U.S. consumers want products that reflect their values, according to a report from A.T. Kearney. This reflects a change from affluence-based consumerism to a model based on influence. 

Equifax CEO Richard Smith is stepping down in the wake of the data breach that exposed information on 143 million consumers. His retirement, effective immediately, was announced Tuesday morning. Equifax has revealed that hackers exploited a software flaw to steal Social Security numbers, birthdates and other data.  

Fear of malware may be having a dampening effect on email response. Statistics show that click rates are declining. And consumers are losing trust, even in companies whose content they subscribe to. But there may be an answer — click-free emails that bring the landing page with the email. 

Email marketing is the second-most effective marketing strategy for small businesses. And it can help SMBS stay close to their customers — but only if they use the right suppliers. Here’s a listing of vendors. 

Holiday emails are increasing in volume. Yet last year they generated a lower average open rate than business-as-usual emails. Here is some input on how to drive opens and sales with subject lines — it begins with personalization.  

SAP, reputedly the largest software company in Europe, is acquiring the Israeli software company Gigya for $350 million in cash. Gigya specializes in customer identity and access management. 

The online economy, from email to social media, is based on the fact that consumers are willing to trade data in exchange for free, easy-to-use products. But a new paper done by MIT staff states that the tradeoff is not necessary. And it warns about data monopolies, according to the Harvard Business Review. 

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has called for a federal privacy watchdog with the power to go after companies like Equifax. The recent Equifax data breach included information on 100,000 Canadian customers. 

Microsoft development partner Concep has worked with Dynamics 365 to create a digital marketing solution for B2B marketers. It enables sales, marketing and business development teams to work together, Concep says.  

EmailMonks has created an infographic containing tips on email marketing.  It shows the stages of inbound and outbound marketing, and explains the differences between the two.