Link: http://searchenginewatch.com/3632506

Link: http://www.marketingprofs.com/8/power-of-podcasts-formica.asp?sp=1&adref=NsbM419

A good article on processors like PayPal, Bill Me Later,Google Checkout, and eBillMe.

Link: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Alternative-Payments-More-Ways-to-Close-the-Sale-65954.html

[youtube=http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=4c_nAmJbjvw]

Great ad- very effective.

The trends I am seeing in advertising these days are empathy, and showing potential customers how they can SAVE money. A great example of the latter is how Loblaws, a grocery store chain in Canada, is airing commercials that show how you can save money by purchasing their ‘No Name’ brand of products versus traditional brand name goods.

It will be interesting  to see how this ‘cost savings’ approach does vs. showcasing the usual features and benefits…

-Tim

I have always been a big believer in online video. Generally speaking, I think the more we can make online shopping like shopping in a brick and morter store- the better sales results a company will see. I read today that the number of online shoppers who watched retail videos grew 40% in a single year.

Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, Video Usage in E-Commerce: The Best Is Yet to Come states that some of the benefits of online video are: “a lower number of abandoned shopping carts, reduced return rates and higher sales.”

It is also interesting to note that Internet Retailer found that adding video topped online retailers’ to-do lists for 2009.

To read more about online video trends visit emarketer.com 

Some great feedback I received from people working in the industry via LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/mobile-marketing/MAR_MOB/394393-10982306

Link: http://www.communicopia.com/blog/how-tap-social-media-summary-groundswell

Link: http://zenhabits.net/2009/01/the-socratic-method-to-great-living-5-simple-steps/

From TechCrunch.com: http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/25/friendfeed-hits-nearly-one-million-users-grew-tenfold-in-the-past-six-months/

Link: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/got-a-question-ask-kgb-agents-for-the-answer/