Content Marketing

With recent headlines showing influencers are lying about products, to social platforms expanding their noninfluencer features, it’s clear consumer preferences are shifting and influencers no longer hold the power over consumer purchases as they once did a few years ago. Why is this the case? A lack of authenticity from influencers and sponsored content is…

Today’s retail environment demands ultra-relevant customer experiences (CX). Consumer needs change swiftly, inventory moves fast, and trends come and go. By creating content informed by evolving customer data, businesses can drive engagement, differentiate their brands, and deliver exceptional CX that keep customers returning for more. Most retailers aren’t there yet, however. A content gap stands…

In episode 410 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jeffery Fowler, CEO at Hodinkee, an influential editorial and e-commerce site for new and vintage wristwatches. Fowler provides an overview of the Hodinkee business, including its start as a blog (0:58), his professional background that led him to join the brand (7:00), and the drivers…

It’s estimated that 30 percent of apparel and shoes purchased online are returned. And per the National Retail Federation, the projected cumulative cost of returns last year was $761 billion (this equates to 17 percent of all purchases, an 11 percent increase from our previous year's research). Returns are an expensive proposition for retailers. As…

In a hyperconnected world, consumers are constantly being exposed to content from all angles. As a retailer, this can be an opportunity and a curse. On one hand, it’s easy to promote brand content across digital platforms, yet on the other, it can be incredibly difficult to stand out — especially as four in 10…

Since the moment Bulova watches debuted the first television ad during a baseball game in 1941, TV advertising has had a last-mile quandary: How do brands convert the desire to purchase into actual sales? With the dawn of digital advertising and its clear path to conversion, advertisers began shifting their dollars away from TV. Now,…

Have you ever wanted to buy out a billboard next door to Snoop Dogg’s mansion? While this may have just been a very specific pipedream a few years ago (and highly dependent on how close Snoop’s mansion is to Highway 101), it's now a very real possibility in the metaverse. Once a futuristic buzzword, the…

Technology is advancing at an extremely fast pace — just look at how quickly ChatGPT has become a household name. It has dominated news cycles and heightened our awareness and understanding of where, and how, artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting our lives. From digital assistants like Siri, to predicting customer behavior and preferences, AI is…

I'm an everyday shopper like many of you. Say you're interested in buying something but you haven’t committed to the exact product or brand that you want to purchase. What’s the first thing you do? If you're like the majority of shoppers out there, you search online to find more information about the product, to…

The ripping sound of opening packages played a bigger role than anyone expected in creating today’s creator economy. Eagerly watching YouTubers removing new products from their packaging were among the first successful binge-worthy online productions. With new social media channels and more and more influencers competing for viewers and likes, unboxing needed a makeover. Authentic…