As the pace of life continues to accelerate, people are looking for simpler ways to tackle their to-do lists. Online shopping caters directly to this growing consumer desire for convenience and speed, in some cases completely eliminating the need for in-store shopping. This change from a physical to a virtual shopping experience is strikingly similar to the evolution from the iconic vinyl albums of yesteryear, to today's music download and streaming.

Upon wrapping up what was a rather warm winter, climate change is and continues to be a hot topic for all. We check the weather almost every day, plan our week ahead around it, and actively make decisions in response to what we see in the forecast. The weather impacts the clothes we wear, the food we eat, our skin and haircare routines, and many times, whether we shop online or go to the physical store. Frequent fluctuations in temperature and precipitation have kept the weather top of mind, presenting an opportunity for marketers to find new ways to be …

CPG products and brand-consumer relationships are fundamentally different than any other category. CPG products are used intimately, actually going on and being ingested into customers' bodies, arguably building and requiring a much closer connection with customers.

The consumer goods and services industry will grow by as much as US$700 billion globally by 2020, with nearly 50%, or US$340 billion, of this growth coming from Asia-specifically China, Indonesia, India, Singapore and Thailand. China alone is expected to account for approximately US$200 billion, or 60%, of the growth in Asia.

There's no denying the paradigm shift that social media has delivered to marketers. It delivers word-of-mouth marketing at scale. While our love affair - and media dollars - are pointed to social networks, we risk disregarding an online channel where millions of pieces of content are exchanged every day. A channel where thousands of purchases are influenced, the majority of content is shared and where products are recommended all the time.

On an almost daily basis, my doorbell rings around 7:45 p.m., setting off a chain reaction that has the dog barking and, inevitably, wakes up the two rambunctious boys I just put to bed. But the most interesting part is watching my husband run to the door like it's Christmas. Only it's not. It's Google Express delivering a "gift" wrapped in a brown paper bag that hides the random sundries we ran out of that morning: laundry detergent, toothpaste, and, of course, bones to entertain the mouth behind that barking.

Last fall, I paused while scrolling through my Facebook feed when I spotted a friend and her family holding a four-foot fork and an oversized blueberry in front of a "pancake mobile" parked in front of her house. Her photo led to her blog post, where she explained how I could tweet the company that was launching frozen pancakes and get some for myself. I searched the hashtag, saw more pictures of folks having fun, and tweeted them to visit me. When the driver showed up, he filled up my freezer after I agreed to share my own photos (more …

I'll admit it. I'm an unabashed admirer of behavior-based digital advertising. I'm thrilled to know I can now make recommendations to clients knowing that every dollar I'm recommending they spend - to launch a new CPG product, for instance - is now reaching only the known buyers of that category. No longer are we wasting precious launch dollars on mass media that will largely reach folks who will never buy the category. And, I love the fact that we can carve up and customize messaging for those known category buyers - buyers of my competition (heavy, medium and light), buyers …

It has been reported, including on this site, that the effectiveness of digital coupons is on the rise. According to an Inmar 2015 Shopper Study, while overall coupon redemption was down 13% in 2015 year-over-year, digital coupon share and demand is up. In fact, 55% of consumers said they would use more coupons if they were available digitally.

The purchasing process has evolved from being simple and singular to increasingly serendipitous. As our attention span shortens and the need for instant gratification strengthens, there is now a greater value in the ability to reach retailers wherever we are, at any time and in any place. This has opened up new avenues for selling and distributing CPGs, breaking the traditional retail format and enabling brands to communicate their value in a new way.