Douglas Karr's Articles on Martech Zone
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The Impact of Product Reviews: Fueling Consumer E‑Commerce Success
Product reviews are no longer a nice-to-have in e-commerce—they’re a fundamental part of consumer decision-making. As traditional in-store experiences are replaced with digital ones, shoppers increasingly rely on peer validation to bridge the gap between what a product claims and how it performs. 98% of shoppers say reviews are an essential resource when making purchase decisions. PowerReviews This reliance isn’t…
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The Ongoing Value of Email Newsletters—And How to Keep Them Engaging in 2025
Email newsletters remain one of a marketer’s toolkit’s most resilient and profitable channels. They offer a direct, permission-based line to your audience that’s not subject to the shifting sands of search engine algorithms or social media trends. Yet, with consumers overwhelmed by the volume of content hitting their inboxes daily, maintaining engagement requires more than pressing send. It demands thoughtful…
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How Tech Affiliate Networks Power B2B MarTech Campaigns in 2025
B2B marketers are under pressure. Customer acquisition costs are rising, conversion cycles are longer, and even the best campaigns struggle to hit meaningful ROI. That’s why more SaaS and B2B tech companies are turning to performance-driven alternatives — and tech-focused networks like CIPIAI are leading the shift. These platforms offer exclusive in-house campaigns across 40+ geographic markets, including high-performing SaaS and…
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How Grocery Store Floor Layouts Influence Consumer Spending
Designing a store layout is not merely about where the shelves go—it’s a sophisticated balance of psychology, data, and design that directly impacts consumer behavior, basket size, and long-term loyalty. From the moment shoppers step inside, the floor plan quietly guides them through a narrative shaped by impulse triggers, necessity-driven anchors, and sensory cues. Optimizing the layout of a grocery…
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How to Best Connect with Someone on LinkedIn: A Respectful and Effective Guide
LinkedIn remains one of the most powerful tools for professional outreach, yet it’s increasingly clear how you connect matters more than ever. With the deprecation of both bulk import and contact sync features, LinkedIn has moved firmly toward promoting intentional, high-quality networking. For professionals with expansive networks—like mine, which includes over 10,000 connections—I’ve learned that leveraging LinkedIn isn’t about volume.…
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Publer: Maximize Your Efficiency With One Powerful Social Media Marketing Platform
Staying consistent and relevant on social media is more complicated than ever. Between content ideation, platform-specific formatting, scheduling, and analytics, marketers often find themselves buried in tools and to-do lists. For agencies, creators, and in-house marketers, juggling multiple accounts while maintaining engagement across platforms can be overwhelming—and inefficient. Publer Publer is the all-in-one social media management (SMM) platform designed to…
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Canva: Affordable, Versatile, Collaborative Resume Templates and CV Builder You’ll Actually Enjoy Using
In a season of professional transition, my wife and I both found ourselves in the unenviable position of searching for new roles. While we know that most opportunities stem from word-of-mouth and solid networking, there’s always that moment when someone says, “Send me your resume (or CV)! That moment is why having a polished, professionally designed resume matters—especially when you’re…
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What PHP Extensions Should Your Host Provide for a High-Performance WordPress Site?
SimpleXML is a fantastic addition to PHP5. The problem, of course, is that there are so many hosting companies out there that haven't upgraded their hosting packages for their clients. Here's how to check to see if SimpleXML is loaded with PHP.
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Why You Shouldn’t Host Videos on Your Own Website Server (And What to Do Instead)
Our client asked whether they should host their videos internally on their website rather than using a third-party video hosting platform. Their rationale made sense at a glance—they believed they could maintain higher control over video quality, reduce dependencies, and boost search engine optimization. But while it’s easy to appreciate the intent, the reality is far more complex. Hosting your…
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Everything You Wanted to Know About Optimizing Images for Speed, Search, Mobile, and User Experience
Images are essential to digital storytelling. They bring emotion to blog posts, clarity to documentation, and conversion power to E-commerce. But if poorly handled, images can sabotage your efforts—slowing down pages, confusing search engines, blocking accessibility tools, and damaging mobile experiences. In an era where Google rewards performance and users abandon slow or clunky interfaces, optimizing your images is both…
