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Content has become a tool for retailers in their efforts to optimize the online shopping experience for consumers. Just providing product details and pricing is often not enough anymore for today's connected consumers; they want information on how a product can solve their problem or fill a need. With this in mind, here are two ways to incorporate content marketing into your holiday plans: 

Local was already in play before the iPhone changed the online marketing game in 2007, but the mobile shift has raised business capabilities and, more importantly, visitor expectations. Some of the things you need to learn to cope will be brutal, especially if you have limited resources, but it's time to start allocating some of that budget to local optimization now.

It's not surprising that tech giants Apple and Google are among the 10 companies most often sued by patent trolls. However, when it comes to sectors, it may come as a surprise that retail graces the top spot. In the first half of 2014, 136 retailers have been involved in 264 lawsuits brought by trolls — i.e., nonpracticing entities that buy patents in the open market seeking to collect licensing revenue from infringing parties. That makes the sector the No. 1 target, above such high-tech categories as electronics, media and telecom, and computer software, according to research firm Patent Freedom.

Two months ago, former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts assumed her much buzzed-about position as Apple's new Senior Vice President of Retail. The 54-year-old fashion executive moved to the tech giant after filling her resume with brands like DKNY andHenri Bendel. Taking to her LinkedIn Page to update the world about her first few weeks on the job, Ahrendts noted, "Silicon Valley can feel like a country unto itself!" While Ahrendts might seem like a fish out of water jumping from one exclusive world to another, she's just one of sever

As a small business, how do you build an effective mobile strategy? Consider the following tips:

Pinterest's current monthly visitor total of more than 70 million worldwide might be small potatoes compared to Facebook's audience of over a billion, but Pinterest's unique visual slant has been proving valuable for retailers. Here are six tips on how you can use Pinterest to help promote your retail business:

Facebook's announcement that it's testing a buy "call to action" button that lets users purchase products directly on its site may give retailers another weapon against their big online nemesis: Amazon.com. While the idea of Facebook's latest move is to reduce the clicks needed to make impulse purchases and not lose the business to begin with, it also means you won't end up going to Amazon to search for the product. "The whole trend is to simplify mobile commerce to move it to one click," said Yory Wurmser, an eMarketer e-commerce analyst.

Without sounding too clumsy, being a thought leader in your industry is a good thing. In online retailing, it's about building a buzz around your brand, products or service. The easiest way to build thought leadership is to generate content for your target market that resonates. Here are some tips to help you get your message read by a wide audience on Linkedin: 

Just as the baby boomer generation fueled the growth of suburban mall development, millennials and their life experiences are inspiring radical changes in retail. As the largest U.S. generation, millennials and their preferences will matter to the huge consumer complex for decades to come.

With the transition to Google's Shopping campaigns looming at the end of August, it's important for retailers to prepare now. To help, ChannelAdvisor created a Shape Up Your Shopping Campaigns infographic — an outline of steps needed to transition. Don't let Google force your Product Listing Ad campaigns into the new format without optimization or input from you!