Yvette Miller ⬥ 28 July
Business-to-consumer online sales worldwide will increase by nearly 20 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to eMarketer. That will bring total global ecommerce to $1.471 trillion in 2014, and eMarketer predicts that number will climb to $2.356 trillion by 2018.
The increasing importance of all things digital is well covered (The New York Times recently ran a piece on the demise of the pen), so these statistics should not come as a surprise. Even so, in an ever-evolving digital landscape, they remind us that digital marketers must keep an eye out for the next disruptive innovation and platform shift so as not to lose customers or exposure to key demographics.
New platforms such as new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) – including those of particular interest in the Asia-Pacific emerging market that eMarketer mentions – are ready to be put to use. And they will become an accepted part of the landscape as the number of digital buyers expands. Is your business ready?
For Your Radar
September 2 – 5: Internet Governance Forum, to be held in Instabul
September 18 – 19: International Trademark Association meeting, to be held in San Francisco
October 12 – 16: ICANN 51, to be held in Los Angeles
October 29: Nine-Month Contracting Deadline for Applicants with CIRs
July 29, 2015: 18-Month Contracting Deadline for Applicants with CIRs that Request and are Granted the 9-month extension
Public Comment Periods to Consider
July 29: Comment period closes on the Introduction of Two-Character Domain Names
Aug 1: Comment period closes on WHOIS Requirements and National Law Conflicts