123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: What You Need to Know About the Connected Consumer

The new "Future of Retail" study from Walker Sands is out and it offers insight into the connected consumer. The communications firm, who has published the study for five years, surveyed more than 1,600 consumers for this year's edition. Here are some of the key findings:

• Smartphone penetration has reached 78 percent of U.S. consumers, and more than half own a tablet (55 percent).
• More consumers now pay for at least one digital TV service (68 percent) than a traditional cable subscription (52 percent).
• Nearly half of consumers (46 percent) now prefer to shop online.
• The majority of consumers (65 percent) have mobile shopping apps on their phones.
• Free shipping (80 percent) and fast shipping (54 percent) are still the top incentives for consumers to purchase more online.
• In-store shopping seems to be making a comeback among younger shoppers.
   
  You can get a copy of the full report here: http://www.walkersands.com/Futureofretail

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

1 Minute Advice: Are You Meeting the Needs of Each Generation?

While many marketers have correctly started to serve the needs of the individual customer by personalizing marketing communications, there are generational factors that should be taken into consideration when developing marketing programs. A leading marketing technology firm, Yes Lifecycle Marketing, focused a study of 1,000 consumers on generational differences and similarities, some of which are noted here. For definitional purposes, Centennials are consumers under age 21, Millennials are consumers ages 22 to 37, Generation Xers are ages 38 to 52, and Boomers are ages 52 to 70-plus.

The research study uncovered the following:

• More than 80% of Centennials and 74% of Millennials say social media influences their shopping, compared to only 58% of Generation X and 41% of Baby Boomers
• 50% of Centennials based their last purchase decision on product quality, more than any other generation
• Millennials care about loyalty rewards more than other generations
• Millennials are more likely than any generation to find email (67%) and mobile apps (61%) important when making a purchase decision
• Generation Xers value email (59%), and are less interested in other digital channels like social or display
• Boomers rank direct mail higher than any other generation (59%), while 59% also say they value email. Only 19% say they value social.

You can get a copy of the complete report here.

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

1 Minute Advice: Traits of Effective CMOs

With the rapidly changing world of marketing, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) have become something of an endangered species, with the lifespan of a major brand CMO averaging less than four years. It is fascinating, then, to consider what traits are needed to be an effective and therefore resilient CMO. According to PwC's global experience officer David Clarke, there are nine key traits, among them:

1. An understanding of the power of perspective.
2. A discerning eye.
3. A love for analytics.
4. A willingness to act as a customer advocate-in-chief.

Clarke's explanation of these traits, along with the other five traits he identifies, makes for interesting reading -- whether or not you are (or plan to become) a CMO.

Read Clarke's article here: https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/The-Nine-Traits-of-Highly-Effective-CMOs

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.

July Sale: Every 123 eGuide Half Price!

For the month of July only, 123 eGuides is making every one of our informative eGuides available for half price... just $1.50 each.

123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost. 123 eGuides employ the magic of three, based on the simple principle that virtually anything can be accomplished in three proven steps.

123 eGuides are designed for today’s reader who wants information in a quick, convenient, easily readable format. Each 123 eGuide is intended to provide a functional overview rather than a detailed roadmap. Every 123 eGuide always includes additional resources if the reader wants to learn more.

To purchase any of the following eGuides at half price, just click on the title's link below and enter the code SSW50 when you check out. Your eGuide is available in a wide variety of formats, including PDF. This special half-price offer is only available from July 1 through 31.

Low Cost/No Cost Marketing 123
B2B Marketing 123
Branding 123 Second Edition
Sales Leads 123
Product Launch 123
On Your Own 123

1 Minute Advice: The Current State of Global Marketing

The Fourth Annual "State of Marketing" report, based on insights and trends from 3,500 global marketing leaders, has been published by Salesforce. Key takeaways from the report include:

• "On the path to delivering connected customer experiences, marketers continue to wrestle with gaining a single view of the customer and leveraging data from different sources."
•  "From account-based marketing to closer alignment with customer service, top marketers are change agents staying ahead of the curve."
• "Marketers expect that usage of marketing technologies — from IoT/connected devices to lead scoring tools — will skyrocket over the next two years."
• "Artificial intelligence (AI) is the leading technology where marketers expect the most growth in the next two years."

There is a wealth of datain this report that should be of interest to every forward-thinking marketer. View a PDF of the report here: https://secure.sfdcstatic.com/assets/pdf/datasheets/salesforce-research-fourth-annual-state-of-marketing.pdf

This post is brought to you by 123eGuides.com. 123 eGuides are a series of authoritative guides about branding, marketing and small business published exclusively in electronic format to provide maximum value at minimum cost.