Nearly a third of respondents to a recent survey said they spend moderately on local marketing: $250 to $500 per month, while 28.6% spend more than $1,000 monthly, and 22.1% spend $500 to $1,000 per month.

Pinterest should continue to benefit from online searches and interactions that previously took place in malls, with help from technology.

Two-thirds of shoppers consider store brands as high-quality as name brands. Another third rank private-label higher. In Bazarvoice's network of more than 11,500 brands and retailers, online ordering rose 39% year-over-year in 2020.

Many family-owned restaurants in California transitioned to takeout, with a greater reliance on technology, search engines, website ordering, and sidewalk dining to survive the pandemic. The setup could become permanent.

A machine-learning algorithm allowed Alexa to infer that an initial question implies a subsequent request, a step toward natural interaction enabling Alexa to infer "latent goals" implicit in customer requests, but not directly expressed.

Nearly a year into quarantine, people continue to search on Google for "things to do during" certain times, with searches for the phrase rising 300% globally year-over-year. There are early signs that some consumers are preparing to go back out into public settings, with "makeup app," "long tops for girls," and "wedding suit" rising.

2021 will be the year of subscription services. Although most of its apps are free, Google has recently built several paid-service tiers led by YouTube for streaming tv and music.

Amazon entered Sweden in October 2020 to support local retailers in ecommerce. What should a search agency do to make the most of Amazon's move? Follow it, of course.

Tom Capper is known as a thought leader with a penchant for challenging industry norms and developing unique SEO strategies and tactics.

Using more technology means increased carbon emissions, despite President Joe Biden's determination to cut America's carbon output, including oil, gas and coal, halting projects like the Keystone XL pipeline and imposing new limits on oil. How will online marketers think about cutting carbon emissions in 2021?