6 Key E-commerce Stories Worth Reading this Weekend

Another week is in the books, Big Thinkers . As you’re catching up before heading into Monday, be sure and check out these 6 e-commerce stories worth reading this weekend:

1. From the “Wow, you don’t say,” department, Marketing Charts posts a chart (you were expecting something else?) showing that friends’ social media posts influence purchase decisions . In related news, oxygen is important to most human beings and water is wet. Still, it is a pretty chart.
2. You know how I always say “it’s all e-commerce”? Turns out that’s darned near an understatement for the UK entertainment market, where eMarketer reports Internet-derived sales claim 60% market share .
3. Speaking of “it’s all e-commerce,” this weeks Thinks Out Loud podcast asked, and answered, the perennial question, “How Big is E-commerce Anyway?” The answer: Big.
4. Another post over on Marketing Charts shows that 1 in 2 US marketers “trust their gut” for marketing budget decisions . For your sake, I hope they’re your competitors.
5. Our Book Review of the Week-ish made its triumphant return, featuring a review of The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies , the incredibly important book by MIT scholars Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee. Fascinating topic and highly important to e-commerce and digital marketers of the future (which is to say, all of them).
6. Finally, you might want to check out these 7 fastest ways to improve your e-commerce effectiveness when you get a moment. Useful stuff.

Hey, speaking of e-commerce effectiveness, you may also enjoy these slides from another recent speaking engagement “Elements of E-commerce: How Digital Storytelling Drives Revenue and Results” here:

If you’re interested in learning even more about the future of e-commerce and marketing via the social, local, mobile web, register to receive a special report I’ve produced in conjunction with hotel marketing firm Vizergy, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World.” While it’s targeted specifically at hotel and resort marketers, the lessons apply to just about any business. You can get your free copy of the report here .

You might also enjoy some of our past coverage of the social, local, mobile web and what it means for your business, including:

• What Your Customers Expect from Mobile and E-commerce in 2014 .
• The Secrets Behind “It’s All E-commerce” for 2014
• Should Marketers Really Trust Google in 2014?
• The Zen of Digital Marketing Strategy
• 7 Steps to E-Commerce Heaven
• Today and Tomorrow: Mobile and The Changing Customer Journey
• Mobile Makes E-commerce Even More “Frictionless”
• Your 2014 Internet Marketing New Year’s Resolutions – Thinks Out Loud Episode 56