Online Marketing News: Abandoned Carts, Email Benchmarks & 2016's Most Popular Content

Infographic: Average Cart Abandonment Rates for Q3 2016 Why, and at what frequency, are users abandoning their online shopping carts? Many folks are abandoning carts simply because they’re just looking or researching — 34% to be exact. 23% are abandoning carts because of issues with the cost or time required for shipping. ClickZ 3Q16 Email Marketing Benchmarks and Trends Marketers sent nearly 20% more emails in Q3 of 2016 than in the same period of 2015. However, click through rates were 12.5% lower. This could be due to the rising share of mobile ‘clicks’ to marketing emails, meaning that the emails we send to our list need to be mobile-friendly and actionable from a mobile device. MarketingProfs 2016: A Year of Great Content Marketing in Review The 15 most shared marketing articles of the year taught us some key lessons: Content that’s controversial is shared more frequently on social, thought-provoking questions appeal to the minds of marketers, and influencer emphasis makes a world of difference for amplification. Search Engine Journal 51% of US adults have bought something online via their cellphones [Pew data] Marketing Land reports: “The latest e-commerce report from Pew Research Center offers new data on how shoppers are using their cellphones, and not just for product research but also for purchasing. A survey of almost 4,800 US adults conducted in late 2015 shows that about 80 percent have bought something online, and just over half of all US adults have made a purchase via their cellphones.” Marketing Land 53% of Women Made Purchases Due to Influencer Posts (Survey) A recent survey showed that 53% of women surveyed made purchases based on influencer posts. More than 60% said that the influencer content needed to be authentic in order to drive them to purchase. 61% of women surveyed preferred to engage with influencers on Instagram, with Facebook following closely behind at just over 50%. SocialTimes Facebook Will Fact-Check Its News Feed and Shame Fake Posts With ‘Disputed’ Tag The next phase in Facebook’s war on fake news has arrived. The social platform is now fact checking, through third party sources, the news articles posted on their site. Posts that don’t measure up to their factual standards will be called out with a prominent ‘disputed’ tag. AdAge Marketers to Boost Influencer Budgets in 2017 Influencer marketing is quickly becoming a staple to a successful digital marketing campaign, and that shift is being reflected in 2017 marketing budgets. eMarketer reports: “According to November 2016 research, nearly half of practitioners said they plan to ramp up budget for influencer-focused campaigns in 2017.” eMarketer 65% Of Connected Device Owners Open To IoT Advertising MediaPost reports: “For brands and marketers, the Internet of Things is going to lead to new ways of advertising and many consumers seem OK with that. For example, of those who own any IoT device, the majority (65%) are receptive to IoT advertising. The receptivity to advertising differs based on which device.” MediaPost What were your top online marketing news stories this year? We will be back next week with more online marketing news. Stay in the know every day of the week and follow @toprank on Twitter, otherwise we’ll see you next week!