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The mobile market is maturing, with 82% penetration anticipated by 2020 in the US.

Beacon technology, which powers proximity marketing, results in an estimated 40 million messages a year, and that number is ever increasing. As a result, the retail industry must be sure it is primed to take full advantage of this technology now and in the coming years.

While proximity marketing is ideal for targeting the right audience at the right time, it’s also a complex and emerging marketing style that’s bound to have to work out a few kinks.

Some companies treat corporate social responsibility primarily as a form of branding. For instance, a company that donates 10 percent of profits to cancer research might develop a marketing plan to let the public know about its good works so customers will feel better about buying its products. A more comprehensive approach to societal marketing would include an examination of the company's products and services and what effect they have on the customer and the society.

Consumers generally say they want to buy products that are more environmentally sustainable or socially responsible, but that doesn't translate to actual sales if the product costs too much or doesn't perform as well as its rivals. It might seem as if there's a gap between what customers say they want and what they really want, but in reality they want it all. An unpleasant-tasting, expensive brand of fair trade coffee is not going to outsell a delicious and affordable rival just because it is fair trade. However, a delicious and affordable fair trade brand could do very well. The fact that the coffee is fair trade is a benefit to the consumer, but only if the coffee meets the customer's other requirements for taste and price. Effective societal marketing treats the social responsibility aspect as an extra benefit to choosing an already fine product.

Sometimes a company can make its marketing campaign more socially responsible by making relatively small changes to a popular product. For example, if a restaurant offers a children's meal option including a grilled cheese sandwich, chips and a soda, it could improve the menu by offering fresh fruit and milk or juice as options. Some parents will still decide to order the chips and soda, but some will choose the fruit and milk. The company is giving customers what they want either way, but by including healthier options the company is doing what it can to have a positive impact on society.

(CNN) -- Is Orbitz trying to get Mac users to book higher-priced hotels?

"What we have found is ... that Mac users are 40% more likely to book four- or five-star hotels than PC users," Harford said. "That lines up with (the fact that) Mac users are typically more willing to spend more money on higher-end computers."

Marketing and e-business for the tourism industry

With increasing competition in the tourism industry, successful entrepreneurs know that a good marketing plan is vital to success.

Tourists and enthusiasts have quickly adopted the Internet as a preferred means of shopping for excursion and destination venues which allow them to quickly compare accommodations, aesthetics, services offered, and prices.

Consumers

Consumers

people are spending, and continuing to spend, more and more online.

most consumers are inclined to stay at hotels that take steps to be environmentally sustainable.

He cited three categories that matter most to consumers: water, energy and waste reduction

Top POS Predictions for 2017 “Windows will no longer be the number one operating system in the market, as multiple operating systems are being offered to allow greater flexibility to consumers. Data collection will be a bigger selling point for consumers, not only to track sales and inventory, but also to manage shifts and training, as well as deploy customer loyalty programs.” — Bematech “We will see increasing configuration flexibility to adapt to more fluid layouts in a hyper-channel oriented world, smaller counter footprints, more intensive future-proofing and increased value.” — Fujitsu America, Inc. “Major restaurant chains will continue to adopt online ordering and line-busting technology and POS hardware will do a better job of connecting wirelessly to each other (Internet of Things) and to mobile (smartphone and tablet) devices. It will also integrate with sensors, cameras and video monitors to provide smart advertising to customers based on environment and purchasing trends.” — Epson “A lot of the new requests for hardware are around supporting initiatives for increasing customer engagement. These come in the form of minimizing the barrier for traditional POS, installing kiosks of varying sizes and form factors, mobility solutions, and customer-facing screens on the POS for supporting both touch and non-touch versions.” — Par Technology Corp. “In the end, hardware is simply the platform for software and consumer omnichannel demands. The rise in mobile payments and the EMV mandate will prod hospitality to upgrade legacy POS systems because of the need for security compliance and to accept more payment options. Tablets, smartphones, software- (SaaS) or POS-as-a-service models, and cloud-based POS will continue to drive the need for POS hardware to adapt to new IT and consumer interaction.” — Posiflex “POS hardware will expand connectivity in keeping with the IOT revolution, so operators will be able to provide a more personalized experience to customers at checkout.” — Toshiba “There will be increased investments in WiFi, location-based services (LBS), mobile computers and data capture solutions as more consumers use their smartphones to engage in mobile ordering and loyalty programs for personalized offers. In addition, businesses will have an increased need for visibility in automating food safety processes.” — Zebra

British merchants are not rushing to adopt the services, instead taking a cautious approach to introducing new payment technology and solutions into their businesses

if merchants fail to offer payment solutions that appeal to customers, they could risk frustrating and ultimately losing long-term visitors

[The merchant] can specifically pick out age, first time [at establishment] and gender and create a group around that … and then push out a special offer.

Proximity marketing exploits activities that consumers are already involved with — and enjoy — to offer retailers a new path to reach their audiences, affording a higher level of interactivity that didn’t exist before. Proximity marketing expands the scope of interactive marketing in public places — malls, food courts, cinemas, airports, etc. — to offer a more spontaneous and direct interaction. Think of it as taking location-based marketing to an even greater level of "local," and being contextually relevant in absolute terms. Proximity marketing allows retailers to leverage their strengths and create an even more memorable interaction for consumers and, by extension, motivate return visits and increase ROI.

E-commerce has been defined as "the buying and selling of products and services by businesses and consumers over the Internet."

Accelerating Internet usage worldwide The Internet is the lowest cost hotel-booking channel Most travelers research hotel reservations on the Internet Social media and online hotel reviews are an increasingly important decision factor The web is the preferred media source for travel information, favored 17:1 over television and 6:1 over newspapers and magazines.

Adding real time search functionality to your site, capability to generate user reviews, launching contests helps to build fresh content and quality links

Angelsmith recently released the results of a survey of more than 500 people to find out how they influence the dining decisions of others and in turn how their personal restaurant choices are made. The findings revealed that even though nearly half (48.9 percent) of survey respondents seek information from trusted friends first, more than eight of 10 (80.1 percent) respondents go on to do additional research after receiving a restaurant recommendation.

nearly 8 out of 10 (79.5 percent) of survey respondents reported influencing their friends, family, and co-workers.

This subset of 15.3 percent of respondents, reported that they were ‘always asked’ for restaurant recommendations from friends.

By focusing on new methods of selling and engaging consumers or creating demand for hotels, several of these new channels are creating interesting segmentation opportunities.

These evolving channels can be categorized into three major types: new search models, mobile/last-minute models and new discount channels, dissecting the broader impact of social media when it comes to online bookings

Roomkey.com, which is similar to the TravelWeb portal of the past, represents the attempt of the brands to launch their own version of an OTA. While suppliers remain optimistic about Roomkey.com, it has yet to really catch the eye of consumers and still needs considerable improvements before it starts to offer a viable alternative in the eyes of the consumer.

Green Button initiative, a recent White House effort to bring together the nation’s utilities, energy consumers and private industry to develop Internet and mobile phone-style technologies and business models aimed at reducing energy consumption.

greater control over their home energy usage and save money,

Making this data available to the public would in principle lead private-sector companies to develop technologies like energy management systems and smartphone applications that can interpret and use the information.

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Internet security is all about trust at a distance

Even with secure connections, encryption, and the various other authentication schemes there is always a way to spoof identity, provide forged documents or credentials, hold computers and servers hostage to “ransomware” or allow cyber-criminals to be whoever they want to be.