- Despite promising ourselves to get a headstart on the present buying this year, we still found ourselves stressing last minute. Given the crowded shops and the customer outrage fuelled by crashed e-commerce sites, it’s safe to assume we weren’t the only ones rushing. But while many of us associate the festive season with shopping, there’s an anti-consumption movement on the rise, introducing alternative ways to celebrate the holidays. Check out our latest blog post about the anti-shoppers, conscious consumers and the retailers that give the sales extravaganza a miss.
- China’s gamers have good reason to look forward to 2019! After a nine-month freeze, the Chinese government is once again starting to approve video games for release in the country. China’s gaming industry, which turns over US$30 billion a year, requires publishers to submit games for review to authorities before they can be sold in the domestic market. But due to a recent crackdown on gaming, the process has been suspended since April. With the new media regulator granting licenses for the first batch of games following the hiatus, it’s not yet game over for the world’s largest gaming market.
- Christmas shoppers in Japan were in for a treat earlier this month as Softbank Group’s digital payment app PayPay promised users 10 billion yen (US$88 million) in rebates from their purchases. Softbank subscribers had even more reason to splurge with a one in ten chance to receive the whole amount of a single transaction back. The campaign, which required users to pay through QR mobile, was set to last until the end of March 2019 but closed prematurely as all funds had run out within ten days of launch. As triumphant shoppers boasted about their bargains and freebies on social media, there’s no doubt the campaign garnered plenty of traction.
- Looking for a summary of the most important trends in Social Intelligence in 2018? Look no further than this post by Audiense (available in both Spanish and English), presenting a panel of seven experts in the field, of which one is Convosphere’s Spain Country Manager, Tamara Lucas. ? Sharing their reflections and experiences of social and audience intelligence over the last 12 months, the interviewees offer plenty of food for thought.
- As for the dominating social media themes we can expect to see in 2019, this article on AdWeek explores a range of different areas, from the growing prominence of AI and micro-influencers to the increased vetting of social media posts and the role of blockchain in combatting fake news. To help yourself prepare for the year ahead, we also recommend this forecast on tech and business trends by Fjord and the top 10 digital transformation trends as predicted by Forbes.
The Convosphere team wishes all our readers a Happy New Year! ???
We look forward to seeing you in 2019.
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With a background in PR, communication and journalism, Moa heads up Convosphere’s content marketing, blog and social media channels.
Before joining Convosphere, Moa worked as a PR and brand consultant for agencies including The Future Laboratory, LS:N Global, Canvas8 and Stylus, with a focus on packaging, retail and technology trends in the UK and Scandinavia.
