ChoiceStream

Leading economic indicators are looking up, but consumers are keeping a frugal mindset for 2010, according to research from About.com. The "2010 Consumer Study" indicates more online shopping for 64% of those surveyed. More than one-half of online buyers found online ads helpful when researching and shopping online. While one-third of the online buyers who were aided by ads said they helped them save money, the majority appreciated online ads for informing them about a product or service previously unknown.Read the full article at eMarketer

For mobile commerce to gain critical mass, consumers must be able to at least access the Internet from their mobile phones. More than 80 million US mobile phone users will access the Internet from their device in 2010, eMarketer forecasts. That’s nearly 35% of all mobile phone users and almost 27% of the US population. By 2013, almost 50% of mobile phone subscribers will have Internet access.Read the full article at Cellular-News

Richard Scott Saban of consultancy Retail In Action notes that the difference between predictive analytics and other analytical methodologies is that predictive analytics are proactive while the traditional applications of business analytics are reactive. “Putting this into a retail framework, the discussion goes to a method of managing customers based on the ability to predict their future behavior based on their past behaviors [giving retailers] the ability to predict future customer [shopping] behavior. “The precursor to forecasting customer behavior is to build strong relationships that foster intimacy. The relationship becomes the foundation for creating a single view of the customer, as an individual, and the ability to differentiate them from one another based on their personal behaviors.” As with any business selling any product, differentiation is the key to sway the customer to make a purchase in a world of seemingly similar products. “Differentiation is the tool that uncovers who the most valuable customers are, and how to maximize each interaction with that customer.” Saban concludes “By tagging similar behaviors, retailers can begin to segment their customer population and start making data driven decisions that are based in fact.” Read the full article at Retail Touch Points

Next month Scout Analytics will begin testing keystroke dynamics -- technology that creates individual digital fingerprints for each consumer user -- as a behavioral targeting tactic. If the testing is successful, Scout plans to offer its technology to retailers and other businesses that target ads directly to consumers through behavioral targeting platforms. Keystroke dynamics analyze typing patterns such as how long each key gets held down while typing, and the length of time between each press. These typing patterns represent a signature. So, rather than rely on a cookie that can get wiped out by clearing a browser, now behavioral targeters can use parameters from browsers that create a digital fingerprint. “It’s one way to track individual users without providing personally identifiable information,” says Matt Shanahan, VP of strategy for Scout.Read the full article

ReadWriteWeb’s Dana Oshiro notes that, “There’s a reason why vanity URLs, personalized profile pages and recommendation systems are so popular. To a customer or site visitor, there’s nothing more interesting than themselves.” Oshiro interviewed industry vet David Thompson (former CMO of WebEx and author of Sales 2.0 for Dummies) who noted that today’s landscape is the toughest in history to make a sale – and it doesn’t have anything to do with the economy. According to Thompson, “The web has tipped the scales in favor of the buyer. You can get on the phone with a sales rep and rather than being confused by product features, you’ve done all the research and your position as a buyer is strong. Today, a sales person has to assume transparency.” So naturally, in order to close deals, sales people need to know as much as they possibly can about a potential customer. Thompson believes that using social tools to understand customers on a personal level is exactly how trust is established and sales are made. And he believes this holds equally true for small businesses or top 500 companies.Read the full article at ReadWriteWeb

Americans spend nearly 3 hours (actually 2.7 hours) online via their mobile devices each day, according to a new study of mobile internet use by Ruder Finn. Most (91%) go online to socialize, compared to 79% of traditional web users. “Mobile phones have become the way people organize their lives - managing finances, connecting with friends, purchasing products - and this trend will only accelerate,” said Kathy Bloomgarden, Ruder Finn co-CEO. “The mobile phone is becoming the most powerful online device, and the faster businesses can adapt their services to harness consumer mobile intent, the more rapidly they can capitalize on understanding their customers to drive growth.“Read the full article at MarketingVox

By 2015, shoppers worldwide will spend $119 billion on goods and services purchased via mobile phones, representing about 8% of total e-commerce sales, predicts ABI Research, an emerging technologies research and consulting firm. “Mobile online shopping is reaching critical mass,” says senior analyst Mark Beccue. “In the United States, mobile online shopping rose from $396 million in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009. While definitions of ‘mass market adoption’ vary, a 203% increase in one year indicates significant consumer interest.”Read the full article at Internet Retailer

The majority of businesses are planning to upgrade functionality of their web sites in 2010 while moving their advertising from offline to online, reports AIS Media Inc.’s “2010 Business Website and Interactive Marketing Usage Survey.” Of the 91% of businesses who claim they have web sites, 64% of those plan to invest in improving their web site design, 70% plan to invest in improving functionality and 71% indicate that their web site will play a larger or the same role in their overall business and/or marketing strategy as it did in 2009.Read the full article at Internet Retailer

The benefits of the long tail may go beyond selling large quantities of niche items. Having a comprehensive inventory makes your customers more satisfied and more likely to patronize you again, according to a new Yahoo research study. Yahoo’s scientists found, for instance, that movies that attracted only 2% of demand had the potential to grow Netflix’s customer base by 7% as a result of attracting newly satisfied customers. They also found that fulfilling an additional 1% of consumption in the tail of search queries yielded a 6% increase in the number of people who were very satisfied with search result inventory. The study’s authors conclude that “Tail availability may boost head sales by offering consumers the convenience of ‘one-stop shopping’ for both their mainstream and niche interests.” Read the full article at NY Times

A report by eMarketer on online audience data in relation to web advertising shows that behavioral targeting is a growing concern among marketers, yet trying to get web audiences to understand it so they no longer look at as an invasion of privacy is another matter all together. The US Government is very concerned over the amount of information online advertisers collect online and so are most Americans who use the web. Yet for marketers it’s a different situation, says eMarketer senior analyst, David Hallerman. “Audience discomfort around marketers collecting data has led to calls for regulation,” says Hallerman, who emphasized that many companies are sitting it out for now waiting to see how privacy issues will play out. “Some brands are staying on the sidelines of behavioral targeting because they fear consumer backlash.” It’s predicted that online advertisers in the US will spend more than $1.1 billion on behaviorally targeted advertising in 2010.Read the full article