Halloween isn't even over, but many online retailers just can't wait to get going with their Christmas marketing campaigns. Some are so impatient, they've already gone into full on festive-mode. EConsultancy takes a look at how 12 online retailers are currently promoting Christmas onsite, via email and social.

The government has now confirmed that the UK will be implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Secretary of State Karen Bradley MP used her appearance before the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee to say: "We will be members of the EU in 2018 and therefore it would be expected and quite normal for us to opt into the GDPR."

While you can go about email marketing by buying lists, it's important to note that it's always a terrible idea to do so. For starters, a number of "reputable email marketing vendors don't let you send emails to lists you've bought." A marketing software like Hubspot simply won't allow it, as they require that you "use opt-in email lists."

The majority of retailers will increase their send volume during the holidays in a bid to keep their products and services in front of impressionable consumers. Before you copy the same email campaign and schedule it for every day next week, please remember that quality is much more important that quantity. If you don't have the resources, you are better off sending just the one.

When altering your email marketing strategy, you may find that you need to change some mindsets within your business, such as an approach of 'blasting out' as many emails as possible. Getting buy-in from all stakeholders at the very beginning will mean you can set strong foundations for the new strategy from the get-go.

Considering that more than 60% of the population are visual learners, it makes sense that a great subject line should reveal how your content can show something. "Image" was among the 10 highest-performing subject-line words, boasting almost a 20% response rate. Other high-performing synonyms for visual content included "chart" and "show," each giving a 17% response rate.

Sending customers a special promotion for an exclusive discount or a newsletter can be a simple way to encourage sales. An integral part of a successful mobile marketing campaign is to think about email campaigns and how you can optimise those messages for users. Using a responsive design template so that the email loads properly across all devices is essential.

If you want to get someone to do something, it's much better to ask face to face. This finding, from a new study, could be unfortunate for many young people who think email is better than the old fashioned approach. The researchers said youngsters are "seduced" by the ease of email -- but it could have disastrous results when it comes to looking for a job, or asking for a pay raise.

More than four in five Internet users in France said they opened a marketing email because they trusted the brand sending that email, according to a June 2016 survey conducted Syndicat National de la Communication Directe (SNCD). But there are other incentives that marketers can use: About 60% said they might open an email from a marketer if it offered a customer benefit or promotion.

Tesco is trialling Tap&Tag technology, which replaces paper receipts with digital receipts when customers make a purchase at one of its stores. To use the system, customers simply tap on the Tap&Tag console at the checkout with any contactless bank card or NFC enabled phone. Following an online registration, a digital receipt is sent instantly via email, app or Web portal.