More marketers are issuing surveys to examine consumer behavior trends. With a shift toward retail marketing online, study results and findings emerge almost daily. Among online stores, there has been a greater shift toward Search Engine Optimization or SEO and this has also been growing as a marketer’s tool at “selling” marketing to prospective clients.

Nearly all consumers (97 percent) now use online media when researching products or services in their local area, according to BIA/Kelsey’s User View Wave VII, an ongoing consumer tracking study conducted with research partner ConStat. Among consumers surveyed, 90 percent use search engines, 48 percent use Internet Yellow Pages, 24 percent use vertical sites, and 42 percent use comparison-shopping sites.

According to the study, on average, consumers are using 7.9 different media sources when shopping for products or services in their local area, up from 6.5 sources in 2009 and 5.8 in 2008, revealing a noteworthy increase in audience fragmentation. Additional findings include:
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Recently, we discussed a research study by Foresee that cited evidence that Facebook may be a positive area for businesses to reach customers. Several businesses are delving into Facebook even deeper. Jones NY and Rachel Roy are expanding their marketing opportunities with Facebook. The concept is to reach out to customers by creating an amiable marketing device that stimulates involvement among Facebook members.

Digital shopping pioneer Fluid, Inc. announced Nine West as a new customer deploying Fluid Fan Shop, the new Facebook shopping component of Fluid Social, the industry’s leading social shopping platform. Fan Shop embeds unique and highly branded fans-only shopping experiences directly into a tab on a retailer’s Facebook fan page. Nine West is the second Jones Apparel Group brand to deploy Fan Shop, following closely on the heels of phenomenal results from a three day pop-up store for Rachel Roy, a division of Jones Apparel. In the first six hours of the store, the brand’s Facebook-exclusive product sold out. In the first 24 hours, the brand obtained 1.5 new Facebook fans each minute, and the event returned a total fan base increase of 35 percent.
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The problem with trying to determine Return Of Investment (ROI) for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable. Surveys are somewhat subjective especially when you discount who would answer the survey over those who didn’t. Nonetheless, every major business has set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites frequented on the Internet.

According to a recent study done by based in Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Foresee Results, fans of the social networking site Facebook now look forward to seeing news about retail sales and promotions on their Facebook pages.

Everyone is talking about social media, and there are lots of opinions about how to do it right. The researchers thought it was important to check in with customers to get their thoughts. How do they interact with retailers via social media? How would they prefer to interact? What value are they seeking from their interactions with retailers via social media?
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Mobile World Congress 2010 is running from February 15 through February 18 in Barcelona Spain and every mobile phone company is competing with new releases that they hope will be a leader in 2010.

Acer has introduced at least 3 new phones. One is set to try to unseat Apple’s iPhone domination. Many manufacturers are expanding into Google’s Android world. One company is expanding the 4G market with up to speedier download capabilities.

The mobile Netbook market is also extending itself further. More models are including the Nvida Ion graphics processor, specifically designed for the Netbook in 2009. Only a couple models took it on but it seems that, in 2010, we’re going to see Netbooks with much more powerful video applications. Acer will release the Acer Aspire One 532G, sometime in late March, and it’s going to demonstrate that the Netbook market is stronger than before.
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MP3 Players and iPods are the rage. Squeezebox Touch from Logitech is a great way to listen to your tunes at home and easily listen to what you want to hear. Add wide-ranging music options to any audio system in your home. The Squeezebox Touch connects to your home network for easy access to music from your computer or the Internet. It features a large touchscreen for easy song selection and playback adjustments. Simply touch the built-in 4.3-inch screen to start browsing music according to album, artist, or song. View digital photos on the player’s display. Insert an SD card loaded with images into the built-in card slot, or call up pictures from your Facebook or Flickr accounts. It optimizes and expands how you organize digital media and use it at home. Logitech Squeezebox Touch is a music player of a higher order ready to rev your home audio system up to meet the 21st century.
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Kodak was an early pioneer and innovator in film photography. The manufacturer remained stalwart as it resisted converting to digital formats. Instead, the Rochester New York Company joined the digital camera market after key competitors already gained dominance in sales. Kodak’s innovative engineering and design is winning back its market share.

CEA recognized the Kodak Slice Touchscreen Camera in the Digital Imaging category, the Kodak Zi8 Pocket Video Camera in the Personal Electronics category and the Kodak Easyshare S730 Digital Frame in the Eco-Design and Sustainable Technology category. Popular Mechanics awarded the Kodak Pulse Digital Frame with its Editor’s Choice Award.

The Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards, sponsored by the CEA and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America, honor superior design and engineering among the year’s most technologically advanced products. A panel of independent industry designers, engineers and journalists selects winners. The new KODAK SLICE Touchscreen Camera ($349.95 US MSRP) earned recognition its many features.
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THIS CONTEST IS OVER. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON. THANKS TO ALL THAT ENTERED!
We have one brand spanking new PSP Go that’s just begging for a new home. Want a chance to win it? It’s simple! Just go to our Facebook Fan Page here, become a “Fan” and write on our “wall” telling us why YOU want to win the PSP Go.

That’s it!
A winner will be chosen on Friday, October 16th.
Good luck!

Only 1 entry per person. Winner must be 18 years of age or older.
See the rest of the official rules after the jump.
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