Hello Bidtellectuals. Here’s the latest in the digital advertising industry.

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Let’s talk retail. This week, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that total U.S. retail and food sales fell 8.7 percent from the previous month. But thanks to e-commerce, retail is gaining traction and numbers are rising. Read more in our piece “Retail gains traction during coronavirus crisis thanks to e-commerce.”

Adobe Analytics reported a 25% boost in average U.S. daily online sales March 13-15 compared with March 1-11 (so that’s in just one week). In North America, the number of online orders for web-only online retailers were up 52% year over year on March 22 through April 4, according to Emarsys and GoodData. More notable, YoY revenue growth numbers in mid-April (+68%) surpassed those of early January (+49%). And –no surprise here – NetElixir reported that online food sales surged 183% between March 1 and 25, vs. the same period last year. Also surging: online orders for health and fitness products, such as kettlebells, dumbbells, and treadmills, which have increased 55% March 11-15 compared with March 1-10, according to AdobeAnalytics.

Retail brands especially should provide help and value during this time. 83% of respondents want compassionate connection, including brand messaging that communicates empathy and support with the struggles they face, according to an Edelman Survey. The biggest piece of advice: don’t go dark. In times where our security is threatened, people are hardwired to seek clarity and calm, according to Econsultancy. Brands that stay in touch now will benefit later. Many brands periodically checks the quality of their phone data to filter out disconnected and invalid numbers. If your business depends on outbound calls, you could invest in services like phone validator api which could help you to check the validity of the existing information you have collected.

And according to a Mediapost survey, the No. 1 thing ad executives said media could do to help them through the crisis is to “be flexible,” especially in terms of ad commitments, budgets, campaign timing, and media costs, but also creatives – re-purposing assets, for example. On the plus side, marketers like Heineken that normally spend a significant part of their marketing budgets on sports sponsorships and other live events, are reallocating some of that money back into advertising, according to Ron Amram, Heineken USA’s global media lead.

Cities like New York are requiring masks to go outside. Here are instructions to sew your own. Speaking of New York, if you want to feel your ears bleed (or for those like me, hear the sweet sound of home), check out New York Times “Best New YorkAccent“ competition.

Speaking of self-care: we compiled some tips to try at home. Suffering from a sore neck, back, or shoulders from your network-from-home setup needn’t be a thing. Neither should the general stress of pandemic life get to you. Our tips encompass foam rolling and stretching to using products like Theragun and Vibes CBD oils to help you take care of those aching muscles and reduce your stress.

In these troubled times where we are shut indoors or working from home, you should not neglect your mind or body’s health in any way. Hence, you should do all you can to keep yourself healthy. And if that means creating a diet chart, eating more fruits, and consuming detox supplements, then be it!

Also, besides eating healthy food, keep in mind to get enough sleep. This can help us wake up fresh and ready to work the next day–plus, it can help maintain our overall health. That said, if you find it quite hard to get good sleep, try purchasing CBD Gummies UK or elsewhere.

For more self-care advice, might we suggest Harvard’s 6 self-care steps for pandemic. To keep your blood pumping, there are many free online workout classes hosted on sites like YouTube which are perfect to try now. The Body Project is one such channel you may want to check out as pros and newbies can follow along just fine.

Last but certainly not least, we made a video to brighten your day: Bidtellectualsshare what they are grateful for. We are certainly grateful for you today.

Stay safe.

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