US video trends: Half of millennial Netflix users stream via mobiles
Of the US Millennials who watch Netflix, nearly half of them do at least some of their video viewing from a smartphone or tablet, according to new research. The study, from comScore, found that in comparison, 36 percent of Netflix viewers who are 35-54 years old...China web trends: Baidu mobile search revenue overtakes desktop
Baidu search revenue from mobile surpassed PC during December 2014, as the Chinese search revenue continues its transition to becoming a mobile-centric company. Baidu’s total revenues in Q4 2014 were RMB14.050 billion ($2.264 billion), a 47.5% increase year on year....WeChat users sends 1bn virtual red envelopes for Chinese New Year
WeChat users exchanged over 1 billion virtual hongbao (red envelopes containing cash gifts) on New Year’s Eve. A total of 1.01 billion red envelopes were exchanged through Tencent’s WeChat on Chinese New Year’s Eve, the social media company said...Android faces probe in Russia after Yandex protest
Russia’s most popular search engine Yandex has asked the state anti-monopoly watchdog to investigate Google for possibly violating Russian antitrust law. Yandex alleges that its rival has an unfair advantage because it insists device-makers set Google as the default...Digital to account for 50% of UK ad spend this year- report
Digital marketing will make up half of all adspend in the UK during 2015, with UK growth outstripping US and Western Europe by 60%, according to new research. The study, from Strategy Analytics, indicates that digital adspend in the UK is set to grow fastest (9.5%)...Most Brits change shopping habits due to promotions
Retailer promotions are directly impacting the buying habits of 60% of UK consumers, according to new research. The study, from RapidCampaign, reveals that promotions influence 28% of consumers to spend more, 27% to buy from retailers they would not normally choose...Xiaomi opens US store… but not for smartphones
Xiaomi has announced that it will open an online store for US customers, but the popular Chinese smartphone maker said it won’t be selling its mobile devices. Instead, the site will sell lesser-known products such as headphones. Xiaomi cited logistical issues like...UK emails trends: Consumers ‘more receptive to email marketing’ over Christmas
Despite warnings over a holiday blizzard of marketing messages or a consumer backlash against over-eager inbox advertisers, the Christmas period was actually a strong time for email marketing, according to new data. Email intelligence companyReturn Path’s...UK’s tech businesses set to grow four times faster than GDP in 2015
Marketing and advertising was not only fundamental to the growth of the vast majority of UK tech firms last year, but also seen as the most important factor in sustaining or accelerating growth in 2015, by the largest percentage of respondents, according to new...Apple overtakes Android sales in US
Following its record-breaking profits, Apple has managed to overtake sales of Android devices in the key market of the U.S. for the first time in three years. Apple’s market share lead was just 0.1%, according to data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel. Apple’s...China ecommerce trends: Alibaba tests drone deliveries
Alibaba is testing delivering online orders via drones for its Taobao service with a one-off, three day campaign in China. Alibaba is limiting the trial to just 450 packets of ginger tea, which will be delivered to specific parts of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou....BT buys EE for £12.5bn to create communications giant
BT has bought the UKs largest mobile operator EE for £12.5bn as the telecoms firm expands into the lucrative ‘quad play’ sector to take on Sky. The deal brings together BT’s more than 10 million retail customers and EE’s 24.5 million direct mobile...Super Bowl ad stats: Advertising accounted for 28% of TV coverage
Advertising accounted for 28% of Super Bowl viewing this year, as competition and pricing for a Tv commercial at the high profile sports event gets more intense. Americans for Responsible Advertising (AFRA) recorded and analyzed NBC’s telecast of the National...Micromax overtakes Samsung in India smartphone sales
Samsung has been overtaken as the largest seller of smartphones in India by local budget brand Micromax for the first time, according to new research. The study, from market research firm Canalys, indicates that Micromax accounted for 22% of India’s smartphone...Five ways Sky’s O2 merger could change the UK market
The UK satellite and triple-play provider Sky ntends to launch an MVNO on O2’s network in 2016; the deal includes LTE. Martin Scott, Head of Analysys Mason’s Consumer Services research practice, provides the following thoughts on the announcement. • This move will...Yahoo to spin-off Alibaba shares in cost-saving drive
Yahoo plans to spin off the company’s $40 billion stake in Alibaba will likely buy her at least another year to turn Yahoo’s core business around. In creating the separate company made up of its stake in Alibaba, Yahoo will avoid a large tax bill. Yahoo...Guardian launches new website to complete multi-platform redesign
The Guardian has revamped its website, as the newspaper looks to reflect how readers consume news rather than how journalists categorise it. The relaunch is part of a broader digital-first strategy, which has already seen the introduction of a redesigned app and...WeChat tests ads: Coke and BMW first to sign for Chinese WhatsApp rival
WeChat is testing ads with BMW and Coke among the first brands appearing on users phones, as China’s most popular social networking app explores ways to monetise its huge user base. A large number of WeChat users have received the first ads in the app’s...Global ecommerce trends 2015: UK leads the way in Europe and North America
Ecommerce is set to boom across Europe and North America this year. Online sales are forecast to grow by 16.2% in the UK, while sales across Europe are tipped to grow by 18.4%, according to new research.
