Good morning Marketer, do you understand your customers in 2020? 

“Our understanding of data-driven marketing and advertising has changed in the last six months, evolving into a real reflection of what is occurring with consumers in the changing economic, health and social environment,” wrote MarTech Today editor Rodric Bradford, discussing why marketers need to take a fresh look at consumer data.  

Gone are the days of using typical life events – like marriages, moving, etc. – as a benchmark for pinning down the future trends of consumers. “These simple, traditional milestones may need to be replaced with more in-depth data collection aimed at better understanding consumers’ current circumstances before reaching out to them,” Bradford wrote. 

Crude demographics were already on the way out before the pandemic hit, but the need for understanding where consumers are in their lives, and the help they need, is becoming increasingly urgent for marketers. 

Keep scrolling for more news, including a look at how e-commerce trends are driving up ad spend for retailers. 

Taylor Peterson,
Deputy Editor

 
 
 

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Indicators
 

E-commerce spurs retail ad spend above industry average

Physical retail in the U.S. has been hit especially hard in the pandemic, but e-commerce adoption has offered a lifeline. E-commerce marketing will push digital ad spend in the retail sector above the industry average in 2020, according to eMarketer. 

 The firm pegs U.S. retail digital ad spend growth at 3.1% compared to overall digital ad spend growth of 1.7% in 2020. Retail digital ad spend had been slated to grow by 16.9% to $33 billion prior to the pandemic. Retail will continue to be the top spender, accounting for 21% of overall digital ad spend this year. 

Looking ahead, “pent-up demand” will push retail digital ad spend up 25.7% next year to $35.48, eMarketer expects.

 

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What we're reading
 

We've curated our picks from across the web so you can retire your feed reader

Critics want Twitter to halt its trending lists. Instead, Twitter will make tweaks. – NBC News

YouTube is reportedly testing picture-in-picture mode for its iOS app – Business Insider

Apple and Google to simplify exposure notification with new app system – The Verge 

Close to Home: How the Power of Facebook and Google Affects Local Communities – American Economic Liberty Project

Facebook (Finally) Removes Racial Ad Targeting – SFist

How To Approach Virtual Events As A Long-Term Marketing Strategy – Forbes