March 20, 2013
DG MediaMind has released its latest report benchmarking performance metrics for several online ad types and formats across dozens of countries and verticals. The study finds that in the US, the average click-through rate (CTR) for in-stream video ads was 1.11% in 2012, up from 1.03% in the previous study (covering Q2 2011 - Q1 2012). That topped the benchmark rates for mobile banners (0.88%, inching up from 0.87%), rich media (down slightly from 0.15% to 0.14%), and standard banners (unchanged at 0.1%). Read more »
March 18, 2013
The average email open rate rose to 27.4% in Q4, a slight increase from 27.2% in Q3, and a significant 10.5% gain from Q4 2011's 24.8%, according to [download page] a new report from Epsilon. But click rates continued to lag, unchanged from Q3's 4.5%, but down 13.5 from Q4 2011's 5.2%. A recent report from Experian CheetahMail also found open and click rates to be moving in opposite directions. Read more »
March 13, 2013
The retail industry spent the most on advertising again last year, according to new figures from Kantar Media. At roughly $16.3 billion - up 3% from $15.9 billion in 2011 - the retail sector accounted for more than 11% of total US ad spend (excluding FSI/PSA). Given that Kantar Media only measures display advertising for its online figures, and that the retail industry is the biggest spender in overall online advertising, it's possible that the Kantar figures actually underestimate retail's contribution to US advertising. Read more »
March 12, 2013
16% of advertisers on the Millennial Media platform integrated mobile commerce experiences into their campaigns last year, according to the network's year-in-review report [download page] released this morning. In the campaign action mix, m-commerce was offered as a post-click option less than social media (18%), store locator/view map (21%), and application download (37%), among others, per the report. Read more »
March 11, 2013
Adobe Digital Index has released a new study [pdf] providing online benchmarks across 5 industries. The results indicate that the "best of the best" draw up to 50% higher share of smartphone visitors than average and up to 30% higher share of tablet visitors. Comparing the numbers across industries also reveals that high tech sites lag other industries by a significant margin in terms of smart device traffic. Read more »
March 8, 2013
An analysis of more than 100 billion visits to more than 1,000 websites across 8 major markets worldwide by Adobe Digital Index reveals that for the first time, tablet traffic exceeded smartphone traffic in February 2013 (8% and 7% of page views, respectively). Adobe attributes the result to higher engagement from tablet users, who view 70% more pages per visit than smartphone users, and notes that each country analyzed saw its share of tablet traffic double during 2012. Read more »
March 5, 2013
Customer satisfaction with e-commerce sites improved in 2012, outpacing satisfaction ratings with traditional retail stores for the 11th consecutive year, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The index for e-commerce sites (encompassing internet brokerage, retail, and travel) rose a point from 2011 to a score of 81.1 on ACSI's 100-point scale, with 80 considered the threshold for excellence. Read more »
February 20, 2013
The share of email opens occurring on a mobile device keeps growing, climbing to 41% in the second half (H2) of 2012 from 36% in H1, per the latest report [pdf] from Knotice. Mobile phones accounted for 29% of all opens, up from 26% in H1, while 12% of opens occurred on a tablet, up from slightly less than 11%. Given the rapid growth in mobile email opens, Knotice projects that more than half of total opens will occur on a mobile device by year-end. Read more »
February 18, 2013
Radio revenues edged up 1% in 2012, finishing the year at $16.5 billion, and marking the 3rd consecutive year of growth, according to [pdf] a report from the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). The overall result was buoyed by a 4% year-over-year rise in Q4, the highest growth in the past 8 quarters. Digital continued to record the most rapid growth (11% in Q4; 4% full-year), while spot revenues were up 4% for the quarter and 1% for the year. Read more »
February 15, 2013
1.4 trillion display ad impressions were delivered in the US in Q4 2012, up almost 6% year-over-year, details comScore [download page] in a new study. As comScore's report notes, the number of high-volume advertisers (that delivered at least 1 billion impressions per quarter) was fairly constant from Q4 2011 to Q4 2012, which the researchers suggest is an indication that growth in the market is being fueled by an increase in small and mid-sized advertisers. Read more »
