The Web continues to draw users away from brick-and-mortar stores, but there is a near even split between those who prefer to shop in-store (54 percent) and those that prefer digital channels (46 percent) according to the third annual JDA "Consumer Survey." Where the two meet is "buy online, pick up in store" (BOPIS) as year-over-year data shows a steady 44 percent increase in adoption of the practice with half of the respondents using BOPIS services in the last 12 months. By offering incentives, however, that uptick could rise significantly; 80 percent of shoppers would consider using the service if retailers offered price discounts or incentives.
The customer journey is a top priority for marketing executives but few have created a dedicated customer experience (CX) budget, according to the 2017 "Planning Report" from the Leapfrog Marketing Institute. In fact, only 38 percent of executives have a budget dedicated specifically for the customer experience. Sixty percent of those who do have a dedicated CX budget, however, have increased them since last year, and an additional nine percent have a dedicated CX budget for the first time. Only seven percent report a decrease in budget since last year.
How do publishers of the world's top-grossing apps monetize their assets? The results of AdColony's summer 2017 "Publishing Survey" reveal that advertising accounts for 55 percent of total mobile publisher revenue with 31 percent of that revenue coming from mobile video ads. Outside of advertising, app publishers are more likely to make money through direct in-app purchases than they are from paid installs or subscriptions. In-app purchases was the single greatest individual revenue source cited, driving 39 percent of total publisher revenue.
It may be the beginning of the end for native mobile apps. Two years ago, 20 percent of developers were building with native tools, but in the next two years it could fall to just three percent according to new research from mobile development technology stack provider Ionic. An increasing number (32 percent) of developers are also working on progressive Web apps (PWAs), which make the features consumers expect from native apps possible within the mobile browser experience and run in a secure container accessible to anyone on the Web.
Nearly 5,000 people have contributed to Ruby on Rails, but the open source software may not have the same industry buy-in it once did. Coding Dojo, a coding school with campuses across the country, has announced it will remove courses for Ruby on Rails from all of its campuses and online curriculum by the end of 2017, citing its research that shows smaller job demand for those skills.
Anyone can get an attractive and functional site in minutes. The same is becoming true of apps.
+ Read more.
TECH TO WATCH: