David Moth

Mobile is almost as popular as desktop for travel research: report

When researching their next holiday or business trip consumers are just as likely to turn to their mobile device as they are to use a laptop, according to new research from JiWire.

However laptops are still by far the most popular device when it comes to actually making a purchase.

The new report into mobile’s role in the travel industry shows that 56% of consumers use their laptop to research travel options, compared to 49% on tablet and 48% on smartphone.

This underlines the fact that travel agents and hotels need to have a mobile optimised site or app to cater for changing consumer behaviours.

by David Moth 22 May 2013 13:37pm 0 comments

Security and fraud concerns are biggest barriers to mobile payment adoption

Much was written about the predicted boom in mobile payments last year, but it still seems to be some way from becoming an every day payment method.

NFC and mobile wallets were all set to become commonplace following a successful trial at the Olympics, but despite the increasing use of contactless bank cards I’m yet to see anyone pay for anything using their mobile phone.

However new research into consumer attitudes suggests that people are slowly edging towards accepting the technology.

A survey of 2,006 consumers by eDigitalResearch found that 39% of respondents had seen a contactless payment point, up from just 15% in May 2012.

by David Moth 22 May 2013 10:34am 1 comment

How The Rolling Stones use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

It’s time again for us to shine a light on how one of the world’s biggest brands use the four main social networks.

However unlike in previous weeks when we’ve focused on consumer brands such as Coca-Cola, BMW, Red Bull and Nike, this week the subject is The Rolling Stones.

The Stones are obviously very different from the other brands we’ve looked at in that they have a dedicated, global fan base, but they’ve still got to try and maximise their revenue by flogging concert tickets and merchandise.

With ticket prices what they are this is no easy task, particularly when targeting younger fans who won’t be as familiar with the band as older generations.

But social media allows them to bridge this gap to an extent and make the wrinkly rockers appear relevant and in tune with younger audiences.

So to find out exactly how they’re doing it, here’s a look at how The Rolling Stones use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+...

by David Moth 22 May 2013 09:39am 0 comments

How the top 10 US retailers use Pinterest

Pinterest is no longer the darling of the social media world, but its relationship with brands has become cosier recently with the launch of its business pages and new updates that enable companies to show product information on their pins.

The power of Pinterest as a tool for driving traffic and sales is an issue we’ve investigated extensively on the blog, as well publishing a Best Practice Guide on the subject.

However some brands remain unconvinced and either don’t have an account on the social network or give their pages limited attention.

So to find out who is yet to jump on the bandwagon, here is a look at how the top 10 US retailers use Pinterest...

by David Moth 21 May 2013 14:18pm 1 comment

Just 15% of consumers believe it pays to be loyal to brands

Only 15% of British consumers believe strongly that it pays to be loyal to their favourite brands, according to a new survey by Epsilon.

However if brands can offer what consumers want – which half of respondents identified as being value and quality in the products or services they are offered – they have a good chance of encouraging customers to remain loyal.

The research, which was conducted among 419 British respondents, also shows that the recession appears to have made UK shoppers more frugal.

More than half (57%) of respondents said that they will shop around to find the best deal and just (15%) are prepared to pay the premium for luxury products and new-to-market products.

Looking at what drives repeat purchases, just over a quarter (28%) of British customers see rewards programmes as an incentive to secure their loyalty.

by David Moth 21 May 2013 11:14am 1 comment

Six brands that have been busy experimenting with Google Hangouts

We’ve been keen exponents of Google Hangouts for some time here at Econsultancy as they’re a great way of sharing content and promoting our brand.

In recent weeks we’ve hosted several Hangouts as part of our preparations for Integrated Marketing Week which has helped us to identify and iron out a few bugs with the system.

Our head of social Matt Owen has become something of an expert on Hangouts as a result and yesterday blogged his tips for hosting a successful event.

Currently I feel that Hangouts are one of the few reasons for bothering with G+ as user interaction with brand updates is generally extremely low.

And on the same theme, here are six examples of other brands that have been experimenting with Google Hangouts...

by David Moth 21 May 2013 11:51am 1 comment

Organic posts are most popular social tactic but paid ads are more successful: report

Despite the marketing potential that exists in social networks there has always been an element of doubt over the efficacy of buying social ads.

Some of the most convincing arguments against social ads are that people don’t want to be sold to while they’re socialising and that you can’t always trust the validity of personal data on networks like Facebook.

In fact our own head of social Matt Owen recently blogged about the problems he encountered with gauging the success of Promoted Posts due to poor targeting tools and fake profiles.

But a new report from Kenshoo shows that although organic posts (such as maintaining a branded Facebook page) are the most popular social tactic, paid ads actually proved to be the most successful approach.

by David Moth 20 May 2013 12:16pm 0 comments

11 ways to improve the navigation on your mobile site

Navigation is central to the mobile user experience as visitors want to be able to find what they’re looking for or browse your wares with little fuss.

If they have to struggle with confusing menu options and numerous barriers then they’ll become frustrated and jump ship to one of your competitors.

A new report investigating consumer opinions of mobile commerce has found that there is still a perception that the mobile web offers a poor user experience.

More than a third (37%) of respondents in the EPiServer survey agreed that many mobile websites are difficult to navigate, an increase from 32% in 2011.

With this in mind, here are 11 tips for improving mobile web navigation...

by David Moth 20 May 2013 11:05am 15 comments

This week's finest digital marketing infographic

It’s that time again when we present the finest digital marketing infographic we’ve seen this week and I’m pleased to say that this time round the winner is a friend of mine.

This infographic was created by our very own Matt Owen to summarise some of the findings from the new Econsultancy/Adobe Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing titled ‘From Content Management to Customer Experience Management’.

The report, based on a global survey of more than 1,000 respondents, is devoted to the topic of web content management (WCM), an area which is becoming a focal point for companies wishing to deliver a truly seamless multichannel customer experience.

by David Moth 17 May 2013 11:46am 2 comments

10 interesting digital marketing stats we've seen this week

Here are some of the most interesting digital marketing stats we've seen this week.

Stats include ecommerce in the Middle East, multiscreening, online spending in China, email marketing, mobile in emerging markets and digital budgets in APAC.

For more digital marketing stats, check out our Internet Statistics Compendium.

by David Moth 17 May 2013 10:52am 2 comments