Social Commerce

The modern shopping experience is continuously evolving. Today’s consumers can get groceries delivered to their doorsteps, discover new products through their social media feeds, and use voice assistants to make purchases. In this dynamic environment, retailers are constantly seeking scalable ways to make shopping experiences more convenient and delightful for customers. To better understand what…

When it comes to e-commerce, growth is a trend you can’t ignore. Globally, the e-commerce industry is projected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2021, and in the U.S., online sales are increasing by about 15 percent every year. But when looking at more specific e-commerce trends, it can be difficult to discern fact from fiction.…

Malls may not be dead, but there's no denying that the retail landscape has dramatically shifted — even within the past five years. Retailers are scrambling to adopt technologies that are necessary to maintain relevance and meet the demands of their increasingly digital customer bases. Young consumers expect the brands they love to respond with…

eBay announced last week a collaboration with media and entertainment company Mashable to create “shoppable” stories across the U.K. and U.S. According to a post on the eBay blog, the pilot partnership lets Mashable’s audience use eBay to shop, browse and purchase products matching those featured on the news site without ever leaving the Mashable site. More…

As we begin a new year, it’s time to reflect on what changed in the last 12 months. What worked and what didn’t? Is your retail business keeping up with shifting consumer behaviors? My main observation is that social mobile shopping by millennials is by far the most important trend, presenting a fantastic opportunity that we…

For any U.S.-based social media users, connecting with friends and family is easy. Most platforms are designed with this experience in mind. Users can chat, post pictures and share their thoughts with the tap of a finger. While this social connection is important, it's becoming increasingly common for users to crave more from their favorite…

Recent research shows that millennials and Gen Zers are turning more and more to "social shopping" over traditional retail experiences. As a result, brick-and-mortar retailers are in a frenzy as they're being forced to rethink their marketing strategies going into the biggest shopping season of the year. When we refer to “social shopping,” we’re talking…

When it comes to communicating Kate Spade's brand's voice, content is king. This was a key takeaway during a presentation by Mary Renner Beech, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Kate Spade & Company, at Luxury Interactive in New York City yesterday. "Clarity of brand voice still wins; we believe this very strongly at…

The Estée Lauder Companies has a new senior vice president and chief information officer. The company recently named Michael Smith to the role. He reports to Estée Lauder Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tracey Travis. Smith brings a mix of IT, commercial and functional experience to this leadership role. Using his experience, Smith…

Today’s consumers are extremely social and visual shoppers. Separately, these two factors provide small retailers with numerous marketing questions to address. Together, however, social and visual advertising go hand in hand. The rise of always-on technology has given way to the savvy social shopper, with 85 percent of consumers using visual content as the ultimate…