Email Volume Spiked During Cyber Week: Study https://ift.tt/2Qq54jw ![]() Email volume rose by 26% on Thanksgiving and 23% on Cyber Monday year-over-year, according to a study by Salesforce based on holiday marketing activity by its clients. The company sent over 3.6 billion emails, mobile SMS and push notifications for its Marketing Cloud customers on Black Friday, almost 4.2 billion on Cyber Monday and more than 21 billion throughout the week, it says. Discount offers began rising on Wednesday, remained high throughout the weekend and peaked on Cyber Monday, with a 31% average discount rate. SMS notifications rose by 159% early in the week, and email messages increased by 26% compared with the prior year. On Thanksgiving day, there was a 23% hike in email sends and a 69% increase in SMS notifications. Free shipping was a factor, as Cyber Monday saw 84% of orders ship for free. However, this may have dampened average order value because shoppers did not have to add items to their cart to avoid shipping costs, Salesforce reports. advertisement advertisement Facebook and Instagram drove 94% of social traffic to retail sites, compared with 92% in 2017. The firm’s Commerce Cloud powered 20.1 million digital orders, up 34% over the volume reported in 2017. The most talked-about retailers during the week were Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, eBay and Best Buy. The most talked-about products were Sony PlayStation, Apple iPhone, Amazon Echo, Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle. The company also reports that its Service Cloud agents viewed more than 68 million customer service cases, with 21 million calls coming in on Black Friday -- a 21% increase over 2017. Volume for the week totaled 497 cases and 182 million calls Of those, 108 million cases and 44 million calls were seen on Cyber Monday. "Consumers went online early, went mobile and went social this Cyber Week, driving healthy digital growth for retailers," states Rob Garf, VP, industry strategy for retail at Salesforce. Garf adds: "This holiday season, shoppers responded to retailer innovation in mobile, payments and social that are enabling seamless and personalized consumer experiences—-from product discovery to purchase."
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 30, 2018 at 01:41PM
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The GDPR Effect? Email Volume And Results Rose In Q3 https://ift.tt/2Sno8MO ![]() GDPR may scare some brands away from digital activity — but those that rely on email are not among them. Email volume rose by 5% in the third quarter — and there was a 12.3% decline in unsubscribe rates to 0.08%, according to the Q3 2018 Email & Mobile Benchmark Report, a study by Cheetah Digital. The company attributes all this partly to the positive effects of GDPR compliance. For some marketers, however, the big news in this study will be that 45% of total email opens and 58% of total clicks occurred on mobile devices, proving that emails must be designed for mobile. Retail had the highest rate of mobile opens — at 54%. This year’s email volume spike was largely driven by the media sector, which generated a 23.1% hike. The finance vertical had a 4% increase, but the service sector sent 4.8% fewer emails, and travel 3.6% less than it did in third-quarter 2017. Overall, there was a 24% increase in the number of reactivation emails. advertisement advertisement The average unique click rate rose 7.1% to 2.3%, up from 2.1% in 2017 , and revenue per email increased to $0.006,vs. $0.05 the year before. However, unique open rates were relatively flat, going from 19.1% to 19.2% YOY. In addition, the transaction rate leaped by 30.5%to 0.05%. And the click-to-open ratio jumped by10.3% to 11% The delivery rate rose slightly to 98.8%, vs. 98.6% in 2017. The financial sector saw a 4.50% decline in its average open rate, but an increase of 9.90% — to 2.40% — in the unique click rate. Its email volume rose by 4%. However, its delivery rate fell slightly by 0.30% to 97.6%. Other studies have shown a link between higher volume and lower open rates. That could have affected the media sector, which suffered a 4.70% falloff to 31.3% in its total open rate. Its unique open rate was flat at 20.4%, and its unique click rate was even flatter at 4.10%. The media vertical is made up of publishing and entertainment brands. Retail saw significant improvements in unique click and transaction rates, perhaps driven by increased targeting and reactivation. Of brands with reactivation programs, 70% enjoyed major boosts in unique clicks. Retail email volume grew by 3.9%. The service industry achieved a unique open rate of 27.3% and a unique click rate of 2.60%, both reflecting increases of over 18%. The travel business saw a 2.10% drop in the unique open rate (27.8%), but enjoyed a 4.10% unique click rate, a 12.9% advance. Boxing Day, while not widely celebrated in the U.S., is a major holiday in Canada, the UK, the Bahamas, Australia, New Zealand and several African countries. The study shows that emails with Boxing Day in the subject line outperformed other holiday mailings from same 28 brands analyzed in this part of the study. They achieved a 37% lift in the unique open rate — a 132% hike in the unique click rate. The report is based on Cheetah Digital’s analysis of trends among participating client brands in the U.S. and Canada.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 30, 2018 at 01:30PM L'Oreal's ModiFace Intros Virtual Nail Salon App https://ift.tt/2E8D5iL ![]() ModiFace, the augmented reality company owned by L’Oréal, introduced a new mobile app for consumers to virtually try on different nail polish colors. The Virtual Nail Salon contains more than 30 unique nail polish shades that can be virtually overlaid onto a live video of a person’s hand. Modiface, which was acquired by L’Oréal earlier this year, is known for its facial recognition and AR product simulation technology. With ModiFace, L’Oréal recently created an AR try-on tool for the brand’s different shades of makeup. The Virtual Nail Salon uses the technology along with hand-tracking capabilities to show nail shades in different lighting conditions and environments, results of which can be posted and shared on social media, according to L’Oréal. The Canadian AR and artificial intelligence company ModiFace was founded more than a decade ago and its technology powers more than 300 custom AR apps for beauty brands, including Unilever and Allergan and smart mirrors for Sephora, Coty and its owner L’Oréal. advertisement advertisement Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 30, 2018 at 01:30PM Universal AR App Puts Fans Inside 'Welcome To Marwen' Movie Scene https://ift.tt/2rgAryB Movies are getting inside augmented reality. To promote the coming Steve Carell movie Welcome to Marwen, Universal Pictures and Dreamworks Pictures created an AR app that can place into what Universal calls “the first-ever 3D digital recreation of a movie scene.” The movie, which opens on Dec. 21, is based on the true story of Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell), an illustrator who has a violent attack that shatters his body and memories and then heals himself through the power of artistic imagination. The character creates the mythical town of Marwen with life-like dolls and action figures. The Welcome to Marwen AR app recreates one of the scenes from the movie, including 3D interactions with the action figures, along with Steve Carell and the characters speaking with each other during the AR experience. advertisement advertisement Universal partnered with the emerging technology team of The Mill to create the AR mobile app that allows the user to be placed into the movie itself. Unlike most movie promotions using augmented reality, this one integrates video, including an introduction to the AR app and its technology by filmmaker Robert Zemeckis. Universal also created a movie trailer featuring the augmented reality experience. Similar to other AR movie promo apps, users can snap photos from the scenes within the AR experience and share them via social media, in this case as a Marwen digital postcard. As might be expected, behind-the-scenes content is also include within the app. Augmented reality is growing up fast. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 30, 2018 at 11:51AM Post-Xmas Mobile Opportunity: Huge Audiences, Low eCPMs https://ift.tt/2FNhoq4 ![]() With both ad spending and app usage reaching their annual peak, the holiday season is full of in-app opportunities for publishers to maximize revenues and advertisers to engage audiences. Given the hustle of the holiday season and tremendous activity leading up to Christmas, it’s understandable that many publishers and advertisers lapse into a quiet period starting Dec. 26. However, in doing so, they miss a tremendous sweet spot to reach mobile users, one marked by high attention and low eCPMs. Even after the presents are unwrapped and the stockings are emptied, the holidays still have plenty left to give. The period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve represents a unique opportunity for publishers to capitalize on users’ free time and for advertisers to grab some extra impressions at a lower price. Consumers’ app usage is at its highest during the post-Christmas period. Last year, according to Apple, the App Store saw a record number of app downloads and in-app purchases during this period (December 24, 2017 to January 1, 2018). advertisement advertisement This increased app usage translates to an upsurge in mobile ad requests, a number that stays high into the new year, according to data on the Smaato platform. Meanwhile, eCPMs begin falling following the Saturday before Christmas, creating the optimal time for advertisers to reach engaged users inexpensively. For publishers, despite dipping eCPMs, this post-Christmas period represents a significant opportunity to capture new users who can be retained into the new year. To capitalize, it’s important that publishers continue to prioritize user experience when choosing ad placements in this period to ensure new users stick around. For advertisers, capitalizing on this timely opportunity is simple: Adjust your post-holiday media buys in a way that takes advantage of the increase in inexpensive mobile inventory from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2 ,while the rest of the advertising world sleeps. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 30, 2018 at 09:16AM
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AT&T Suggests Advertising Will Be Key To OTT Future https://ift.tt/2DTMJEF
At an investor event held Thursday evening, executives from all the company’s business units outlined their plans for 2019 and beyond. For starters, AT&T’s WarnerMedia business unit, which houses the remnants of Time Warner, revealed details of its upcoming streaming video service, which will feature three tiers of service at three price points. Stankey said company research shows consumers are willing to spend about $150 per month on entertainment, split between streaming services and big bundles. advertisement advertisement "We understand that this product has to be good enough to be part of the essential consumer set that somebody thinks about when they spend their $150 per month,” he said. One way to bring that price down for consumers is to include advertising. Stankey sought to reassure advertisers and marketers that his business unit believes streaming video will always have a robust ad-supported market. “Consumers clearly like the breadth of content that is available today. They like the choice. And a lot of that choice comes on the back of ad-supported models,” Stankey said. “Things have to change [with ad models],” creating less intrusive and more targeted ads. Indeed, AT&T stated it was looking at launching an “advertising-supported video on demand service in the future,” based on the platform it will launch next year. AT&T’s advertising unit, Xandr, will be at the center of its effort to transform the video advertising business. Zandr CEO Brian Lesser told analysts it plans to “take the data the OTT product produces and turn it into even more valuable advertising inventory.” Then there is DirecTV Now, the streaming video bundle offered by AT&T’s entertainment unit. The company revised its guidance, telling analysts the service would likely have “negative net adds" for the remainder of this year and 2019. However, it also said it would have “increased profitability in OTT video,” bolstered by price increases and hopefully more advanced advertising. John Donovan, CEO, AT&T Communications, told investors the company would refocus its product to create “video offerings to serve all the different segments, with a focus on making each of those products profitable.” “We have to find skinnier packages that fit viewing profiles,” Donovan added. Doing so could allow them to “get the incremental opportunity available from ad monetization” available from the company’s Xandr ad business. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 30, 2018 at 09:04AM
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PSFK Retail Conference Preview: How Bonobos Is Enabling A True ‘Fit For Every Man’ With Extended Sizing And Price Parity https://ift.tt/2zxk8ST ![]() Before speaking at PSFK's Future of Retail 2019 Conference on January 16, Bonobos co-president, Brad Andrews, explains how the brand is distinguishing itself in the premium apparel space by focusing on focusing on proper fits at every size, all while maintaining price parity While many apparel brands are reluctant to spend the resources required to enable optimal fits in extended size ranges, Bonobos remains dedicated to its slogan, “Fit for every man,” and is accordingly focusing its efforts on the necessary research and alterations to make proper-fitting sizes, not just larger cuts. The premium men’s apparel brand takes its commitment to customer needs seriously, gathering insights and feedback regarding common customer pain points with merchandise as well as store experience. Ahead of the Future of Retail 2019 Conference this January, PSFK interviewed Bonobos co-president Brad Andrews to discuss the lengths the brand has gone to in maintaining its standard of proper-fitting clothing for all men, as well as delivering in-synch online and in-store shopping that reflects the retailer’s focus on one-on-one, tailored experiences. PSFK: Tell us about the consumer trends that are driving your business. Brad: One of the overarching trends that we’ve seen over the past couple of years is focus on fit, and an extension of fit for us has been fabrication. We’ve seen strong continued growth and success of stretch fabrications across categories. We were one of the earliest men’s brands to see that trend coming a few years ago. We went big on that across our pants category, suiting categories, blazers, etc. We’re seeing that continue to perform really well. Guys understand stretch, understand the benefits of it, which is different from how the men’s apparel space was a few years back. The second trend is performance fabrication. What used to be relegated to athletic wear is now something that’s moved its way into sportswear. Programs for us, like the Tech Chino, Tech Blazer, the performance casual shirt that we offer, these are fabrications that guys wear day‑to‑day that have performance attributes, such as moisture‑wicking and temperature control. You recently launched a line of extended sizing. Can you explain why the menswear industry has fallen woefully short when it comes to offering size inclusivity? We started researching this space last year, and it is an underserved market. A lot of brands use extended sizes as a bit of an afterthought. We explored that in two tangible ways. One is as we surveyed the landscape—there was a lack of stylish options. You had to hunt and peck to find just even basics in those extended sizes. Two, as we studied the product as a brand committed to better‑fitting clothes, there wasn’t much attention paid to fit. A lot of the product offering was optimized for what I’d call body coverage, as opposed to fitting well. We felt that that was our opportunity to bring a differentiated product to this market, and better serve that customer. It wasn’t just our own observations, I’d say. We also did a lot of customer research, interviewed guys, did travel to different cities. The team and I went to stores and did shop‑alongs with guys to understand pain points and what they look for. We also conducted extensive fit research with customers. We used that as a jumping-off point to build the product assortment. What are some of the common pain points that you uncovered? As we started to go through the product, we noticed neglect regarding fit. We’d see, as the sizes were graded off, and in the larger sizes, there was not a lot of attention paid to proportion. You’d see that in the larger sizes from some other brands. It would fit across the chest and the shoulder, but then the cuffs would be too big. You could see that they had graded the cuff size in proportion with the rest of the body, which doesn’t tend to be the case with guys. We saw things like customers were unable to button the top button of the shirt. When we were building our shirts, we made sure to lower the neck drop so that a larger guy could button the top button, and still be comfortable. We noticed there was a lot of excess fabric in the sleeve, which makes sense. If you have a larger armhole opening, you have a bigger sleeve. We constructed our sleeves to be two‑piece to eliminate some of the twisting that we saw and billowing fabric. What the two‑piece does is the seam actually follows the natural curve of your arm, so it’s creates a better‑fitting sleeve. We also noticed a lot of excess fabric in the back, a common pain point. As these shirts were scaled up, the designers were not thinking about the proportion of how to distribute the extra fabric. We shifted it more toward the front, and added darts to the back of our shirt to eliminate some of the extra fabric. In the pants fit, we paid a lot of attention to pitch, accommodating a larger midsection with a lower front. In suiting pants, we added a hidden elastic, because we did notice there was some pulling and tension at the waistband for these guys. We wanted to accommodate for that, and give them a little bit more range of motion. We noticed in suiting jackets that there was a lot of what you call breaking in the lapel, where you get a sharp angle in the lapel. It didn’t follow the shape of their chest. It wasn’t a smooth, round lapel, so we added a dart to allow for motion. It was really the devil was in the details in terms of the customer pain points on fit. In terms of the assortment, it was important for us to make sure with this initial collection that we had an element of fashion, that we had colorful chinos, that we had some of our best printed shirts represented. There was a lack of stylish fashion options in this space, and we heard that from the customers. You just launched on September 10, but do you have a sense of how the consumer response has been so far? We’ve seen a lot of strong, positive engagement, particularly in our social channels and our Instagram stories. We’ve heard some good initial customer feedback through our Guideshops and through our customer service teams. There’s a lot of appetite for this type of assortment. Given our stance as a brand that’s known for better‑fitting clothes, there’s been a positive reaction from folks that we’re finally doing this, and extending our size range. It’s only been a few days of selling, but we’re really excited about the results so far. Why do you think that premium brands tend to be behind the curve in offering more inclusive sizing? Again, it becomes an afterthought. It’s also technically hard. Some of those very specific technical points that that I mentioned earlier are hard to do well. It is a separate endeavor. Previously, for instance, in pants, we’d offer only up to size 40 waist. Once you get above a size 40 waist, you have different considerations, in terms of proportions. It is a different endeavor in terms of building out the fit and technically executing the product. For a lot of brands, it’s just hard to do. Where brands fall short is that they try to extend what they’re already doing. They’re not actually focusing in on what that customer needs, and thinking about how to make it actually fit, as opposed to just offering the size. This extended sizing is not part of a special line, but actually includes some of your best sellers, like the beloved Riviera shirts. Why are you making it part of your regular line, versus creating a special plus-size line, like some other retailers? We put a stake in the ground this year about being a brand that’s about inclusivity and diversity. To try to separate the experience didn’t make sense for us a brand. We wanted to offer the best of what we offer to all guys or, at least, take a step in that direction. Obviously, we’re not fully there, but with this extended size launch, we wanted to get guys who should be our customers into the brand, who were previously excluded. We didn’t want to treat this as a separate offering or separate collection. We wanted it to be truly an extension of what we do. Most brands also mark up the price for extended sizing, but you establish price parity. That was a core brand belief for us, that the extended sizes should be priced in-line with our assortment. As a brand whose ethos is, “Fit for every man,” we didn’t want to assign different price points depending on what your fit is. We wanted it to be one price point for the good. We thought that was an opportunity to differentiate as well. Besides size inclusivity, are there any other areas where you think the premium men’s apparel industry is missing the mark, and not serving its consumers? There’s not a lot of attention paid to body diversity and body inclusivity. You see it in the imagery of some other brands that speak a language of one‑size‑fits‑all, or, “We’re going to tell you what’s cool.” “This is how you should look.” That’s where brands are falling short. Now more than ever, brands need to listen to their customer. They need to be a reflection of their customer. That’s what we’re striving to do. That’s where we’re trying to get better as a brand in the marketing assets we put out, in the story that we tell and in the product that we offer finally. How does extended sizing align with your brand’s omnichannel distribution goals? Again, our goal as a brand this year was to live by our ethos of, “Fit for every man.” We also incorporated that into our omnichannel strategy, especially in delivering great one‑on‑one in-store experiences where men could try on the clothes. Consumers tend to be cast aside by other brands and store associates with lines like, “Oh, that’s not going to fit you. Oh, we don’t have that size.” We are using this missed opportunity to deliver an experience that’s personal and comfortable for the guy. Additionally, from a business model standpoint, being a digitally native brand, and being an e‑commerce‑driven brand, we’re able to aggregate demand. We’re not stocking stores with stacks of inventory by size. We’re actually able to serve both our Guideshops and our e‑commerce through one inventory, which gives us a competitive advantage, and allows us to offer an extended size range. The extended size range is offered in‑store as well as online? That’s right. We have representation of the extended sizes in our stores, as well in try‑ons. Customers can shop in our stores and online. Was an important aspect for this launch to include it in stores? Again, it goes back to our brick-and-mortar model, which is our Guideshop model—predicated on being a reflection of our site, where there’s representative samples of everything we offer as well as try‑ons. Guys can get fitted, get style advice and have a great one‑on‑one experience through our e‑commerce. It was important for us to have that represented in the store, too. Additionally, we know for guys who fall within this extended size range, there is a lot of trial and error. Trying on is important, and we wanted to make sure they had the option to do so in‑store if they lived in a Guideshop region. Could you speak a little about the way you’re trying to evolve the stores towards the next generation of online‑offline hybrid? Bonobos was the pioneer of the online‑to‑offline movement back in 2009 when we launched our Guideshops. The experience is one‑on‑one with a guide who’s well‑trained in the product assortment, well‑trained in fit, can give advice and can walk through the entire assortment. It’s what I consider a best‑in‑class service experience in retail. Our push is to continue to evolve from there. We’re thinking through additional services we could offer in the store, how to use technology to enable our guides to deliver a better customer experience. We’ll look forward to seeing what Bonobos does next. For more inspiring insights from pioneers like Brad who are transforming the retail experience, come see him and an entire panel of speakers from today’s most innovative brands at PSFK’s annual Future of Retail 2019 Conference, tickets available now. Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ November 30, 2018 at 07:00AM While Someone Steals From Right Pocket, Value Is Inserted Into Your Left https://ift.tt/2TY7Qvm ![]() This past week saw a litany of stories about digital ad fraud encompassing not just desktops, laptops and tablets, but also mobile apps. The cost to marketers this year is said to be $19 billion, according to Juniper Research. advertisement advertisement But that only counts fake impressions (clicks or views) and fake mobile application installs, so the total loss in all forms of ad-related fraud worldwide is undoubtedly far greater than $19 billion. Given those numbers, it's no wonder advertisers keep tossing more money into the walled gardens of Facebook, Google and Amazon -- although they too have their own set of fraud problems that keep ad buyers up at night. Meanwhile, the world of television is in chaos because viewers aren’t always in front of their flat screens, making measuring the effectiveness of video ads that can be viewed across five or so different devices nearly impossible. Both Nielsen and comScore are hustling to try and install new leadership to help figure how to catch this runaway horse. Moreover, audiences aren’t just watching network and cable TV. They are all over OTT offerings, most of which are not ad-supported. Those that are, need a ton of work not to annoy viewers, who can cancel in a heartbeat (and are doing so in huge numbers). While I'm sure the radio, direct mail (I only add this because my mailbox is stuffed with catalogues every day now), print and outdoor folks are milking all this with zest, there are lots of arguments to be made that increasing your spend in those areas will not really move the needle. While all this has been happening, there have been momentous strides in attribution technology, so that what DOES get seen by REAL people can be measured against things like driving foot traffic to stores and actual sales, either online or in retail stores (the few that remain). Data from hundreds of sources is being combined to give marketers a much clearer understanding of what worked, what didn’t and what to do to increase brand awareness and actual sales. Now, this sounds pretty routine, right? But it wasn’t even a thing until about three or four years ago, and then it was too new to be proven effective. Now, there's little to no excuse for marketers not to understand exactly what creative in exactly what medium drove a sale. And it is getting more precise every day. There are some companies that even guarantee their tech will drive sales, or you don’t have to pay. Contrast that to poor old Wanamaker, who had no idea which half of his spend worked. With a lot of this tech now introducing AI-like ability to forecast what will work in the future, marketers ought to feel confident about this progress. No, it is not yet automated end-to-end and not yet foolproof -- but still, developments have been, well, awesome. It will take a while longer to be able to capture accurate multiplatform attribution, but it is clearly coming -- and faster than you think. This may not make you feel better about being scammed by digital fraud, but at least we are closing in on a day when it won’t matter -- because your spend will be redirected to platforms that deliver real sales. Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 29, 2018 at 05:03PM Report: Mobile Shopping, Yes. Mobile Payments? No. https://ift.tt/2DRUYBa ![]() As Americans wade deeper into the holiday season, new evidence from GfK shows that no matter where they go, they’re watching their smartphones, with 45% viewing their devices as essential shopping tools. In 2017, just 29% felt that way. Still, consumers aren’t in a hurry to embrace mobile payments, says Joe Beier, GfK’s executive vice president of consumer insight. “The adoption rates of mobile payments seem to be stuck at low levels,” he says. “It’s somewhat perplexing. But we’re also seeing high levels of concerns about the integrity of data transactions, and we think it’s likely those worries are holding people back. It’s surprising how little the industry has done to address those perceptions of a security gap.” GfK’s FutureBuy research, based on 35,000 people around the world, finds that just 17% of U.S. consumers say they’ve used a smartphone or tablet to pay for a product, including payments via PayPal and Venmo, in the last six months. That compares with 29% in Asia/Pacific, and a global average of 19%. advertisement advertisement American consumers say price comparisons are the No. 1 reason they turn to their phones, cited by 36% of mobile shoppers, followed by seeking out product information and checking reviews, both at 30%. And they see big changes ahead in how they’ll shop, with 48% agreeing that they “see a future where traditional retail stores are not a big factor.” That’s up from 37% last year. Beier tells Marketing Daily the research also finds a surprising Gen Z (GfK pegs that group as between the ages of 16 and 26) fondness for physical retail stores. And overall, while retailers and e-merchants fixate on which channels consumers use to complete a purchase, “the world is murkier all the time to consumers. These differences are very stark to us,” he says, “but consumers don’t see it that way. When we ask them where they were when they made a mobile purchase, for instance, some of them say they were actually in a physical store. "They really are melding online and physical shopping.” Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 29, 2018 at 03:33PM Holiday Email Gift Card Scheme Threatens Companies: Barracuda https://ift.tt/2E4E82Y ![]() Phishing artists have found a new way to get inside companies as the holiday season unfolds: by asking employees to purchase gift cards, according to Barracuda. The perpetrators are asking office managers, executive assistants and receptionists to buy and/or send them the cards, saying they are for employee rewards. The scheme is based on the fact that companies typically ask office managers and others to purchase gift cards for the holiday season. The emails often pretend to be from the CEO of the company. Barracuda has seen an uptick in this type of activity since early October. In one typical email, sent on November 1, the attacker writes: “Can you let me know if we can purchase some Google Play Gift Card today at the store. Do get back to me so I can let you know the type of gift card and denominations.” According to a post put up today by Barracuda, there are four basic tactics:
advertisement advertisement In the latter case especially, the employee will be under implied pressure to act quickly. Barracuda writes that such attacks are difficult for traditional email filters to spot because they are targeted and do not contain any clear malicious signals. In addition, they do not contain suspicious payloads such as links or attachments.
Mobile Marketing via MediaPost.com: mobile https://ift.tt/2oB2PsH November 29, 2018 at 02:48PM |
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