Total in-home data usage surged 18% in 2020 compared to 2019 As millions of Americans sheltered in place and shifted to working from home and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing research from Comscore, a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating media across platforms, found that overall in-home data usage levels throughout 2020 remained significantly higher than in 2019. ome custom reporting showed increased usage across all connected devices; smart TVs, laptops, gaming…

In line with recent research from McKinsey and IBM, Bright Pattern sees companies finding smarter ways to operate, increasing digital and mobile channel adoption Bright Pattern, a leading provider of AI-powered cloud omnichannel contact center software, has seen new approaches taken to mitigate the recent challenges from COVID-19 and increased acceleration of innovative digital approaches to better serve customers. McKinsey recently reported that digital channel adoption was vaulted forward 5 years in a span of only 8 weeks…

Think about your last experience at a restaurant—you know, before the global pandemic. If you had an excellent experience, many of the finer details of the meal are probably still sharp in your brain—the ambiance, the playlist, the conversation, the delicious food, of course. If you had a terrible experience, those details might be just as sharp, but not in the way any restaurant would want to be remembered. Now, if the experience was somewhere in the mediocre middle, the memories might be hazier. In fact, you may not…

The COVID-19 pandemic is revolutionizing business, and some industries have been more prepared for the changes than others —the sports world falls in the latter camp. The sports industry has been mind-blowingly lucrative for decades, with teams earning big bucks from ticket sales, broadcast partnerships, and licensing deals. These three revenue streams have only grown with technology’s rapidly changing evolutions. From 2011 to 2018, the global sports industry valuation grew 45%, to a whopping $471 billion in 2018, according…

In the latest research on Singapore’s resilience in recovering from the pandemic crisis, Zendesk has placed the highest priority on Customer Experience or CX Management. According to the Zendesk survey, the businesses in Singapore that prioritize CX are expected to recover faster from the challenges of the pandemic. Zendesk jointly conducted the research with Ecosystm, revealing that of the local companies that plan to decrease CX spend, 88% will only see recovery in the second half of 2021 or later. Here’s what the…

By now, the market trends are clear — industries that are conducive to social distancing are thriving, and others aren’t. E-commerce is a major beneficiary of the pandemic, with e-commerce growth said to have accelerated the equivalent of 4 to 6 years under non-pandemic projections. However, now that a coronavirus vaccine emerges, there’s an end in sight to the pandemic — and to “the new normal.” So, what’s going to happen to the e-commerce industry after the pandemic is over? Will consumers go back to their old ways, or…

The pandemic has accelerated a long overdue shift to the digitization of B2B sales. In this environment, seamless digital experiences and a renewed focus on the brand are vital to engage buyers and maintain customer relationships. For too long, B2B digital customer experience has lagged behind that of their consumer counterparts. The perceived wisdom on this matter suggests that complex products, and the importance of personal relationships, make shifting to a digital sales experience unattainable, which is simply not the…

96% of businesses are waiting on outstanding payments for 10+ days 96% of businesses have had outstanding payments for 10+ days over the last year, according to a new Forrester Consulting study1 commissioned by GoCardless, a leading fintech for recurring payments. The study, 'Rethink Your Payment Strategy To Save Your Customers And Bottom Line', examines how companies can use recurring payments2 solutions to boost their payments strategy, shorten DSO (Days Sales Outstanding), and protect their bottom line. Forrester…

As pandemic-fueled fraud reaches new heights, SAS and the ACFE commemorate International Fraud Awareness Week's 20-year anniversary As the global coronavirus pandemic rages on, another costly pandemic has taken shape. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), 77% of members surveyed reported increasing levels of fraud amid COVID-19 disruption, one-third of them describing it as significant – and 92% expect it to climb further still. Marketing Technology News: Fuze Named A Visionary In The 2020…

Rebel Gail Communications, a leading health, beauty and lifestyle communications agency released the results from their Pandemic Social & Shopping Impact Study. The nationwide survey by 360 Market Reach was conducted online within the U.S. among 500 consumers ages 18 and over between September 10 and September 23, 2020. A second wave of the survey was conducted between September 24 and October 7, 2020 again among 500 consumers ages 18 and over. The study reveals that social and online shopping trends aren't as clear cut…

COVID-19 has forced marketing teams to shrink their martech and marketing ops budgets. During such challenging times, we can learn from recent ABM Tactics for Retail We have covered the Account Based Marketing concepts extensively in the past. And, knowing its delicate role in Lead Gen Marketing and Sales Acceleration operations, ABM remains a hot topic discussed by MarTech leaders around the world. Even the customers from emerging markets have begun to pick ABM tools and practices to not just target larger accounts but…

While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a mostly negative impact across the mobile marketing landscape, YouAppi - a leading global marketing platform for the world's largest mobile brands - has conversely seen explosive growth in its products since January 2020. This growth is tied directly to the company's laser focus on the gaming vertical as well as the elevation of its retargeting solution, ReAppi, which saw 100% growth in revenue since the start of the pandemic. The gaming industry has proven to be a particularly…

BPI Network Study Highlights Requirement For More Affordable, Easy-to-Use PDF Editing Software to Maintain Licensing Budgets and Quickly Empower New Users The need for more affordable, full-featured and easy-to-use PDF editing software is growing rapidly among banking and financial services companies, in part due to increased requirements for digital interaction with customers and employees during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new study sponsored by Foxit Software, a leading provider of innovative PDF products and…

Morrison Consulting, LLC, a Scottsdale-based e-consultancy firm and Mode Effect, LLC, a Phoenix-based WordPress and WooCommerce development firm, both established Arizona companies recently merged to create a full-service ecommerce consulting, development and management agency. "Something we've been talking about a lot since merger of our teams and talent is how the pandemic has affected our eCommerce clients – and, especially, how the pandemic will impact the holiday shopping season," said John Morrison, CEO.…

The US is seen as having the biggest shift in how brands communicate in the pandemic in a global survey of marketing, brand, and comms directors. Nearly half of US respondents said brands have become more formal, compared with a global average of 37%. And 70% said they'd seen a change in brand comms, again well ahead of the global average. The survey, by language and behavioral science agency Schwa, also showed that paradoxically more than four out of 10 believe that brands have become more "soft and fluffy" and almost a…

The Advisory Group of San Francisco, providers of Wealth & Life strategy, announced the launch of their "Midlife Gap Year" guide encouraging successful, driven business owners and professionals to prepare a post-pandemic plan, now. Gen X-ers experiencing a COVID-induced desire for a life change can plan a Midlife Gap Year--- an extended break from their career to rejuvenate or pivot. The "Gap Year" is often a coming-of-age milestone for high school graduates before their next chapter. Yet, Gen X-ers in the throes of…

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to negatively impact retail holiday shopping plans this year.  According to the latest survey findings, more than half of consumers (54%) expect to participate in sales events and 42% plan to spend less than a year ago. 91% of those who will participate will shop for deals online exclusively rather than doing it in a physical brick and mortar store. However, these online holiday shopping plans differ significantly across markets,  categories and products that the users shop for. The…

Respondents in Brazil, France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. express heightened price sensitivity, economic insecurity, and suspicion of unfair retail prices For retailers already navigating gale-force winds caused by the whipsawing shopper, competitors, and market changes, there is no end in sight. A recent global shopper study conducted by Progressive Grocer and its parent company EnsembleIQ uncovers startling shifts in shopper behaviors occurring during the COVID-19 era, many of them likely to persist well beyond the…

Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, released a new report—"COVID-19 Reshapes the Global Customer Engagement Landscape"—detailing changing consumer preferences and behaviors and how businesses and service providers need to transform their customer engagement strategies to become more agile and adapt to changes driven by the COVID era. This report follows the January 2020 Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report and captures unique insight about…

New research from Narvar, an intelligent customer engagement platform, illustrates how COVID-19 has affected consumer behavior and expectations, particularly around deliveries, returns, and omnichannel shopping, in ways that will be long-lasting and influence loyalty. The report, "State of Returns: New Expectations," analyzes the sentiments of online shoppers in the U.S. market. COVID-19 has clearly accelerated some shopping behaviors while slowing others. Consumers have been forced to shift towards online shopping to the…