Let the Ghoul Times Roll

[00:00:00] It is Tuesday, October 22nd. Today, how marketers plan to cash in on the new Halloween mega-season, Amazon's surprising strategy to compete against Timu, you're not going to like Meta's plan for unblocking your brand account, and Google pulls the plug on one of the search engine's longest-standing features.

[00:00:21] I'm Todd Maffin. That's ahead today in Digital Marketing.

[00:00:27] Halloween retail is a monster, with brands sinking their teeth into it earlier each year. And for good reason. It's retail gold.

[00:00:36] Retail giants like Target, Walmart, and Amazon are reaping the benefits, with Halloween proving to be a resilient investment, even amid economic uncertainty.

[00:00:46] Data from the National Retail Federation shows that Halloween spend is up more than 250% in the 20 years it has been tracking it.

[00:00:55] Last year, it was projected to hit a record $12.2 billion. This year's forecast is slightly lower, with an estimated $11.6 billion in spend.

[00:01:05] To take advantage of this trend, Retail Dive reports today that marketers are focusing on delivering value, an increasingly important factor during inflation, to cash in on the expanding Halloween mega-season.

[00:01:17] Target's expanded lineup features costumes starting at $15, trick-or-treat buckets for just $1, with half of its Halloween decor priced at $10 or less.

[00:01:28] Meanwhile, Home Depot says its viral 12-foot skeleton that sells for $300 has kept the same price even after five seasons.

[00:01:37] We have the full report in today's email newsletter. It's free to sign up. Just tap the link at the top of the show notes or go to todayindigital.com slash newsletter.

[00:01:48] While Halloween retailers carve out their market, Amazon is gearing up to take on its latest e-commerce competitor, Timu, by launching a new low-price storefront and enforcing strict pricing caps for merchants who want to sell on this new discount site.

[00:02:04] The information reports today those caps will limit the prices on various items, including an $8 maximum for jewelry, $9 for bedding sets, $13 for guitars, and $20 for sofas.

[00:02:20] Amazon recently shared policies for what it's calling the new low-cost store on a forum for merchants, detailing the new rules and inviting them to participate.

[00:02:29] The guidelines include a list of 700 items, each with an assigned maximum price merchants are allowed to charge.

[00:02:37] It also advises merchants that if they want to list items above the specified price limits, they will need to go over to Amazon's regular marketplace site.

[00:02:45] Unlike Amazon, Timu typically sets the prices displayed on its sites and pays merchants a fixed amount per sale.

[00:02:52] As the information report notes, this marks a significant shift for the e-commerce giant, which has not traditionally imposed strict price limits on merchants using its platform.

[00:03:02] Amazon has yet to set a hard launch date for its new low-cost store.

[00:03:11] Meta has a not-so-new account recovery solution, your face.

[00:03:16] Yesterday, the tech giant announced that Facebook and Instagram are testing facial recognition tools to help users restore locked accounts, essentially requiring your bio data for verification.

[00:03:29] This experimental feature scans users' faces and compares them to profile pictures.

[00:03:34] Meta says this will protect both celebrities and everyday users from deceptive celibate ads that impersonate notable figures to lure victims to scam websites.

[00:03:43] Meta currently uses automated technology to detect policy violations, but the company says that distinguishing from this celebrity bait from legitimate ads remains a challenge.

[00:03:54] The new facial recognition tools will also, as I mentioned, eventually let users regain access to locked accounts by submitting a video selfie, much like Apple's Face ID and similar tools.

[00:04:06] Meta claims these videos will be encrypted and securely stored, with facial data used for comparisons deleted right after verification.

[00:04:14] Meta previously integrated facial recognition tech into Facebook for tagging users in photos, a feature that was discontinued four years ago after privacy concerns.

[00:04:25] Now, Meta says its new tools have been vetted for security and privacy and are under discussion with regulators and policymakers.

[00:04:32] Google is currently testing video ads that would be clickable directly in the sponsored ads carousel.

[00:04:43] This concept isn't entirely new, but this latest version features a video play icon that changes to a watch icon once the ad is engaged.

[00:04:53] When shoppers click on the ad, a new section opens, playing the video on a loop.

[00:05:01] Brands with a presence on Meta's threads will be pleased to know that the platform recently rolled out mobile analytics.

[00:05:08] Data should now be available through a dedicated chart button located at the top right of the user profile in the latest version of the app.

[00:05:16] Mobile analytics provides insights into post views from both followers and non-followers, as well as likes, replies, reposts, quotes, and audience demographics, including location, age, gender, and more.

[00:05:29] Users can select a date range between 7 and 90 days.

[00:05:34] The functionality is more or less the same as threads desktop analytics, which launched just back in August, meaning users have had access to this data for some time, just not through a mobile device.

[00:05:50] A nice quick update at Google ads.

[00:05:52] They have a new page specific assets feature that will let you generate creative content tailored to specific web pages.

[00:05:58] You will give Google ads through the dashboard that list of specific websites or pages.

[00:06:02] This will then trigger it to generate assets like images and videos based on the content of those pages.

[00:06:08] The purpose will be to produce ad creatives that are better aligned with what the user is looking for.

[00:06:17] And finally, Google is retiring one of its longest standing features, the site links search box.

[00:06:23] For years, Google featured an extra search box right inside the results, letting users search within a specific site.

[00:06:31] Now, it is being phased out.

[00:06:34] Google says, because of declining usage, my bet, it's going to be replaced with an ad unit.

[00:06:45] If you are a premium member at the start of the show, you would have heard the secret URL for our exclusive hangout.

[00:06:51] This is one of the many perks of being a premium podcast listener.

[00:06:53] We do an exclusive hangout with premium members.

[00:06:56] It's a Google meet every month or so.

[00:06:58] Not really an agenda, just a chance to meet me.

[00:07:00] We chat live about some industry issues.

[00:07:02] You can look for advice, that kind of thing.

[00:07:04] It happens this Thursday, so there's still time.

[00:07:05] If you want to join and become a premium member, just go to todayindigital.com slash premium.

[00:07:11] I'm Todd Maffin.

[00:07:12] That is it for today.

[00:07:12] See you tomorrow.