Summary
This article argues that the role of social media in e-commerce may be best focused around the earlier consideration phase of the consumer journey rather than the purchase phase (a view supported by the fact that Facebook's 2012 entry into e-ecommerce - dubbed "F-Commerce" - failed to gain traction. The article reports on research that investigated how social media has impacted the online browsing and purchasing behaviour of consumers, and how they think brands could improve the overall e-commerce experience for customers. The results show that online shoppers' expectations are rising and that there is room for many brands to improve the experience they provide by making the purchase path more social.

Summary
This article looks at how the global boom in smartphone ownership is changing the retail landscape and the way consumers shop. Insights reveal that men are more likely than women to shop via their mobiles and that mobile shoppers can be far more discriminating than the average shopper when it comes to factors such as quality and brand name. They are also more likely to make impulse purchases, are more likely to be frequent credit card users and more likely to participate in a wide range of leisure activities. In order to stand out, retailers must not only utilise the new innovations that have allowed consumers to look up reviews and make price comparisons in real-time, but also understand how consumers engage with them to create highly customer-centric shopping experiences.

Summary
This article, written by Geoffrey Precourt, Warc's US Editor, provides an introduction to the BRITE '13 conference, organised by the Columbia Business School's (CBS) Center on Global Brand Leadership. It discusses themes including mobile advertising, showrooming and the rise of the Asian consumer.

Summary
This article discusses research related to mobile advertising and the uptake of "showrooming" among consumers. In the former case, a study covering 750 mobile campaigns and 39,950 people found that ads on this channel worked best as a reminder rather than as a primary form of message delivery. Turning to the latter area, some 21% of shoppers in the US, Canada and UK now engage in "showrooming", and retailers must consider appropriate targeting, offers and loyalty schemes to tap this habit in stores.

Summary
This article argues that, while many brands get distracted by the latest digital and social fads and that marketers worry if they are not on the next bandwagon, they will miss out, if a trend is not relevant to your brand, investing in it is pointless and even counter-productive. That said, there are many examples of innovation being used successfully where there is a good brand fit, such as Tesco's virtual shopping walls in South Korean commuter stations, and fashion stores that recognise customers via their phones. Marketers must balance knowing what's happening in the outside world with ensuring the business stays true to its customer promise.

Summary
This future-themed presentation explores various "megatrends" including globalisation, the emerging middle class and an ageing population. It also identifies key technology and communication trends such as mobile devices and personalised engagement. 3D printing, behavioural science and big data are discussed. The presentation concludes by identifying some of the industries likely to be transformed by this new and so-called disruptive technology.

Summary
This report examines how shoppers and shopping are changing and how retailers should respond. It breaks down the combination of digital technologies, consumer expectations and socio-economic change that is transforming shopping. Consumers are now looking to businesses to provide value, assurance, mental space and quality; retailers can meet them by reinventing convenience, redefining loyalty, re-imagining experience and repositioning value. The report also looks at the use of customer tracking and lays out nine rules for rethinking the shopper proposition.

Summary
Brick-and-mortar retailers face increasing challenges as volatile economic conditions and the ubiquity of smartphones drive the burgeoning trend of showrooming. But the fight against showrooming will see retailers strive to offer consumers tangible benefits, interactive experiences, and improved customer service in order to justify the potential price premium of purchasing in physical stores. This Snapshot includes examples of brands ahead of the curve.

Summary
In China, the idea of a Golden Week, or holiday week, was developed in 1999 with the intention of boosting domestic consumption, and there are now three a year, during which hundreds of millions of people shop and travel, in scenes reminiscent of the Christmas period in the West. Golden Weeks are, however, closer to the January sales, as consumers expect to pick up good deals. Busy shops provide reassurance in a market where there are few consumer protections, with word of mouth an important source of brand recommendation. Customer service is vital - shoppers gain face through being given good service, and there's a sense that they should return face by buying something – and shelf prices are merely a starting point in a bargaining process. Brands need to be part of this, planning ahead to be on consumers' consideration lists and targeting Tier 2 and 3 cities which have high disposable income levels.

Summary
This article describes how T-Mall, the Chinese online retail portal featuring some 10,000 merchants, focused a campaign around China's Single’s Day on 11 November 2012. This day began originally as an annual celebration of bachelorhood but has since become the nation’s biggest retail day of the year, driven by conspicuous consumption among young Chinese. The first part of the campaign launched in September, with the tagline 'World-famous shopping paradise at your fingertips'. It aimed to cement T-Mall's brand positioning as the leading e-commerce site for choice, style and quality in China. A TVC was shot against the backdrops of Hong Kong and New York, key landmarks for aspirational Chinese shoppers, which fed into print, online and OOH. By the end of Singles Day, more than 100 million visitors to T-Mall (and Taobao, the B2B portal) had racked up record revenues of RMB 19.1 billion (US$3 billion), making it the biggest one-day e-commerce sales tally ever, anywhere in the world. Such figures are undoubtedly linked to the massive rise in the number of online shoppers in China over recent years, where numbers had swelled to 200 million by the end of 2011, up 40% compared with the previous year.