Stay in Touch
Uber is turning to e-commerce to keep both its riders and drivers happy as it faces stiffer competition in the ridesharing market. The company announced today that it's launched a shopping app in conjunction with Cargo, a startup that signed a deal to become Uber's exclusive "in-car commerce provider" a year ago.
More businesses are forgoing CMOs and looking toward more digitally savvy talent to lead marketing. The problem is: It's unclear if there's enough talent to meet the growing need.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Amazon's Brand Accelerator program includes a clause that grants the company the right to purchase any brand it works with for a set price. Essentially, what this means is that Amazon agrees to provide resources to help a business's sales, but it can – at a moment's notice – decide to purchase the brand and bring the entire operation in-house.
Amazon’s algorithms always favor high sell-through rates, consistent ad spend and low returns, but Prime Day sees the peak of those algorithmic preferences as Amazon is expected to bring in $6.1 billion in sales on July 15 and 16, according to marketing platform IgnitionOne.
For Amazon sellers, account managers have been considered a lifeline -- the real people on the other end who can cut through the black box of selling on Amazon to field questions and offer support for individual sellers’ needs
As Amazon continues to set shipping expectations, competing marketplaces and platforms are racing to ensure their sellers don't fall behind. This week, Etsy became the latest marketplace to go all-in on free shipping, with an announcement that at the end of July, it will start ranking sellers who offer free shipping higher in search results.
The DTX Company, Tim Armstrong’s DTC investment firm and marketing service, today launched a new concept called Unbox that will build a platform for brands in the program to reach new customers through events, offline retail activations, catalogs, TV and mobile, targeting areas largely untapped by young direct-to-consumer companies that have so far focused their marketing energies on the coasts.
Compared to Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest offers direct-to-consumer brands access to a smaller user base. But, it's starting to become a greater part of their marketing mix, albeit a smaller one, as brands look for cheaper traffic elsewhere as advertising costs on Facebook and Instagram continue to rise.
As Rent the Runway has established itself in the rental apparel market, the business is growing on the back of word-of-mouth, user-generated content and other organic marketing means. According to Anushka Salinas, Rent the Runway’s chief revenue officer, 94% of the company’s customers are acquired organically, while the rest come through paid marketing initiatives.
TikTok is the app du jour for the younger generation, and advertisers are just beginning to dabble with it. But does it have the ability to become a social commerce leader? While TikTok's parent company has seen e-commerce success in other territories, a few obstacles remain in the way in the United States.
On Thursday, Amazon announced Counter, a new service that will allow customers to pick up Amazon packages from select retailers' stores. Amazon's initial launch partner for Counter in the U.S. is Rite Aid. But in its press release, the e-commerce giant said that it's "actively looking to bring additional partners onboard, including small to midsize businesses and other large chains." It's indicative of the power Amazon still holds over brick-and-mortar retailers.
Instacart chief business officer Nilam Ganenthiran explained how Instacart is plotting its roadmap for grocery’s online turning point, the influence of the delivery wars being fought by Amazon and Walmart on the business, and why the company won’t open its own grocery store.
Amazon has rolled out a series of new initiatives this year to help tackle its marketplace’s counterfeit and unauthorized seller problem head-on in an effort to protect brands and customers. But thanks to a slurry of fast-changing rules, a lack of clear communication and automated product sweeps, third-party marketplace sellers are getting caught in the fray and losing out on sales.
Live today, Made For You is a razor brand for men and women made by Bic and selling exclusively on Amazon. As subscription razor companies have flooded the DTC market, Bic is using Amazon’s platform and existing operations – fulfillment, fast delivery, an existing membership base with Prime – to compete.
Ebay is pushing ahead on making its marketplace more personalized as customers shop not just by selection, but convenience. On Thursday, the company announced it was releasing 10 new features that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to learn and then adapt to customer preferences in search, product suggestions and ads, as well as on the homepage and through customer service.
It’s normal for digital marketers to feel overwhelmed when dealing with the challenges that can come with a major launch, but when armed with the right tools and know-how to combat the most common obstacles, your team can set sail without a hitch.
Amazon has previously offered vendors the ability to bid on the Amazon’s Choice badge by lowering prices, increasing profitability per sale for Amazon and increasing marketing spend, according to sources who received the pitch from the company.
Read MoreRecognizing the companies and campaigns modernizing retail in the digital age.
Submit Now
