B2B influencer marketing: How manufacturers inspire retailers and service providers [5 reading tips]

B2B-Influencer-Marketing Bild
Source: Pexels

Influencers aren’t always pets. Or models. Even disheveled craftsmen in guild clothing or corporate bosses with critical opinions can have a great effect as brand ambassadors as long as their appearance on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube is embedded in a clever B2B marketing strategy.

B2B (business-to-business) is a huge area because it’s about nothing less than that manufacturers aren’t selling a product directly to an end customer, but first to a retailer or service provider who then processes it or markets it. How can successful B2B Influencer Marketing look?

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(12 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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B2B e-commerce: Growth requires the right mindset [5 reading tips]

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How has B2B digitally matured? Are the days when digitising a business was understood as an online copy of the physical business or product catalogue now behind the industry? After all, to be successful in online reatil over the long term and to stand out from the competition requires far more than just a good shop system.

The growth potential for the B2B sector is undoubtedly enormous, but the same is true for its challenges. This is also confirmed by current studies »B2B E-Commerce Sector Report« by IFH Köln and »B2B E-Commerce Economic Index« by ECC Köln and Intellishop. The results paint a complicated picture.

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(10 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Digital Transformation: Challenges for Marketing, Sales, and IT [Updated White Paper]

Source: dotSource

15 terabytes of mobile video traffic is generated and US$20,928 is sent over PayPal worldwide in 10 seconds. Our lives are rapidly being digitised.

Cutting-edge technology (like smart thermostats, virtual assistants, and personalised services) are available to consumers. This results in new and increasing customer expectations that companies must meet in the context of digital transformation.
The processes and roles in digital commerce should change to respond to these new circumstances. Not only is a new mentality needed, but new positions and methods as well. They need a great ability to change as well as agility and team spirit to achieve business success in the digital era.

In our updated white paper »Digital Transformation Challenges for Marketing, Sales, and IT« we provide a comprehensive and pragmatic overview of the current state of digitisation. Then we show which success factors of digital transformation companies should use to win the digital race.

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(12 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Configurable products and services as a competitive advantage in digital business [5 Reading Tips]

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Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

Over the past few years, companies have steadily subjected themselves to digitalisation. Internal processes have been automated, collaboration tools have optimised workflows, and sales channels have been expanded by online shops and mobile apps. SEO, SEA, and social media have strengthened the brand image.

Digitalisation has become something common, even standard, among many businesses. This also implies that being digital is no distinguishing feature any more. Inevitably, the question is: What comes next? Accenture CTIO Paul Daugherty refers to this scenario as the »post-digital world«:

» A post-digital world doesn’t mean that digital is over. On the contrary, we’re posing a new question: as all organizations develop their digital competency, what will set YOU apart? «

Customisation through configurators, but also by means of cutting-edge technology like AI, AR, or 3-D printing is gathering pace.

Which companies manage to personalise their products and services, and which approaches are promising in this context?

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(11 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Ordering food online: Fresh approaches bring added value & convenience [5 reading tips]

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Source: Pixabay

Nowadays, everything imaginable can be bought and sold on the internet. Even groceries. Even fresh food. Despite the growing trend, online food sales in Germany does not appear to be growing. The country’s logistical challenges, its dense network of stores and its unwillingness to buy fresh produce remotely stagnate growth in this market.

But this doesn’t mean that there’s no movement or exciting developments. Never before have so many competitors existed, as a colourful panorama in neighbouring Switzerland shows. Traditional companies and new online players are coexisting. Who can make a breakthrough here and what factors must companies consider in order to compete in this challenging market?

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(11 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Returns: Looking for solutions, the struggle is real! [5 Reading Tips]

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Returning products could be called an »international pastime«. German online shoppers return the most often. A PostNord survey shows that more than half (53%) of German customers posted at least one return last year, followed by the Netherlands (52%) and France (45%).

The fact that customers have been able to exchange products by law within 14 days without giving any reason since 2000 has significantly contributed to the »misuse« of the customer-friendly right of withdrawal. According to researchers from the University of Bamberg, an estimated 280 million returns took place in Germany in 2018 (this means that 532 orders per minute will be returned).

Of course, this has its effects. Returns have become the biggest problem in e-commerce and it is inevitable to ask yourself: How can online retailers solve this problem? How do companies manage to minimise returns sustainably – not only in terms of the environment but also in terms of business success?

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(10 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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AR and VR are on the rise in construction [5 reading tips]

AR und VR in der Baubranche
Source: Trimble Mixed Reality

Expectant fathers were catching virtual monsters in the delivery room when their child was being born. That happened with Pokémon Go. The game that triggered a veritable boom in the summer of 2016 and led the path for AR and even VR to take off in gaming. Although the hype about virtual monsters has somewhat flattened, the technology behind it has not stopped evolving. Three years later, its promising its users impressive experiences.

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(12 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Sharing economy: Renting instead of buying online [5 reading tips]

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Source: Image by Waed Goumani from Pixabay

There are products or services that are more often needed for a limited time only. So it’s not only more advantageous, but also more environmentally friendly, not to pay for the products per se, to own them forever, but to have access to them. That’s the sharing economy. Classic examples are cars, accommodation, or tools. And the list is growing.

As the »conscious consumption« social movement’s popularity increases, so does the need for users to constantly buy goods or services. This is especially noticeable among young consumers. But that doesn’t mean that they want to give up consumption completely, but that they’re making purchasing decisions more consciously. Brands are responding to this trend with various business models, such as second-hand or online rental services. The Otto Group and MediaMarkt from Germany have been paving the way for several years.

Today, we’ll explain to you with the help of further use cases, what is moving this young, dynamic market.

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(9 vote(s), average: 4.89 out of 5)
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Online retail payments: This is what PSD2 will change in the future [5 reading tips]

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Source: Pexels

Europe. Users, retailers, service providers, and politicians are looking at the continent. Not just because of the EU elections last week, but also because of Europe’s role in promoting a smart, secure, and unified digital economy through measures in various key areas such as artificial intelligence, privacy, and security in e-commerce.

The GDPR had its first birthday on Saturday.  And the deadline for the implementation of Payment Service Directive 2 (PSD2) will be on September 14, 2019. This requires strong customer authentication (strong customer authentication, SCA for short).

The aim of PSD2 is to create a secure, transparent payment system and to ensure fair competition within the EU, as well as to reduce entry barriers for payment service providers.

But so far, just under a quarter of German retailers have implemented its strategies developed for it. 21 per cent haven’t planned any approach. Additionally, many online retailers don’t think they have enough info about this. Not a good thing when time is running out and further questions will arise. That’s why we’re trying to bring light in the darkness.

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(8 vote(s), average: 4.88 out of 5)
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Using Google advertising for a perfect and comprehensive customer experience [5 Reading Tips]

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

From search to inspiration to final purchase, mobile users interact with multiple touchpoints along the entire customer journey. Consumers currently have less time and more and more options to choose from. The goal for companies is to reach customers at the right time with the best offer.

It’s also reflected in the way that advertising looks today, where and how it works. It’s in tempting and highly consumable formats, it’s a staple of customer engagement, winning through mobile, seamless experiences on and between every channel. Not to mention their functionality as a success.

Two weeks ago, Google presented its new advertising formats at the annual Marketing Live Conference. A clear trend emerged. In addition to AI, visuals are becoming more and more important in the world of online advertising. Which formats are specifically involved? We’ve put together the most important innovations for you.

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(8 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
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