| Issue #22: November 2, 2012
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| | Both industry experts and personal networks influence consumer purchasing.
- In a recent Nielsen survey, 92% of online consumers said they completely trust or somewhat trust recommendations from people they know.
- According to a Cone survey, 80% of American consumers now turn to blogs for recommendations on product purchases. 60% of these consumers consider the most trustworthy content to come from "industry experts" in the space they are researching.
- A Microsoft research study revealed that while consumers turn to friends and family for technology buying advice, they will inevitably turn to the industry product experts when seeking advice for technical troubleshooting.
Potential implications: How can our e-commerce brands incorporate more expert opinions into their content and marketing?
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| For print magazines, Mag+ provides a seamless transition into the digital world.
- Mag+, a concept born from Bonnier Group Publishing, allows creative agencies and print publishers to create magazine apps for mobile and tablet technologies.
- The company has gained a wide variety of loyal followers. Many prominent magazines such as Popular Science, MAD and Cosmopolitan Bride have incorporated Mag+ into their digital strategies, including Tribune's Red Eye product.
- To monetize on Mag+ technology, Apple has incorporated Mag+ into its iTunes Newsstand feature as well as created technical support for the company in the iPhone 5 and iOS6 products.
Potential implications: What can we learn from others who are using Mag+ in order to grow our offerings on the platform?
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| Nail polish continues to gain popularity and sales rise throughout the recession.
- Similar to Estee Lauder's coined term "the lipstick index" from 2001, nail polish has defied the recession with surging sales and increased popularity. Experts attribute this surge to women searching for cheaper luxury items when their budgets are tight.
- According to an NPD Group study, the nail care market category--encompassing nail polish and nail grooming tools--has grown 65% since 2008.
- To keep up with the growing nail polish trend, some companies have created marketing bundles to promote awareness of their products. Nokia recently introduced a line of matching nail polish colors that complement its new Lumia 900 phone.
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