123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: "Future of Retail" Study Shares Key Insights

The fifth annual data study, Future of Retail 2018, from Walker Sands Communications is based on a survey of 1,600 consumers and it shares some key insights for retailers. Among them:

Consumers are excited to shop online for emerging product categories. Over one-third (39%) of consumers say they’re at least somewhat likely to make a grocery purchase in the next year. Additionally, 35% of consumers would use Amazon to fill prescription orders online.

The popularity of connected devices has grown. 93% of consumers now own a connected device.

Amazon’s dominance forces competing retailers to evolve. 41% of customers receive 1-2 packages from Amazon per week.

Consumers are more comfortable using voice-controlled devices to shop. 50% of those who own a device have made a voice-controlled purchase in the past year.

Fast delivery is no longer optional. It’s a must. 44% of consumers have used some kind of same-day delivery service in the past year.

To learn more, you can download the entire report here: https://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: Companies Shouldn't Overlook CPE

Here's a stunning reality: According to the consulting firm McKinsey, consumer product companies often overlook or under-invest in a form of marketing that can make a significant contribution to the bottom line: Consumer Promotions and Engagement, or CPE. According to McKinsey, "optimizing CPE, in fact, can help companies realize up to 10 to 30 percent savings in marketing spend, which can be reinvested to fund growth initiatives."

McKinsey has studied the CPE area and suggests that CPE tools are effective at each part of the Consumer Decision Journey. Specifically, CPE includes such tactics as:
1. Out-of-store consumer engagement
- Product licensing or co-branding
- Sponsorships
- Event sampling
- Public relations activity, including endorsements, press releases, blogs, social media, etc.
2. In-store consumer activation
- Coupons and rewards
- In-store POP/POS
- In-store sampling
- Brand or product demonstration activities
- Sweepstakes
- Gifts with purchase.

Learn more about the power of CPE from this McKinsey report.

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: Digital with a Human Touch Needed in B2B Sales

Yes, the world is going digital, and the sales forces of B2B companies are following suit. But according to a recent survey of B2B customers by leading consulting firm McKinsey, "What customers most desire is great digital interactions and the human touch."

According to McKinsey: "The implication is that B2B sales companies have to use technology to power and optimize both digital and human interactions. Companies that add the human touch to digital sales consistently outperform their peers. They achieve five times more revenue, eight times more operating profit, and, for public companies, twice the return to shareholders. That data holds true over a four- to five-year period."

McKinsey continues: "Companies that are digital from start to finish today could see even higher growth if they reintroduce the human touch to the start of the buying journey. Conversely, if companies are firmly holding customers’ hands via key-account managers or value-added resellers, they should be aware that customers are saying loudly and clearly that they don't value that close personal attention after the sale."

The relationship between digital and human touch is not easily navigated, however. McKinsey believes "The trick is to understand where human interaction is most wanted and invest there..."

Read more about this fascinating conundrum here: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-secret-to-making-it-in-the-digital-sales-world

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: Key Internet Trends

One of the leading crystal ball forecasters for Internet trends is Mary Meeker, who is a partner at the well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Meeker's annual Internet trends report, released in June, was far-ranging and expansive. eMarketer took a close look at Meeker's report and made some key observations of their own. Among them:

• Digital media usage is being driven by mobile.
  Smartphones are all-pervasive, says eMarketer while tablet usage is declining. The biggest category in mobile app time is audio followed by social media.
• The smart speaker revolution is real.
  Smart speakers -- the ones that talk to you -- are on a rapid adoption curve, with the Amazon Echo currently dominating the market. According to eMarketer, "Not since the smartphone have we seen such fast adoption."
• Ecommerce shows no slow down.
  Ecommerce is growing at break-neck speed; eMarketer projects it will reach U.S. sales of nearly $892 billion by 2022. This year's likely transformative growth will be in the food and beverage industry.

Meeker's entire presentation is here: http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends

More from eMarketer here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/a-deeper-dive-into-mary-meeker-2018-internet-trends

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 on All 123 eGuides!

From July 1 through July 31, every 123 eGuide is on sale at Smashwords.com for 50 percent off the regular price! This exclusive sale is available only at Smashwords.com. Simply select the eGuide of your choice below and click on the title. Then download the eGuide in any eBook format and you will get 50 percent off the price. (Just enter the special discount code is SSW50 to get the discount.)

The following 123 eGuides are available:

Branding 123: Build a Breakthrough Brand in 3 Proven Steps - $2.99 On sale for $1.50

Product Launch 123: Launch a Product or Service in 3 Proven Steps - $2.99 On sale for $1.50

Sales Leads 123: Generating, Qualifying, and Converting Sales Leads in 3 Proven Steps - $2.99 On sale for $1.50

Small Biz Trio (all three of the above eGuides at a special combination price) - $6.99 75% off ($1.75) if you enter SSW75!

B2B Marketing 123: A 3 Step Approach for Marketing to Businesses - $2.99 On sale for $1.50

Low Cost/No Cost Marketing 123: 3 Steps to Effective Marketing with Little or No Money - $2.99 On sale for $1.50

On Your Own 123: Launch a 1-Person Business in 3 Proven Steps - $2.99 On sale for $1.50.

Sale prices are only available at Smashwords.com through July 31, so don't delay -- order your 123 eGuides today!