1. Online Behavior – Some new research reveals 45% of consumers aged 18-35 spent an hour each day online checking out retail-oriented sites. Interestingly, men were more likely than women to spend an hour each day looking for deals. What are these folks purchasing online? Electronics and sports equipment/accessories, while 50% reported researching electronics online and buying in-store, according to eMarketer.2. Mobile is Everywhere – Not surprisingly, Pew Research reveals nearly 100% (91%) of US adults have a cell phone. Over half of those with a cell phone have a smartphone. The younger a person is (see the post about millennials above), the more likely they are to have a cell phone. 81% of people aged 25-34 have a phone, while 18% of those 65 and over have one.
3. Do Not Track – According to the IAB, 1 in 5 internet users now send a Do Not Track request. The IAB expects that number to increase to 50%. Mike Zaneis, general counsel for IAB says “that the high numbers of people with active do-not-track signals means that ‘it is no longer tenable’ for the ad industry to allow consumers to opt out of online behavioral advertising by setting a do-not-track signal.” Instead, according to MediaPost, the ad industry appears to be proposing to “de-link” or “de-identify” data about users who activate do-not-track headers.
4. Birthday Hugs from Facebook… kind of – Who doesn’t love getting birthday wishes on their birthday? And thanks to Facebook, you can usually get a swarm of them on your special day. But who wants just regular old social media birthday wishes when you can have a good old birthday hug? Outback Steakhouse and a Brazilian ad agency came up with a birthday hug chair to do just that. The person of honor sits in the chair and connects to their Facebook account. Each time someone wishes them a happy birthday on their timeline, the chair will hug them. Would you sit in the chair? (It certainly sounds better than the usual wait staff singing to you like you get with most restaurant birthdays.)
