A recent study by the Pew Internet Project found that 87% of smartphone owners use them to access the Internet or for email. This is all the more reason to have a mobile strategy for your email design. While mobile devices are rapidly catching up with computer technology, relying on traditional email design may mean that a large portion of your audience won't have a great experience interacting with your emails.

For many consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, ecommerce is out of reach. Not because they can't figure it out, but because they have chosen not to participate in this channel -- most often, to avoid conflicts with resellers. When the ecommerce channel is not available, chances are the brand has no direct ties between most digital marketing activities and sales. While brands can theoretically buy all sorts of data about their customers and where they shop, realistically such data is too costly for many brands' already-stretched budgets. This divide -- the separation between digital marketing and sales -- poses a …

In July, my family celebrated the Serbian Orthodox holiday Slava. As we prepared for dinner, the priest came to our house and blessed the food and our home. The preparation for his arrival typically includes a candle, red wine, a list of residents in the house and the traditional bread that my mother-in-law makes and decorates. This year, as I handed him all the "tools," he asked for one more thing" my email address. Wait? What? Why? Feeling put on the spot and not entirely sure I could really say "no," I obliged.