Ecommerce merchants looking to increase conversions this holiday season should consider adding video to their websites. A new report from Invodo reveals that online shoppers who view video are nearly two times more likely to make a purchase than shoppers who did not watch a video. The numbers for mobile users are even more convincing, with the study finding that almost a third of all video views on commerce websites occurred on mobile devices in Q2 2014.
Google announced the expansion of its Flash warning alerts in the mobile search result pages. Google initially rolled out the warnings for English search results in the U.S. back in July. The warnings let mobile searchers know when Google detects Web pages that may not work with their device (those which include Flash). Now the warnings are being rolled out across the globe, including for Spanish searches on google.es, Japanese searches on google.co.jp and English searches on google.co.uk.
Amazon is betting big on social commerce, unveiling another integration with Twitter in Oct. 2014. Amazon initially released the #AmazonCart integration back in May, which allows consumers to add items to their Amazon shopping cart by using the #AmazonCart hashtag when responding to tweets that include an Amazon.com product link. Now consumers can also add items to their Amazon Wish List without leaving the social network thanks to the new integration, which requires consumers to use the #AmazonWishList hashtag when responding to relevant tweets.
Facebook is making it easier for businesses to connect with local audiences, thanks to the social network's new Local Awareness offering. The new ad formats enable businesses to deliver targeted messaging to groups of people that are within a certain proximity of a company's brick-and-mortar store. Merchants and service providers also have the option to add a call-to-action button to their ads, such as "Get Directions."
The good news is that the majority of retailers are compliant with email marketing laws, the bad news is that 10 percent are not. This according to data from the Online Trust Alliance, which found that upward of 70 percent of the top 200 online retailers are essentially following the rules and demonstrating a commitment to letting users control their inboxes. Ten percent of retailers, however, were found to be in direct violation of the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act of 2013 and Canada's new Anti-Spam legislation (read more at wsm.co/caslsteps).
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Adobe is making it easy for designers to work on projects whenever inspiration strikes, as the company unveiled a variety of updated and new mobile apps at its annual Adobe MAX Conference. The suite of iOS apps offer new design tools and feature improved syncing with the company's Creative Cloud. Learn more about a few of the company's updated mobile app offerings below and discover more at wsm.co/appsadobe.
Photoshop Sketch provides designers with natural drawing tools so they can sketch ideas on the go. Drawing tools include a graphite pencil, ink pen, brushes and more. The app also features a Behance integration and enables an integrated workflow with Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC.
In addition to letting users edit and organize images, the new Lightroom Mobile app now enables a user's friends and family to select favorites and leave comments on images shared online. Plus, GPS information from iPhone photos now sync with Lightroom desktop.
Adobe has begun dabbling in mobile video editing with Premiere Clip. The app enables users to trim videos, add color filters, transitions and slow motion effects. Plus, Premiere Clip features Smart Volume, which evens out audio levels across clips. Users can also send their videos to Adobe Premiere Pro CC for advanced editing.
Designers can capture and create vector shapes while on the go with Adobe Shape CC. With the app, users can capture high-contrast photos, from fonts to a picture of a pet, and turn them into vectors that can be accessed immediately in Adobe Illustrator CC and Adobe Illustrator Line.