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Social Media Keeps Brands Roaring in 2021

| Scott Hirsch

Even if your brand has a good website and a robust email distribution list, social media is still the crest of the mightiest wave. There’s no better way to expand your audience and find new customers. The question is, how do we capitalize on this juggernaut? What’s up for this year and what’s the best way to leverage it?

kroger data breach

Kroger Hit by Breach, No Customer Data Misused

| Mike O'Brien

Major grocer Kroger said it hit by a cyberattack, but that no personal shopper data or credit card information was compromised, in an incident that also hit government entities in New Zealand and Australia, a U.S. college, a state’s auditor and a prominent law firm, AP reports.

Social Commerce: The Time to Start is Now

| Sharon Gee

Social commerce is a great, cost effective way for merchants to expand channels and visibility. 36% of U.S. internet users say social networks have become as important as other information sources for making product choices and 70% of shopping enthusiasts say they turn to Instagram to discover products.

2020 Year in Review: Retail Upended, Reset Continues

| Mike O'Brien

As 2020 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect back on a wild and crazy year in retail, to paraphrase the Festrunk brothers from Saturday Night Live. COVID-19 came in like a wrecking ball in February and March, causing widespread shutdowns that hit retail especially hard, leading to hockey-stick growth in ecommerce.

Four Views on Retail, Ecommerce Entering 2021

| Mike O'Brien

You may have read somewhere that 2020 was an extremely disruptive year in every aspect of the retail industry. Ecommerce, already on a rapid trajectory, took off into the stratosphere as consumer flocked online. To take a look into what we can expect in 2021, four experts offer their views and some bold predictions.

Shopify + TikTok

Shopify Give Sellers Access to Massive TikTok Audience

| Mike O'Brien

In a linkup of major players, ecommerce platform Shopify, with more than 1 million merchants, has partnered with hugely popular Chinese video sharing site TikTok. A new TikTok channel on Shopify lets sellers can set up, manage and track campaigns natively within the platform, accessing a global audience of 800 million users.

MCM CommerceChat podcast

Will Global Privacy Control Protocol Succeed Where Do Not Track Failed?

| Mike O'Brien

Global Privacy Control focuses on letting consumers opt out of the sale of their personal data to third parties. The early-stage coalition includes the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Mozilla. Rob Shavell, CEO of Abine, who was involved in Do Not Track and now GPC, discusses what’s ahead and why merchants should get on board.

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Feds, 11 States Accuse Google in Massive Antitrust Case

| Mike O'Brien

The U.S. Department of Justice, joined by attorneys general from 11 states, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google alleging it used its market power to thwart competition in search and advertising, setting up a battle on the level of the 1990s federal action against Microsoft.

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Ecommerce Marketers: Keep Boomers, Gen Z Close But Millennials Closer

| Scott Hirsch

We’ve been talking about “the new normal” since the pandemic began, but it’s hard to put a finger on it. For millennials at least it seems to be ecommerce. The last generation born in the 20th century is a decidedly 21st-century cohort, and you can find them on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s how to reach them over the holidays.

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Ware2Go, Google Fast-Free Shipping Offers Aim at Conversion Lift

| Mike O'Brien

Ware2Go, a UPS-owned provider of fulfillment on demand through partnership with warehouse owners, via an integration with Google Shopping, lets merchants offer free shipping early in the search and discovery process on Google, aimed at increasing conversion. Ware2Go handles fulfillment through its partner network.