Marketing is, like the E-commerce industry, in constant evolution. Every year, new trends emerge, inspired by the strategies of major influential brands or by agencies proposing new promotional concepts.
In the last few years, marketing has been influenced in particular by methods of communication and product promotion based on social interaction, whether it be through social media or video.
Investments in marketing, especially online, are becoming more and more important. Indeed, the various strategies, whether organic or paid, require financial and time investments. This responds to the changing consumption patterns of the target markets in order to target consumers at the right time, on the right channel.
In this article, we will identify some of the marketing trends that are emerging for the coming period. To help you fully understand these trends, we also provide you with an infographic, which will allow you to supply your acquisition channels.
#1 Authenticity and inclusivity in communication
The first trend we can identify for this new year is authenticity. This does not only apply to communication, but also to the whole brand.
The whole visible part of a company must be and appear authentic to the target consumers. This applies to the communication, the products, the company, the messages conveyed, the customer relations maintained, … The final objective is to create strong and qualitative bonds with the consumers.
Authenticity is achieved through actions related to the company and its life. To do this, it is possible to support ethical, social and environmental associations, for example. According to Deloitte‘s “2022 Global Marketing Trends” study, 57% of consumers are more loyal to a brand that is willing to address social inequalities in their actions.
#2 Online events
The last two years have been complicated. Health restrictions have affected many industries, especially the event industry. This has affected the marketing strategies in place, limiting the contact between companies and their target.
Web marketing budgets have increased in response to the pandemic. This has led more and more media and brands to turn to online events. Among the latter, we can mention webinars, which are more adapted to a professional target (for B2B actors), which allow to answer a problem and to show the capacity of the company to answer it with its solution. This corresponds to a soft-selling strategy.
We can also talk about the features offered by social media, such as Instagram. We are talking here about Live formats, which allow you to create a remote exchange. If the entertainment is good, the people attending these exchange sessions will have a good image of the brand, thus orienting themselves more towards it to buy their favorite products.
#3 Respect for privacy
For years, marketing has allowed brands and various companies to collect data about consumers. This data, collected in various ways, was used to create a personalized experience and to deliver the message at the best time, in the best way.
Today, marketing professionals (web marketing professionals, more specifically) see their work influenced by the European RGPD law. This effectively limits the collection of data, as well as the methods used to do so. Moreover, the deployment of this regulation has made consumers more aware of their privacy and their actions on the Internet.
According to Google, 73% of Internet users are making more of an effort to only use online services that provide a high level of data protection. In addition to this, the search engine and its tools are increasingly moving towards abandoning the use of third-party cookies.
#4 AI Customization
As it is often mentioned, user experience must be customized to the maximum. This allows you to optimize your conversion rate and therefore increase your sales.
The current evolution allows us to take advantage of what is called MarTech (Marketing Technology). Among these technologies, we can talk about artificial intelligence. This will allow us to compensate for the lack of physical experience by launching a learning process (called Machine Learning) in front of the consumer’s behavior on the site. The latter will then adapt to his needs, like a vendor in a physical store.
Some companies specialized in fashion offer this kind of technological service to their customers. An AI will use the information it has gathered thanks to Machine Learning to propose clothes at the right size, or the most adapted.
#5 Short videos
Video marketing is very popular with businesses and has been for several years. In 2021, Hubspot reports that 86% of businesses are using video as a marketing lever. It has been particularly popularized by dedicated platforms, such as Youtube, as well as social networks.
In the last few years, one social network in particular has bucked the trend. TikTok has entered the landscape, which has not escaped the attention of professionals, taking advantage of a new communication channel and a new golden goose.
The concept of the application, based on short videos, has revolutionized the communication landscape. The already established social networks have seized the concept and adapted it to their platform. As for the brands, they took advantage of these short formats to adopt a more effective and striking video communication.
The short format of these videos particularly appeals to Generation Z, corresponding to the current marketing target, for some, or the future target, for others.
#6 Interactive content
How would you describe interactive content? It is content that will enhance the user experience of your website, requiring an action from the visitor. It allows you to integrate the visitor into the experience and make him responsible for it.
Among the content that can be used on an online store, we can mention the product sheets optimized through the use of 3D and interactive images. These images are now used by major brands such as Nike. They allow the user to preview the product precisely and from every angle. This helps in the sale, in addition to limiting the rate of return. This helps to overcome the lack of visualization of the product that allows physical sales, by transposing it to online sales.
You can also turn to the use of online forms, or polls. Used during the navigation or in the post-purchase phase, this allows you to obtain the visitor’s opinion or information, without asking him too much time and by involving him in the life of the site. The user will then feel that his opinion is taken into account and will have a better image of your brand.
#7 Metaverse
The development of virtual reality has inspired the social networking giant, Facebook, to change its name and take advantage of this announcement to create its own universe: Meta.
What does it mean? The notion of metaverse refers to an extension of the Internet, often considered as its future. Bloomberg even claims that this market should represent USD 2,500 billion within 10 years.
This trend is very much inspired by MMORPG video games and allows to create an alternative reality, where everything is possible. At the beginning of the 2000s, we were talking about a second life. For the moment, this parallel universe is accessible through VR headsets. Several companies are working on the project, and it could soon represent a marketing opportunity for professionals of all backgrounds.
We can think of sponsored contents, or advertising displays like those we know in the street, but in the metaverse.
#8 Blockchain and marketing
The blockchain allows information to be stored and transmitted securely. This technology makes it possible to dispense with intermediaries, giving control and control over the data chain. These blockchains can be public or private, depending on the preferences of the creator. All this is organized around digital currencies such as tokens and crypto-currencies.
In its advertising application, we can for example talk about tokenized marketing. This means collecting data in exchange for the aforementioned currencies. The blockchain will then be used to secure the collected data.
In addition to offering a new way of collecting data, it helps companies to comply with the GDPR. The compliance is optimized by the pseudonymization of the pathways, allowing to create buyer profiles, without personally identifying the visitors.
#9 Neuromarketing
Neuromarketing is a science that integrates with all the techniques that you implement today in your strategies. The objective here is to understand the consumer’s behavior, to analyze his attention and to observe his memory capacity. In short, it is the application of cognitive sciences to marketing.
All the tools at our disposal allow us today to better understand the visitor of an e-commerce site. We must then study them and propose actions to push them to conversion. This is done by scripting your online store. You can propose a sensory experience on your site, by proposing a certain type of music, adapted to your image as well as to the products you propose.
We also talk about nudges, introduced by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. They represent a modification of the environment made to modify the user’s behavior. Concerning the online experience, there are many:
- Social proof bias: implement a tool on your e-commerce site indicating that “5 people have already bought this product” or “5 people are looking at this product right now”. The visitor will then be reassured to choose a popular product and will take this as a social validation.
- The scarcity bias: implement a tool on your e-commerce site indicating that the product you are viewing is almost out of stock. This will create an urgency effect in the consumer, stimulating his impulsiveness.
- The power of free: very relevant in your logistic strategy, this one gives the visitor the impression to win something. Do the test, offer a product at USD 15 with USD 5 delivery, and offer a product at USD 20 with free delivery.
#10 Educational content
When pushing content, stop trying to directly promote your products or business. The objective is to propose a content strategy by implementing soft-selling, in a logic of pull marketing. The content then serves as a basis for attracting your customers, while benefiting your SEO and SMO strategies.
This content must be informative and educational. The visitor must then understand by himself that you will be able to meet his needs. How do you do this? When you offer educational content, the consumer automatically sees you as an expert figure (which is an authority bias, among others). This allows you to raise their esteem and make them understand that you know what you are talking about.
So, to provide informational content, do some media monitoring. Look for issues specific to your business and the products you offer. You will then have ideas to create adapted content.
