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8 in 10 Say Online Privacy Doesn’t Exist One-quarter of consumers believe apps track users in order to cyberstalk them.
Along with smartphone users expressing concern about whether mobile apps respect their privacy and keep their data secure, a great deal are worried that their mobile phone is listening in on them. A survey [download page] by Tinuiti of 2,000 US consumers... READ MORE
Half of Smartphone Owners Say They’ve Looked Up Info About an OOH Advertiser About half of US smartphone owners have searched for more information about an OOH advertiser.
Even though 2020 saw a steep fall in traditional advertising budgets, that doesn’t mean people weren’t exposed to legacy advertising. In fact, a recent survey [pdf] by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) and the Harris Poll... READ MORE
Father’s Day Retail Spending Expected to Reach A New High Consumer spending for Father's Day is expected to total $20.1 billion.
Father’s Day spending is expected to total $20.1 billion this year, per a new forecast from the NRF, exceeding last year’s $17 billion and setting a new high. Some 75% of American adults plan to celebrate Father’s Day this year, with these celebrants... READ MORE
Looking Ahead, Here Are Marketers’ Top MarTech Priorities Marketing analytics is one of the top martech priorities in the coming year as marketers target the self-reliant buyer.
Not only has the pandemic lengthened the purchase cycle for many B2B buyers, but a majority are consulting more sources to research and evaluate before making a purchase. This shift towards researching more before getting in touch with sales has increased... READ MORE
Marketers Say These Elements Make for Successful Lead Nurturing Increased engagement and customer retention are the top priorities for implementing a lead nurturing program.
One of the top priorities for any lead nurturing program is a high conversion rate, but not every company is seeing success in this area. A recent report [download page] from Ascend2 and its Research Partners looks at what strategic elements contribute to a... READ MORE
Update: US Retail Sales Now Forecast to Grow by 10.5-13.5% This Year Revised figures predict US retail sales will reach $4.4-4.6 trillion this year, a significant upward revision of NRF's earlier forecast.
There may be good news on the horizon for brick-and-mortar American retailers. Citing greater than expected resilience in the economy and consumer spending, revised figures from the National Retail Federation (NRF) project US retail sales will see more... READ MORE
Alcohol Ad Spend to Rebound This Year; Channel Focus Remained Largely on Legacy Media in 2020 Alcohol advertisers dedicated close to half of their budgets to TV ads last year.
Although alcohol ad spending saw a comparatively steep drop last year, spending by alcohol brands is expected to start recovering this year, with a report [download page] from Zenith showing that, by 2023, it will exceed what it was prior to the pandemic.... READ MORE
Almost 90% of B2B Content Consumption Said to Take Place Outside the C-Suite More than half (53.2%) of content is consumed between 8 AM and 1 PM.
B2B content has the ability to create brand awareness, educate the audience and generate leads, but do content marketers have their sights set on the right audience? In fact, if they’re only targeting the C-Suite, they are missing out on a vast... READ MORE
These Companies Have the Best Reputations in the US Patagonia topped the list of the most reputable companies in the US.
A company’s reputation can mean the difference between reaping the benefits of brand trust or seeing sales decline when that trust is broken. The most recent Reputation Quotient Study [pdf] from Axios and Harris Poll looks at which of the most visible US... READ MORE
Half Say Advertising is Important in the Buying Decision Some 8 in 10 say that search engines are an important source of information when making a purchase decision.
When shoppers are going through the process of shopping and purchasing items, advertising has importance, but not as much as some other factors in influencing buying decisions. A survey from Ipsos [PDF] found that half of the more than 1,200 US adults say... READ MORE
Here’s an Update on the Top OTT Platforms’ Share of Video Viewing Netflix accounts for the largest share of viewing hours among the top 5 OTT services.
As of last year, more than three-quarters of US households subscribers to at least one OTT streaming service. And, while there seems to be more to choose from every day, data from Comscore shows that Netflix remains the streaming service users spend the most... READ MORE
Relatively Few Smartphone Users Believe Apps Respect Their Privacy Close to 7 in 10 (67%) say it's very or extremely important for mobile apps and service to respect privacy.
While many smartphone users spend a lot of time checking their phones, that doesn’t mean they feel that the apps on their phones keep their data and privacy secure. Indeed, a recent report [download page] from the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) found that most... READ MORE
These Are Some Purchases People Made Due to COVID One in 10 US consumers say they started a new subscription to fill the time and entertain themselves during the pandemic.
The pandemic had a noticeable impact on consumer purchase behavior, not only where they were shopping, but also what they were choosing to spend their money on. A survey [pdf] from Ipsos and Country Financial shows that some US consumers made purchases... READ MORE
Report: TikTok Now More Popular Than Instagram Among US Gen Z Consumers Estimates show that TikTok will have 37.3 million US Gen Z users this year.
TikTok continues to shake up the social media world, estimated to overtake Instagram in number of Gen Z users. The video sharing app is forecasted to reach 37.3 million Gen Z users this year, surpassing Instagram’s 33.3 million, according to a forecast from... READ MORE
As Revenue Target Pressures Rise, Marketers Confront These Main Challenges Marketing leaders say that, on average, marketing is responsible for 44% of their companies' overall revenue.
Some 8 in 10 global marketing leaders believe that the shift towards the self-reliant buyer in this digital-first environment has extremely (32%) or very (48%) much increased the value of marketing in their organizations. This is according to a report... READ MORE
More Advertisers Envision Return to In-Person Events Almost half of advertisers say they plan to resume sponsoring in-person events by or during Q1 2022.
It was not too long ago that businesses were enjoying the benefits of in-person events. But, with the pandemic all but stopping the events industry for most of 2020 and into this year, marketers ended up taking events virtual. Now, with vaccination programs... READ MORE
Sports Fans Display Strong Social Engagement Across age groups, sports fans are more likely to follow athletes than leagues or sports experts on social media.
Gone are the days when sports fans were limited to engaging with their favorite sports teams or athletes by watching a live game or collecting trading cards. Social media has made it possible for sports fans to not only follow their favorite teams but also... READ MORE
Corporate Digital Transformation Efforts Lead to More Creative Output as Demand for Content Heats Up New digital experience technologies are also being implemented.
Businesses continue to ramp up their digital transformation and digital experience initiatives. The latest The State of Branding report from Bynder and OnBrand found that not only are about one-quarter (24%) of marketers and creatives already fully digital,... READ MORE
What Are B2B Marketers’ Most Critical Challenges Right Now? Some 45% of B2B marketers say their most critical challenge is identifying target audiences or accounts.
Some 45% of B2B marketers say that identifying target audiences or accounts is one of the most critical challenges to their digital marketing strategies. This is per a recent report [download page] from Intentsify and Ascend2, which looks at intent data and... READ MORE
Retargeting Most Commonly Used in Social Media Strategies Marketers are also using retargeting as part of their search strategies.
Facebook and Instagram advertising play a key role in retargeting strategies for many marketers. This is per survey data [download page] from Ascend2 and SharpSpring Ads that found that for about three-quarters (77%) of B2B and B2C marketers, retargeting is... READ MORE
Facebook and Instagram Ad Benchmarks for Retailers in 2020 The CTR for retail Facebook ads increased by 6% year-over-year in 2020.
With companies continue to increase their investment in social media advertising, especially in the last year, two platforms seeing plenty of investment are Facebook and Instagram. Benchmark data from Sidecar shows how Facebook and Instagram performed last... READ MORE
Speed is Still Tops for Online CX Some 8 in 10 consumers say they want to quickly accomplish what they came to do on a website they visit.
Speed plays a vital role in online customer experience. Some 83% of consumers say the ability to quickly accomplish what they came to do on a website is one of the most important things companies can do to create a good online experience, according to a... READ MORE
Satisfaction High with Streaming Media Services, Lower with ISPs Supermarkets and online retailers also rank high in customer satisfaction.
A good customer experience is likely to lead to customer loyalty, trust and advocacy, and some sectors are doing better than others at creating a satisfying experience. A recent report [download page] from Qualtrics’ XM Institute shows which global sectors... READ MORE
So How Many Millennials Are There in the US, Anyway? (Updated) Americans aged 18-34 comprised almost one-quarter (23.1%) of the total population as of July 1, 2020.
Gen Z is certainly a new darling for marketers, but there’s still plenty of attention paid to Millennials. Their lives are deconstructed on many different levels, from their use of social media to their outlook on the retail industry and their family... READ MORE
CX Decision-Makers Invest in Tech to Embed Customer Insights Throughout the Organization Some 9 in 10 CX decision-makers are making customer experience a top priority in the next 12 months.
Customer experience remains a priority for businesses this year, with close to 9 in 10 customer experience (CX) decision-makers identifying improving CX as a critical (40%) or high (46%) priority in the next 12 months. This is per a report [download page]... READ MORE
4 in 10 US Internet Users Say They Check Their Phone Every Few Minutes And, 3 in 10 say they get distracted by notifications on their phone.
The advent of the smartphone changed a lot for consumers and the way they do things. Whether it be streaming music while they work out, watching their favorite TV shows on public transport, or using apps to communicate, shop or find their way around town,... READ MORE
Even More Americans Are Trying New Ways to Buy There has been a 10 percentage point lift in those who say they have used home delivery of groceries since the start of the pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic, consumers have adjusted to new ways of doing things. That includes exploring new ways to buy. Recent research from Ipsos shows that close to half (47%) of US adults have tried a new e-commerce or delivery brand, product,... READ MORE
More People Report Leaving Reviews Online for Positive than Negative Experiences About 4 in 10 consumers say they leave online product reviews because they want to help others understand the product’s size or specific characteristics.
Consumers are more likely to leave reviews when a product is excellent than when it’s unsatisfactory. This is according to a Q1 2021 consumer trends report [download page] from Jungle Scout. The survey of more than 1,000 adults in the US reveals that... READ MORE
Report: US TV and OOH Ad Spend Have Peaked TV ad spend is not expected to again reach the peak seen in 2018.
Although TV ad spend was expected to see modest year-over-year (y-o-y) growth of 2% last year, thanks to the Summer Olympics and presidential elections, that growth did not occur after the pandemic caused the cancellation of the global sports event as well... READ MORE
Stories Remains at About 1/3 of Instagram Ad Spend They also represent one-third of ad impressions on Instagram among Merkle clients.
Stories’ share of Instagram ad spend increased by a sizable degree in the first quarter of this year over the same quarter in 2020, per the latest quarterly digital marketing report [download page] from Merkle. This most recent analysis of Merkle’s clients... READ MORE
Smart TV Viewing Time Continues to Shoot Up Global smart TV streaming video viewing time increased by 115% year-over-year in Q1.
Global time spent streaming video during the first quarter of 2021 increased some 36% over the same quarter last year, with North America seeing modest growth of 18%. This is per Conviva’s latest quarterly State of Streaming report [download page]. In the... READ MORE
Personalization of Content A Key Coming Priority Enterprise companies are prioritizing investing in tech that enables real-time delivery and personalization of data.
In the past, marketers have touted the positive outcomes of using personalization. And, while personalization is far from new, it remains a top priority for enterprise businesses across the globe, per a report [download page] from Altimeter, a Prophet... READ MORE
These Are the 10 Largest E-Commerce Retailers in the US in 2021 Amazon maintains its overwhelming lead as the top e-commerce retailer.
With the estimated double-digit growth in online retail sales in the US this year, it looks to be a promising year for e-commerce retailers. Yet, while data from eMarketer shows that this growth is expected to be felt, at least to some extent, by all the top... READ MORE
Vast Majority of Enterprises Using Influencers Have Shoppability Enabled for Campaigns Half of the influencer marketers enabling shoppability on Instagram are linking to their websites.
The use of influencers in marketing is widespread, with close to three-quarters of marketers saying they will dedicate a portion of their budget to influencer marketing this year. And, a large majority (86%) of enterprise marketers are taking influencer... READ MORE
Q1 Consumer Spending on Videogames Up 30% Y-O-Y Hardware and accessories sales saw rapid growth.
Continuing the trend from last year, quarterly spending on video game products in the first quarter of 2021 saw double-digit growth. This is per recent data [press release] from The NPD Group, which found that Q1 consumer spending on video game products grew... READ MORE
2021 State of Demand Gen Report: Take Part to Get Your Free Report How are you performing with demand gen in 2021?
Take part in Activate’s annual State of Demand Gen Report and you’ll get a complimentary, advance copy of the resulting report, packed with valuable benchmarking data. This year, Activate has partnered with MarketingCharts again to explore how... READ MORE
CMO Tenure Keeps Dropping, At Lowest Point Since 2009 CMOs for the top 100 most-advertised brands in the US spend an average of 40 months in the position.
At a time when race and ethnicity are at the forefront of the public conversation, it appears that the ethnic or racial makeup of US CMOs has taken a turn in the wrong direction. The latest annual analysis from Spencer Stuart reports that by the end of 2020,... READ MORE
What Do People Expect from Ads – And What Don’t They Like About Them? US consumers say they want ads to provide product information.
While brands spend a lot of time thinking about which channels are going to be most beneficial for their advertising, it’s also worth considering what consumers want from the ads they see. Here’s what data provided by GlobalWebIndex (GWI) reveals about what... READ MORE
Google Shopping and Paid Search Benchmarks for Retailers in 2020 Benchmark data covering average order values and return on ad spend, along with click-through and conversion rates.
Data from a new benchmark report by Sidecar shows that, in 2020, click-through rate (CTR) on Google Shopping ads dropped by 6% from 2019 — a decrease reflected across several verticals. Here’s a closer look at CTR and other metrics across various... READ MORE
2020 Business Video Completion Rates and Other Benchmarks The completion rate for business videos less than 1 minute stood at 58% in 2020.
Last year was a forgettable one all round, but an encouraging one for business videos. Not only did a majority of B2B marketers start off the year saying they were intending to use video as part of their marketing strategy, but by the end of the year close... READ MORE
Consumers Want A Lot from Brands on the Sustainability Front Some 9 in 10 consumers believe brands do a lot more to reduce their carbon impact.
When it comes to challenges such as fighting climate change, the vast majority of consumers believe businesses need to be doing their part (86%) and put people and the planet ahead of profits (82%). Additionally, nearly 9 in 10 (88%) believe sustainability... READ MORE
FMCG E-Commerce Spend Up by Almost Half Across the Globe in 2020 E-commerce accounted for 6.5% of total global FMCG sales last year.
Fueled by COVID-19 and the resultant consumer buying behaviors, spending on grocery items increased last year. A lot more of that spending was done online, per a report from Kantar, which found e-commerce’s share of global grocery sales in 2020 increased by... READ MORE
Here’s Who’s Constantly Online – and Never About 3 in 10 US adults are online "almost constantly."
The internet has made it possible to do activities such as shop, communicate and be entertained from anywhere a connection is available. And, since the start of the pandemic people have been turning to the internet even more for daily activities. In fact, Q1... READ MORE
Micro Influencers Still À La Mode in 2021 A full 90% of enterprise marketers using influencers plan to use micro-influencers this year.
Micro-influencers remain the most popular type of influencers for marketers to work with. Some 9 in 10 marketers surveyed for a recent report [download page] from Linqia say they want to work with micro-influencers (those with 5K to 100K followers) this... READ MORE
Non-Profits Upped Their Email Volume in 2020 Non-profits sent out an average of 59 emails per subscribers in 2020.
The volume of non-profit emails increased in 2020 to a median average of 59 emails sent per subscriber, per the latest annual M+R Benchmarks report. Overall, non-profits reported a 17% increase in email volume over 2019. Public Media organizations were the... READ MORE
US Podcast Ad Spend Forecast to Top $1 Billion This Year, Double by 2023 Podcast advertising is expected to grow by more than 38% year-over-year in 2021.
Podcast advertising spending is continuing to grow, with spending in the US expected to eclipse $1 billion this year and $2 billion by 2023. Per a report from eMarketer, these numbers are an upgrade from previous estimates. These updated figures are based on... READ MORE
What Are the Main Drivers of Brand Trust? Respect for customer data, privacy and security is a top driver of brand trust.
Fewer than one-quarter of consumers in the US feel they are more in control of their data than they were a year ago. With consumers feeling like they have little control over the way their data is used by companies, it stands to reason that respect for... READ MORE
4 in 10 Consumers Say They’re Using Social Media More to Discover New Products and Brands Consumers are also using social to learn about products, services and brands.
The pandemic did a lot to push up the amount of time people spend on social media. In fact, Sprout Social’s The State of Social Media report shows that more than half of consumers surveyed have increased their social media use either significantly (27%) or... READ MORE
The Importance of Brand Trust Some 9 in 10 consumers are willing to recommend a brand they trust to a friend.
Trust is a key component of brand loyalty. Consumers are willing to recommend a brand they trust to a friend (90%), to buy from a trusted brand more often (88%) and to choose a trusted brand over others (82%). This is per a recent report [download page] from... READ MOREFeel Like You're Always Playing Catchup?
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