Mobile

Reviews have always been a key aspect of a consumer’s shopping journey. But nowadays—particularly as more consumers lean on ecommerce—additional information in the form of user-generated visuals is becoming just as critical.

The iPhone 12’s strong performance so far has led eMarketer to increase its projections for iPhone users in the US for 2021 and beyond. We now expect iPhone usage in the US will grow this year to 116.3 million, slightly ahead of our Q1 2020 projection of 113.4 million.

EA expands mobile footprint: The company acquired mobile game developer Glu Mobile last week for $2.1 billion as mobile game advertising continues seeing strong growth this year.

eMarketer senior analyst Jasmine Enberg and forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Nazmul Islam discuss Twitter's stellar Q4 performance and how it managed to close out a terrible 2020 on a high note. They then talk about Snapchat redefining what friendship should mean, TikTok's fate in the Biden administration, and how much Shopify's "Shop Pay" could help boost Facebook and Instagram Shops.

Fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill is a pioneer in meme marketing, having incorporated memes into its social media strategies since mid-2018.

It looks likely that apps and other service providers will pursue more varied monetization strategies this year. Traditionally, apps mostly pursued two strategies: in-app purchases and in-app advertising. Over the past couple of years, many developers have combined the two, but we’re increasingly seeing them use subscription-based models, as well as coupons or other incentives for viewing advertising, such as rewarded video. This shift will continue into 2021.