFi today (17 May) at IAB Mobile Engage in London. Nick Dutch, multi media manager at Dominos Pizza, said the takeaway company is considering deploying WiFi over the next few months so customers can entertain themselves while they wait for their food to be ready. It is also considering using the technology as a post-purchase marketing mechanic to persuade consumers to shop with Dominos again, with deals.

Read the full article at marketingweek.co.uk.

Google to inject more facts into search

Jim Webster — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:27:24 +0000

Google is poised to roll out a change its search engine, to include factual information about search topics, powered by a new service dubbed the ‘Knowledge Graph’. Factual information about a search term will appear as a summary in a panel on the right hand side of a search page, which it claims will help users discover new information “quickly and easily”. It has over 3.5 billion facts on over 500 millon people, places and ‘real world’ objects, drawing information from sources such as Freebase, Wikipedia and CIA World Factbook, as well as its own databases. Users can click through via a link in the box to one of the information sites to get more information. This means that users who are after quick information can receive it from Google directly, without having to click through to an external website in the listing, having a negative affect on their traffic.

Read the full article at mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk.

Good service is key to premium online sales: study

Jim Webster — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:15:25 +0000

Almost two-thirds of consumers who buy premium products and services say they will continue to spend just as much online in 2012 as last year – despite the recession, new research suggests. A thousand respondents with an average household income of just £23,000 a year took part in the study by online retail marketing agency Leapfrogg. Some 61% of them said they would not reduce their online spending in 2012, and 30% said they would buy still more. They cited good service and increased confidence in shopping online as factors. More than a third said they used the web to compare and check prices, while 20% said they searched online in order to research products. But only 14% search for offers and vouchers online.

Read the full article at internetretailing.net.

Twitter rolls out weekly digest emails

Jim Webster — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:09:13 +0000

Twitter is set to deliver weekly email digests to its users to showcase the most popular content on its site and the stories their personal network was most engaged with. The digests will offer brands more opportunities for their content to be discovered, especially by the less frequent visitors to the social network. It could mean that those brands that have paid for promoted tweets have a greater chance to extend their advert’s reach beyond the allotted time period it would appear on the site, if it was particularly engaging.

Read the full article at marketingweek.co.uk.

Study finds year-on-year increase in use of mobile devices for online shopping

Jim Webster — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:16:25 +0000

In the year that has passed since the results of Stibo Systems’s first UK consumer survey were announced, m-commerce – including online shopping via both smartphone and tablet devices – has seen an overall uptake of 10%: the first year on year increase in m-commerce, according to the company. In 2011 30% of respondents reported using a mobile device for shopping, whereas in 2012, a whopping 40% of respondents reported using a mobile device to make purchases, demonstrating the rapid adoption by consumers of mobile technology. The survey found that product information is now as important to consumers as ever. Just as in 2011, 2012 saw over two thirds of consumers (67%) having rated product information as ‘very important’ when purchasing high value goods. Also consistently across both years, the survey showed that inaccurate or poor product information across retail channels has a detrimental effect on sales; 16% of customers cited poor product information as a reason for not making an online purchase.

Read the full article at internetretailing.net.

240m Mobile TV Users by 2014, says Juniper

Jim Webster — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:04:45 +0000

The number of users streaming mobile TV on their smartphones will increase to 240m by 2014, according to a report from Juniper Research. This growth, the analyst says, will be driven by a rise in smartphone penetration, and in the increasing usage of internet TV and IPTV services. And by 2016, the Mobile TV: Applications, Devices & Opportunities report predicts, nearly 10 per cent of mobile TV revenues will be generated on Tablet devices. The smartphone really allows the consumer to transport the TV experience out of the home, allowing them to view live and on-demand content while on the move,” says report author Charlotte Miller.

Read the full article at mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk.

Bing steps up challenge to Google with new ‘social search’ feature

Jim Webster — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:56:22 +0000

Microsoft is rolling out an update to Bing that brings in results from users’ Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn data, in a bid to challenge Google’s new social search service. The internet and tech giant is rolling out redesign of the Bing homepage which introduces a social sidebar, incorporating results from a user’s social network contacts, while maintaining the natural search function.
It also introduces an ‘Ask a Friend’ feature which enables users to pose questions to their friends on social networks as it taps into the growing trend of social recommendations. The redesign is rolling out in the next few weeks in the US but Microsoft has not confirmed when it will be reaching the UK.

Read the full article at marketingmagazine.co.uk.

Half of UK internet users say online ads worth it for free content

Jim Webster — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:01:59 +0000

Half of UK internet users are happy to see online advertising because it supports online services and content at little to no cost, with only one in 10 are willing to pay for ad-free content, according to a new report from the IAB and ValueClick. The findings come from a report published by the IAB UK and ValueClick, based on 2,000 interviews with UK consumers. The interviews were carried out by Kantar Media, with 650 conducted face-to-face and 1,350 online. While the report shows that advertising is preferred by internet users to keep the costs of online services and content down, 45% of the interviewees would like control over the type of advertising they see online and 40% want access to the information being shared about them.

Read the full article at brandrepublic.com.

MasterCard readies e-wallet services

Jim Webster — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:35:46 +0000

MasterCard is launching a digital payment tool, Paypass Wallet, that it says will connect digital wallets from other brands in a bid to “simplify” the shopping experience and accelerate the take up of digital payments. The service is expected to launch later this year and will allow brands and banks to develop bespoke e-wallets. Shoppers will also be able to use credit and debit cards from a raft of banks and financial partners including American Express, Discover and Visa. Paul Trueman, head of marketing at MasterCard UK and Ireland, says the “inclusive” system has been developed to give brands the opportunity to make their own wallets, but also enable them all to be connected.

Read the full article at marketingweek.co.uk.