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Twitter exec: Mobile sparking seismic shift in holiday buying decisions


During the session, "Understanding What Makes the New Retail Consumer Tick,? the executive discussed what success looks like in a modern consumer?s world and how the new retail consumer is more mobile, more social, more immediate and more personal. Mobile has accelerated the consumer?s readiness for more meaningful campaigns, according to the executive.

?There are two seismic shifts that are already happening,? said Ori Carmel, Twitter?s marketing manager. ?The first one is mobile, driven by the consumers. It?s going to impact the entire industry in the sense of individuals having information readily available for them and the mobile device changing the way people make decisions and become aware of products, specifically in the holiday season. 

?The second big change is an understanding of moments,? he said?At Twitter we think of moments on a four-quadrant environment where they are either planned, spontaneous, either big events or everyday moments. And marketers who are able to understand and differentiate between those types of moments and combine them, in creative, engaging ways that speak to audiences but also provide value are going to be the ones who rise above the noise we usually hear during the holiday season.?

The Mobile Marketing Summit: Holiday Focus 2014 was organized by Mobile Marketer.

Amplifying actions
As one of the leading social media networks, with more than 500 million users worldwide, Twitter has become the digital heartbeat of consumer undercurrents. One of the earliest networks that started in the mobile medium, Twitter is best known for amplifying actions, reactions or emerging patterns of behavior that influences policymaking as well as consumer and business decisions. 

Mr. Carmel?s remarks came two days after Twitter announced it was testing a ?Buy? button, giving users exclusive access to offers and merchandise they can act on right in Twitter applications for Android and iOS, ahead of the start of holiday shopping.

Industry sources are split on the impact the move could have. Some experts say the move is not likely to significantly enhance revenue, given the social-media site?s strength is handling quick, fast information rather than ecommerce, while others believe the opposite.

Mr. Carmel?s talk emphasized how the new retail consumer is more mobile, more social, more immediate and more personal. It also focused on the importance of adding value in a new channel-agnostic world, including using data and insights for decision-making.

The presentation included numerous examples of how Twitter ?has become a worldwide phenomenon.

Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres? selfie with actors in the audience at last year?s Academy Awards show was an example of Twitter?s power to make a big event even bigger.

The example of a Middle Eastern couple sharing a kiss with the tweet ?Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies? showed Twitter?s ability at turning small moments into big ones.

Twitter?s reputation as what Mr. Carmel called the pulse of the planet was in evidence when Twitter handled 672 million tweets during the recent World Cup soccer tournament, he said.

Ori Carmel, Twitter?s marketing manager, at conference.

Snickers turned a biting incident in the World Cup involving Uruguay?s Luis Suarez and an Italian player into an amusing ad that garnered great attention. The tweet ran: 

?Hey @luis16suarez. Next time you're hungry just grab a Snickers
More satisfying than Italian.?

Marketers understand Twitter?s ability to engage consumers, as demonstrated by Hewlett Packard?s partnership with Twitter and Vine?s creators.

#AmazonCart
In another example, Unilever?s Axe partnered with Twitter to launch the new ?Peace? brand. Users were encouraged to submit selfies. Amazon launched #AmazonCart to help users add items to their carts without leaving Twitter.

Headwinds are buffeting the industry heading into the holiday shopping season, Mr. Carmel said. Message-saturated shoppers, top-heavy competition, a shrinking gap between online and offline commerce and declining sales at department sales all figure to have an impact on holiday shopping.

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York.