Latest

Retailers’ mobile ad spending to jump 52 percent in 2016

The retail sector is expected to dominate digital advertising spending from now to 2020.

According to the most recent forecast from New York-based market research company eMarketer, retailers – who already invest the most in online and mobile ad spending – are going to spend the most on digital advertising in the United States through 2020; spending an estimated $23.04 billion in paid digital media ads. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 12 percent over a period of five years.

Digital ad spending is forecasted to surpass TV ad spending in 2017.

This year, alone, the market research company predicts that retail marketers will pay $15.09 billion in digital ads, which is a 15 percent jump from last year and accounts for 22% of online ad spending in the US.

Mobile Ad SpendingAside from retailers, eMarketer’s estimates show that the automotive industry will remain the second largest digital ad spender through 2020, with car marketers potentially spending $8.7 billion on digital ads in the US in 2016 and up to $14.14 billion by 2020.

Following the automotive industry is financial services, which is forecasted to invest $8.37 billion in 2016 and $12.4 billion by 2020. Taking the fourth and fifth largest digital ad spender spots is Telecom and consumer packaged goods, respectively.

With the digital ad spending growth expected to continue, eMarketer predicts that next year, companies will spend more money on digital ads than TV advertisements.

An estimated two-thirds of retailers’ digital ad budgets have shifted to mobile ad spending.

This year, approximately $10.09 billion of retailers’ digital ad budgets have shifted to mobile. In order to keep up with online shoppers, eMarketer forecasts that retailers will boost their mobile ad spending by 52 percent in 2016, which is up from their 2015 budgets.

This jump in mobile advertising investment for this year does not come as much of a surprise as more and more consumers are engaging in mobile shopping. According to Forrester Research, by 2018, mobile commerce will account for over 50 percent of all e-commerce transactions.

That being said, currently, not all US mobile users are entirely comfortable with the full shopping and buying experience over their mobile devices, with many finding the experience frustrating. Still, buying aside, mobile has completely altered how consumers conduct their pre-purchase research.

Mobile commerce is projected to grow both in the US and globally, which is motivating retailers and other industries to not only focus on shelling out for digital ad spending but mobile ad spending, too.

Unique Lazertouch mini projector transforms any surface into a touchscreen

Turn any flat surface into an Android tablet with a small projector.

The Lazertouch mini projector is the first of its kind in the world and has the ability to transform any flat surface into a finger-activated touchscreen. Recently launched on international crowdfunding website, Indiegogo, the company behind the mini projector claims that the projector can support anywhere from 20 to150 inch screen sizes and that users can operate the screen by using a stylus or their finger.

The technology can recognize several finger gestures, making it easy to use.

The laser touch technology emits an invisible laser beam, parallel to the projection screen. When the user’s finger touches the laser beam the sensor detects it, enabling the flat surface to function just like an Android tablet touchscreen.

With the Lazertouch mini projector users can click, slide, zoom, adjust volume by sliding up and down on the upper right side outside of the screen, among other convenient functions.

The projector is portable and is equipped with an interior 13,600mAh battery. It actually runs Android, providing a touchscreen-optimized operating system as well as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, downloadable apps, speakers, 32GB of storage and ports for HDMI, USB, Micro SD, and headphones.

The technology was designed and developed by Shanghai Easi. It has been in the works for five years and obtained seven patents, according to the company.

Lazertouch mini projector is great for office presentations and even for watching 3D movies at home.

The mini projector features a desktop projection mode, which functions like a tablet PC. It also has a wall projection mode, which provides users with an interactive white board. Its 3D holographic projections makes it ideal for business meetings and even advertising.

In addition to being an excellent tool for office presentations, Lazertouch allows users to watch 4K, 3D and even 200-inch HD movies at home. It can also project musical instruments and supports immersive VR gaming.

Should it hit the market, the suggested retail price for the Lazertouch mini projector – which comes with an IR e-pen stylus, pointer and remote control – will be $650. However, those who are interested in preordering the device via the Indiegogo campaign can do so for $475.