Google launches in-app subscriptions on Google Play
For developers building mobile and tablet apps, in-app billing is an indispensable monetization tool.
After all, it's often easier and more profitable to give an app away for free and then charge for extra features. This is particularly true for gaming apps.
But there's another monetization tool that many developers, particularly those building content-rich apps, have been eying: in-app subscriptions.
PayPal partners with 15 retailers in big offline push
PayPal may already be ubiquitous on the web, but the payments giant has its sights set on much bigger fish offline.
In an effort to bring PayPal purchasing to the masses wherever they shop, the company yesterday announced pacts with 15 major retailers in the United States that will give consumers the ability to pay for their purchases using PayPal.
This week's top six infographics
Here's a round up of some of the best infographics we've seen this week.
Topics include cookies, Facebook and LinkedIn for B2B marketing, social sharing buttons, and mobile.
If you can't quite read the text, click on the images to see a larger version..
10 interesting digital stats we've seen this week
I've rounded up some of the most interesting digital marketing stats I've seen this week.
Topics covered include the use of tablets and other devices while watching TV, search marketing budgets, mobile payments and Google+.
Only 16% of businesses use data to form a single customer view
While digital media has given businesses numerous channels to engage with their customers, only 16% of companies currently use that data to form a single customer view (SCV).
Creating a SCV gives businesses the ability to track customers and their communications and purchase behaviour across channels.
A survey by Experian found that while 72% of businesses recognise the benefits of using data to offer customers a joined-up multichannel experience, 84% aren’t able to use the data effectively.
More than two-thirds (70%) believe that a SCV would lead to cost savings, with 20% claiming it would help to reduce their bad debt.
Facebook launches homegrown mobile photo app
What's cooler than spending $1bn on a mobile photo sharing app?
The answer: spending $1bn on a mobile photo service and then launching your own mobile photo sharing app service weeks later.
Tablets now 20% of mobile ad impressions: report
The future may be mobile, but capitalizing on the mobile opportunity hasn't exactly been easy for many publishers and advertisers.
As companies like Facebook and Twitter are learning the hard way, delivering effective ads to consumers through mobile devices can be tough.
Despite the fact that mobile devices are always on and always connected, they have natural limitations which restrict where and how many ads can be served.
Which of these smartphone card readers will win the mobile payments race?
The mobile payment industry is constantly evolving and extremely complex.
NFC gains a lot of attention largely thanks to the fact that Visa has thrown its weight behind the technology. However, as yet, it has failed to take off because access to NFC enabled devices is limited and consumers are still largely sceptical.
In the short-term, it seems likely that mobile card readers will prove to be more popular with merchants and consumers.
The EU cookie law conundrum in numbers [Infographic]
With the deadline for compliance with the EU e-Privacy Directive just two days away, we've rounded up some of the key stats in an infographic.
This embeddable infographic looks at marketers' and consumers' views of the EU cookie law, and our five-step plan for compliance.
This is a topic we've covered in detail, so I've also rounded up some of our recent articles and other resources on the EU cookie law.
Ballmer's bold prediction: up to 500m Windows 8 users in 2013
According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Windows 8 represents a "rebirth" of Windows and it's the "deepest, broadest and most impactful" version of the operating system his company has yet created.
Those are strong words from a man whose legacy may hinge upon Windows 8's success. But Ballmer apparently isn't afraid to use them, or to offer up bold predictions about how fast Windows 8 will find its way onto consumer devices.
