“It is no accident that many of the highest-performing e-commerce sites feature a clear call to action. CTAs, if done correctly, can dramatically increase conversion rates. But they must be visible, clear and compelling. Don’t make visitors work for the desired next action,” explains Sahil Saini of AKOS Digital. “One quick and simple way to increase site conversion is to put CTAs ‘above the fold’ so visitors don’t have to scroll down to see it. To realize an even bigger boost from your CTAs, personalize them. When visitors are met with tastefully done personalizations and specific product recommendations, it demonstrates you understand them, which helps build loyalty.”

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New research suggests that splitting campaigns to bid separately for branded traffic is worthwhile in many industries.

For paid search managers, developing an effective branded keyword strategy is nothing new. When it comes to Shopping ads, however, the picture gets a lot murkier – Shopping is not keyword-based, and Google only offers negative keywording. Read more…

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Bill Ready, PayPal’s former COO, has been named the new head of commerce for Google, reports TechCrunch. Ready will start in January and report directly to Google’s SVP of Ads, Commerce and Payments Prabhakar Raghavan. He will focus on bringing “Google’s vision, strategy and delivery” to its commerce products, but will not be involved in payments, according to TechCrunch. “Bill’s exceptional track record building great experiences for consumers and deeply strategic partnerships makes him a powerful addition to our team. I couldn’t be more excited for the future of commerce at Google,” said Raghavan in a statement shared with TechCrunch. Ready had been with PayPal since 2013 when the company acquired his tech startup Braintree. 

The customer data platform Simon Data has named Diona Harris as its new chief product officer. In her new role, Harris will oversee product development, commercialization, strategy and finance and will work closely with CEO Jason Davis, President Josh Neckes and CTO Matt Walker. Part of Harris’ responsibilities will include advancing the company’s product roadmap and developing greater adoption in the marketplace. “Doina brings to Simon Data a unique and expansive skillset centered around a deep focus on customers and a strategic understanding of overall market trends, that will further define Simon Data’s offering and more broadly shape the CDP space as it evolves,” said Davis. Prior to joining Simon Data, Harris was head of analytics and finance at AppNexus. 

Talkdesk, a cloud contact center solution for enterprises, has hired Chad Gaydos to serve as chief customer officer, a newly created C-suite role for the company that will focus on creating and nurturing Talkdesk’s corporate culture. Gaydos will lead strategy and execution for customer experience and report to Talkdesk CEO Tiago Paiva. “Chad Gaydos has a remarkable track record in customer-facing roles across the globe and brings a comprehensive understanding of customer-centricity to the Talkdesk approach. His deep knowledge, vast experience and passion for customer excellence will be instrumental in deploying and aligning resources,” said Paiva. Gaydos has held a number of C-level roles throughout his career, including chief revenue officer for Skillsoft and chief operating officer for SAP’s Regulated Industries business.

Find out when, why, and how marketers are updating their marketing technology applications in this new report from MarTech Today. How does your organization compare? The 2020 MarTech Replacement Survey results are hot off the presses and ready for you to explore.

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Align People, Process and Technology for Data-Driven Marketing Success in 2020 – CMS Wire

ARF: Different approaches to data cause tension on marketing teams, limiting quality – Marketing Dive

Ecommerce 2020: Enabling new business models with IoT – Get Elastic

AI R&D is booming, but general intelligence is still out of reach – The Verge

As A New Decade Approaches, It’s Time To Double Down On Data Strategy – AdExchanger

20 Podcast Predictions for 2020 from Top Industry Leaders – Pacific Content