nielsen | Internet Marketing Blog

Increased online gameplay is changing e-commerce to g-commerce

Nielsen says people are spending more time online playing games than sending email – bringing new meaning to the phrase “everyone is a gamer.” How can marketers use the increase in gameplay to their advantage? For e-tailers, the goal should be to add gaming elements to the purchase process, also called “gamification.” That can be as simple as advertising in and around games, or as complex as revamping an entire Web site to include badges, points and virtual currency.

If it sounds like too much work, read on from some stats from Interpret that prove why gamers may be an e-tailer’s most coveted target demographic.

by Tameka Kee 05 November 2010 19:52pm 1 comment

App culture, or app myopia?

If you work in technology or digital marketing, you probably take it for granted that mobile apps are a mainstream phenomenon. But is that really the case? Sort of, according to a new Pew Internet telephone survey.

According to the survey, 35% of adults in the United States have applications on their phone. That's a fairly big number.

by Patricio Robles 15 September 2010 13:36pm 1 comment

Social media claims more of our attention. But email's not dead yet.

In the battle for our digital attention, social media appears to be winning. According to Nielsen, social networking is now the most popular activity online.

In contrast, email now occupies less of our time online than gaming. But rumors of its demise are greatly exaggerated. The email is still alive and kicking.

by Meghan Keane 02 August 2010 23:20pm 11 comments

Reddit's dream: I'll trade you all of these page views for all of your money

Last week, I wrote about popular user-generated news site Reddit, which, despite being owned by Conde Nast, finds itself having money problems.

To solve them, at least temporarily, it asked for donations. And it got plenty of them -- approximately 6,000. Calling the fundraising campaign a "triumph," a member of Reddit's team also wrote, "It's given everyone involved with reddit a good kick in the pants right when we needed it."

by Patricio Robles 19 July 2010 15:47pm 2 comments

Users still hate slow sites: Nielsen

Users still have little tolerance for slow loading pages and websites, and these problems tend to be caused by server delays and widgets, rather than large images.

According to Jakob Nielsen, slow loading is a common complaint from users during testing sessions. Faster loading times can mean more conversions, so what can retailers do?

by Graham Charlton 22 June 2010 08:51am 3 comments

ComScore tries to befriend small publishers, startups

When major advertisers and agencies are looking to buy media online, they typically turn to companies like comScore and Nielsen for audience measurement data. That makes these companies extremely important to publishers.

Unfortunately, smaller publishers and startups in most cases simply can't afford to jump in bed with the comScores and Nielsens of the world. That has created opportunity for upstart competitors like Quantcast and Compete, which are aiming to away at their positions in the market.

by Patricio Robles 27 May 2010 11:30am 1 comment

Online video ads are more effective than TV — because viewers are forced to watch them

Display ads may have a reputation for being ignored, but not all digital ads are created equal. According to a new study from Nielsen, online video ads are actually more effective than TV ads.

Considering that online video ads also cannot be skipped, that doesn't necessarily mean they're better than traditional TV ads. In fact, often, they're exactly the same.

by Meghan Keane 23 April 2010 18:14pm 7 comments

Web users spend 80% of time above the fold: Nielsen

While web users do scroll below the fold on websites, the portion of space 'above the fold' still remains the most valuable, with 80% of users' time on sites spent in this area.

This is the verdict of Jakob Nielsen's latest blog post, which recommends that any truly important elements are left above the fold on the page.

by Graham Charlton 23 March 2010 09:59am 11 comments

The Super Bowl and the value of social media

super bowl logo The research studies, expert opinions and post-mortems are rolling in. For some, the Super Bowl is the biggest game of the year. For others, it's the biggest (and certainly the most expensive) television advertising event. And there's never a shortage of gurus, pundits and wannabes eager to weigh in on how Super Bowl spots integrate with the online flavor du jour. It used to be Web sites, then search. This year, of course the talk is all about social media.

by Rebecca Lieb 10 February 2010 17:23pm 0 comments

Nielsen: Consumers will pay for online content. But not all of it.

The issue of charging for online content is coming to head as companies watch their advertising revenues dip and costs rise. But a new survey from Nielsen provides new hope for content providers looking to monetize in the new economy: consumers are willing to pay for content. But the value of that content differs across media and location.

by Meghan Keane 06 January 2010 00:30am 1 comment