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When it Comes to Finance, Clothes, and Skincare, Social Media Users Prefer Brands Over Influencers

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According to an October survey by Snap Inc. and IPG Magna, social media users in select nations (the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, and Saudi Arabia) trust brands more than influencers regarding finance, fashion, and skincare. This trend is especially prominent in finance.

“Brand-let creator communities are a happy medium for gaining consumer trust. These communities, in which select creators are backed by brands, could win points from both those who trust brands more and those who trust creators more,” according to EMarketer.

Despite receiving much financial advice from TikTok, Generation Z is cautious when selecting financial products. Influencers in this field must demonstrate some level of authority to get trust.

Chinese TikTok Sellers Complain about Intensifying US Rule Enforcement

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Chinese e-commerce merchants looking to sell products on TikTok Shop in the United States as an alternative to Amazon are concerned about measures the short video app has taken to strengthen enforcement of its regulations for overseas sellers launching stores on the site.

According to Reuters, TikTok, which faces the prospect of having to divest its US operations or being banned, has recently taken a tougher stance on enforcing its internal rules, according to five Chinese vendors on the site and an industry association that represents 3,000 Chinese stores selling products online.

TikTok is mandating that US organizations be 51% US owned and chaired by a US passport holder, according to the vendors and Winnie Wang, executive chairman of the Shenzhen Cross Border E-Commerce Association, China’s largest seller association situated in the manufacturing heartland.

Many Chinese vendors were recognized as US merchants on the platform, but the laws now require them to be re-registered as international sellers, which they claim receive less prominence and assistance, placing them at a disadvantage compared to US TikTok sellers, reported Reuters.

Google on importance of About Us and Contact Pages

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Google’s John Mueller responded to a concern regarding whether adding a “contact page” and/or a “about page” was a good idea because Google considers them significant.

Mueller explained why the contact and about us sections were valuable.

The Search Engine Journal summarized Meuller’s answers, stating that identifying who is responsible for a webpage is easier when an about page outlines the individuals behind the website and why site users should trust them.

Meuller tweeted: I can think of good reasons for some sites to have these kinds of pages, but, after double-checking, there’s nothing in our search developer documentation that suggests this is needed.

“And the reality is that the length of content is not a ranking factor or an influence on ranking, it simply doesn’t matter to Google. The only thing that matters is if it’s useful or helpful and offers a good and satisfying experience for users,” summarized the Search Engine Journal.

YouTube Requires Content made by AI to Include a Disclaimer

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YouTube now asks creators to indicate whether their videos contain AI-generated or altered content that could be mistaken as genuine.

Google announced on its blog that disclosure labels will appear in the video description or on the player, with some exclusions for unrealistic or small changes.

The change is intended to promote openness and trust and help users understand AI’s expanding role in content development.

“And while we want to give our community time to adjust to the new process and features, in the future we’ll look at enforcement measures for creators who consistently choose not to disclose this information,” Google stated.

“In some cases, YouTube may add a label even when a creator hasn’t disclosed it, especially if the altered or synthetic content has the potential to confuse or mislead people,” the company added.

In addition, as previously disclosed, Google is working on a new privacy policy that would allow anyone to request the removal of AI-generated or other synthetic or altered content that resembles an identifiable human, such as their voice or face.

Global E-Commerce Sales to Exceed $6 Trillion, 20% of All Retail Sales

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Worldwide retail e-commerce sales will account for one-fifth (20.1%) of overall retail sales this year, totaling $6.334 trillion, according to a forecast by EMarketer.

In the following three years, global e-commerce expansion will progressively decrease, per EMarketer’s Worldwide Retail Ecommerce Forecast 2024 report.

Latin America will experience the most rapid e-commerce growth rate among the markets this year, at 15.8%, whereas Western Europe will experience the weakest at 6.4%.

China will continue to dominate global e-commerce sales, accounting for over half of the total in 2024, with revenue of $3.235 trillion.

According to the report, the United States ranks second with $1.251.051 trillion in e-commerce sales this year, followed by the United Kingdom with $220.55 billion.

Big Tech Dominates US Digital Ad Market

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Big Tech (Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft) will account for roughly two-thirds of total US digital ad spending this year, according to the October 2023 projection by EMarketer.

Its share has more than doubled since EMarketer began tracking it in 2008.

Big Tech’s supremacy is primarily due to strategic mergers and acquisitions. Significant acquisitions, such as Facebook’s purchase of Instagram in 2012 and Google’s purchase of YouTube in 2006, have accelerated its power, while smaller, undisclosed transactions have also contributed, noted EMarketer.

US antitrust litigation against Google, Meta, Amazon, and eventually Apple could change the landscape of the digital ad sector and reallocate ad dollars.

TikTok Advertisers will Seek Alternatives if US Senate Moves Forward with Ban

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Advertisers who use TikTok to reach young customers are making backup plans with social media competitors in case the short-form video app is sold or banned in the United States.

Still, many are waiting for Senate action before spending marketing dollars, reported Reuters.

House Republicans voted Wednesday to force Chinese internet giant ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or face a ban. This would pose one of the company’s most major obstacles, as it has long faced national security worries.

The White House has urged the Senate to pass the law, which US President Joe Biden has promised to sign.

The report noted that ad analysts predict that if TikTok is prohibited, its main competitors, Meta’s Reels and YouTube’s Shorts, will benefit from advertising dollars.

According to Insider Intelligence, TikTok is expected to generate $8.66 billion in advertising revenue in the United States this year.

Report: Tiktok is Developing a New Photo Sharing Platform to Compete with Instagram

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TikTok has long dominated the short-form video market, and other platforms such as Instagram and YouTube have imitated its popularity and integrated it into their apps under the name Reels & Shorts.

TikTok appears to be copying Instagram and will soon launch its own photo-sharing site, reported TheSpAndroid.

“The posts which Tiktok is talking about here may be the old photos which you have posted on Tiktok already and new ones which you might post through the Tiktok app instead of the Tiktok Photos app,” stated the report.

“This is all about it, there is no info when it will be launched and in which regions. This will be available on Android and iOS for sure but the same can’t be said about a web version,” it added.

Consumers Prefer Receiving Coupons Via Email

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According to an Ascend2 and ActiveCampaign survey published in February 2024, more than three-quarters (77%) of US adults prefer to get e-commerce coupons by email.

Only 31% prefer to receive coupons by text, 30% using the store’s mobile app, and 19% via direct mail.

According to SeQuel Response and ISG data from April 2023, nearly two-thirds of US marketers have increased their annual email marketing budget in the last year, according to a report by EMarketer.

According to Zendesk statistics from August 2023, 53% of global business leaders expect generative AI to significantly impact customer emails during the next two years.

According to Marigold statistics from November 2023, half of all individuals globally made a purchase via email in the previous year, outnumbering other select digital channels (social media ad or post, SMS, banner ad), the report noted.

Over a Third of Amazon Merchants Write and Optimize Listings with AI

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Based on data collected by Jungle Scout in January 2024, it was found that more than one-third (34%) of Amazon sellers and brands worldwide utilize artificial intelligence to compose and optimize product listings.

Amazon released a generative AI assistant in September of last year. The e-commerce retailer asserts that its tool enables users to compose more engaging product descriptions, titles, and listing details, thereby assisting consumers in making more informed purchasing decisions and enabling sellers to operate more efficiently, reported EMarketer.

More of Amazon’s efforts to improve the shopping experience and reduce returns involve artificial intelligence. Fit Review Highlights, a tool that summarizes real customer reviews, and an algorithm that makes fashion recommendations based on the customer’s tastes and the brand’s sizing systems are two examples of innovative AI products, noted the report.