Search and discovery on mobile devices will spur more holiday shopping in shorter sessions on mobile devices. In fact, 54% of all holiday shoppers say they plan to shop on their smartphones in spare moments throughout the day like walking or commuting, according to Matt Lawson. In a post published to Think with Google, Lawson runs through three predictions for retail holiday shopping trends. He presents data suggesting the share of online purchases from smartphones rose 64% during the last year.   

From search to programmatic display and video media buys, marketers are looking to improve on the performance of campaigns. Earlier this month, Google announced that native ads and mobile video interstitials became available to buyers on the DoubleClick Ad Exchange. Now the company has released a holiday guide to learn more about how DoubleClick Ad Exchange can help marketers use the platform to reach holiday shoppers this season. The insights detail five steps to improve programmatic campaign performance.

Google reports through the American Cancer Society that donations through Cancer.org rose 5.4% with help from Google Analytics. The society uses a several Web sites and mobile apps to provide information on cancer detection and treatment, offer volunteer opportunities, and accept donations, but it was challenged to segment the data to improve donations. It wanted to understand how user behavior has changes over time, and remarket to all segments once they were identified. Daniel Waisberg explains the results of the analysis.  

Mike Blumenthal takes a dive into the new release of Google+, saying the mobile-first design reflects a clear direction for the product with a focus on collections, communities, content and curation. He believe with the redesign, Google hug a sign reading businesses unwelcome.

The graph shows a combination of U.S. desktop search volume on a monthly basis from December 2004 to October 2015, with data compiled from comScoreqSearch and Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search reports. October 2015 saw a 3.64% decrease in desktop search query volume, compared with the prior year, year over year. Each consecutive month in 2015 shows a decline in desktop query volume.

In time for the holidays, Google's express delivery service expands through Southern California. The service, initially being tested in Los Angeles, costs $95 for an annual membership, or pay a fee of $4.99 per eligible order to use the service. Retailers participating in Google Express include Target, Walgreens, Kohl's and Costco.

Google is adding a new feature to Hangouts that will let meeting organizers invite participants without Google accounts. “Previously, anyone invited to join a Hangouts meeting without an existing Google account was prompted to create one,” ZDNet notes. “With the update, a non-Google account holder can join a chat directly from a Google Calendar invite, with the only requirement being their name.”

Top Yahoo execs are not happy with the company’s direction, and many are blaming CEO Marissa Mayer, Forbes reports. “More than three years after Mayer was brought in to turn things around, the original Internet media giant is still failing at its core business and getting whipped not only by Google and Facebook but also by newer entrants such as Instagram, Snapchat and even the beleaguered Twitter.”

Neal Mohan, Google’s SVP of video and display advertising, is reportedly moving over to YouTube as head of product development. Taking Mohan's place is Google Analytics head Paul Muret, Ad Age reports. “But Mr. Muret isn't leaving the Google Analytics team,” it notes. “Instead, the VP-engineering will be adding oversight of Google's display ad business to his duties.”

Where does the former Microsoft/MSN SEO lead, who also led the development of Bing Webmaster Tools go after an eight-year tenure at Microsoft? asks Melanie Saxe. Duane Forrester landed at Bruce Clay, Inc. in a newly created position as vice president, organic search operations.