Digital marketing is constantly evolving. Our environment is always changing. New changes appear month after month: new social networks emerge, innovative technologies arrive in our lives, Google algorithms are more powerful and intelligent...
All these advances are transforming the way merchants must communicate with their audience. The major digital marketing trends are helping companies advance their business strategies and offer an improved customer experience.
In other words, to stay on top of the latest digital marketing news, it's essential to stay on top of the latest trends. What are the new trends marketers can expect in the upcoming year?
Definition of the digital marketing trend
In real life, merchants talk about traditional marketing to attract new customers. On the internet, its equivalent is called digital marketing. However, because it’s always evolving, it requires constant monitoring.
What is a digital marketing trend?
Digital marketing refers to the use of the internet to make oneself known and to develop one's activity and/or business. It’s the set of all marketing techniques implemented in the web environment. This term includes, in a way, all the traditional marketing techniques adapted to the internet universe, with various options related to the different digital channels.
Since digital marketing takes place on the web, it’s necessarily linked to technological advances. It uses different modern communication channels such as social networks, online videos, email, artificial intelligence, voice search, data, etc.
When we talk about the digital marketing trend, it’s a question of observing what the new techniques used to promote a brand or a service on the internet are, as well as the new codes used or the most fashionable types of aesthetics for online advertising.
Digital marketing includes the following:
- strategic digital marketing, i.e., the analysis of the expectations and demands of consumers on the internet;
- traffic generation, i.e., the methods used to be seen and help attract as many visitors as possible on your pages;
- performance analysis, i.e., the results of the actions taken (traffic generated and sales made); and
- loyalty, to make sure that your business’s target audience returns to your website.
What are the benefits of following digital marketing trends?
The reason why it’s essential to follow digital marketing trends is simply because the world is changing. What worked in the past for marketers may not work in the future. Being interested in digital marketing evolutions allows you to prepare the future and anticipate changes. Keeping an eye on this subject allows your business to stand out from your competition and always stay one step ahead: in ecommerce, this will allow you to show another side of your identity.
By following the ecommerce marketing trends, you’ll know how to highlight your products and how to talk about your brand. This will be the best way to get more traffic. All your visitors can then become prospects, then loyal customers, and even influencers, and thus play an important role in the development of your company.
When a simple visitor finally reaches the stage of recommendation, the company can consider this a success, contributing greatly to the growth of its revenue. Following digital marketing trends means interacting appropriately during the different purchase phases, in order to reach this final goal.
What are the current digital marketing trends?
Let’s now talk about the future and the new trends in digital marketing. Here are some of the must-haves that marketers can't ignore in a well-planned digital marketing strategy...
1. Logo, website, graphic charter: towards more minimalism
Today, more and more brands are opting for clean and minimalist design. The goal? To use simple and uncluttered forms, to prioritize space, and to go for the essential.
More and more brands are making this choice today, and it can be felt not only in their graphic charter but also in their logo as well as in their entire website.
The logos of the biggest brands are now sometimes made of simple initials or a basic drawing, which can almost be reproduced by hand. For example, the Boss brand is content with its simple name written in black on a white background, just like Zara. The purpose of the standardization of these international advertisers is to be able to help adapt their communication to the new marketing levers.
2. Content creation: video is crushing all other formats
Did you know that in 2021, 86% of businesses used video as a marketing tool? It must be said that internet users are particularly fond of this communication format. Recent data from Lemon Light shows that at least 70% of customers have shared a brand's video with others.
In addition, 72% of internet users believe that video marketing has improved their customer experience and contributed to their conversion rate. In other words, prospects are more enamored with a video situation than a long written pitch! With COVID-19, videos have replaced physical contact with products in stores. Beyond a technological tool, it’s a better user experience that your business can offer.
3. The live shopping craze, this consumption mode created in 2020
Given the craze of internet users for the video format, new tools are also emerging to allow potential buyers to finalize their orders in a simple, intuitive, and fast way for a stellar customer experience. This is how live shopping came about.
The latest trend in online stores, it makes it possible to make purchases in real time while watching a live video. The idea is to broadcast information about a product on sale in images, while directly integrating a link to the product page from this medium.
Through this intermediary, consumers see the item in a situation directly before buying it. By this method, the internet is getting closer and closer to the demonstration processes that we can have in traditional stores. Internet users almost have the impression of being able to really touch the object with their fingertips!
4. TikTok: the social network of 2022
Another big trend of the moment: the social network TikTok! Created in 2016, it now gathers more than a billion active users. Based on the sharing of short videos, this media has many followers and is a real gold mine for marketers! Over the years, TikTok has become popular with the public.
The idea is to offer content that’s short but striking, content that’s able to make the internet user react in record time. Moreover, TikTok is also an excellent way to target the young generation. In fact, data shows that 41% of users are between 18 and 24 years old.
5. Social shopping becomes a must
Speaking of social networks, let's talk about social shopping. The concept? Don't just sell products on your website, but also use social media to make people talk about your brand.
As of today, most social networks have a shopping function. Thus, users can make their purchases on apps like Facebook, Instagram, etc. without even leaving their application and their social media. Social networks are now considered as a sales channel in their own right. They represent a new entry point, allowing internet users to access the flagship products of certain merchant sites. In this context, the influence of the community is also very important.
What are the new trends in digital marketing?
Of course, digital marketing trends aren’t going to stop cold this year. In fact, it's even possible to anticipate some of the upcoming changes for future periods... Let me get my crystal ball and tell you what the next upheavals will be!
6. Trend born in 2019: audio will intensify in content creation
While videos are particularly used in digital marketing, the trend is now turned to audio media as well. Some new social platforms are emerging and supply a new concept... They offer 100% audio rooms in which several people can discuss with each other.
With these social networks, it’s as if the user could enter a room, listen to a conversation and choose to actively participate. It could also be a new promotional tool used by the biggest brands.
Podcasts are also becoming more and more popular. More than 170 million people have already subscribed to a podcast page via Facebook! Again, this is another channel to communicate about your brand and your products.
7. Predictive shopping will become the norm
Similarly, have you ever noticed the ability of your computer or cell phone to suggest products that might interest you? This is what we call predictive marketing.
It aims to anticipate the needs and behaviors of customers. This method of communication predicts a consumer's buying intentions and then makes sure to present them with a personalized offer.
The objective of predictive shopping is to trigger the act of purchase while the consumer is still thinking about it.
8. SEO requirements
Because competition is increasingly important, it is also essential for a brand to rank well in Google search results.
So, you won't be surprised to learn that SEO requirements are expected to increase further when it comes to ecommerce advertising and marketing, especially with Google and with the arrival of voice assistants in the home that only take into account the first results of search engines. Marketers should consider these as the acquisition channels of the future...
To be sure to attract as many visitors as possible to your site, you should aim for at least the top 3, and ideally the zero position of the search engine!
9. The subscription economy is growing
In the past, only a few services were subject to a subscription. This was the case for telephony, internet, and some additional TV services. Today, this purchasing process has grown considerably. The subscription economy has been democratized, and we’re now subscribing to all sorts of different elements, whether it’s software, online classes, or group courses.
Moreover, new subscription services are constantly emerging, and the processing of requests is constantly increasing. This is the case of OnlyFans, a kind of photo and video content platform accessible only to subscribed users who have access to very specific types of publications.
According to the data, in 2021, this nascent online service was valued at over $1 billion, and business predictions are growing! Similarly, there are now paid newsletters. Yes, you're not dreaming... Some internet users are ready to subscribe and pay a subscription fee to receive qualitative news from their favorite brand, either on networks or in their mailbox. For brands, subscriptions are a real gold mine, which allows them to generate significant recurring revenue.
10. NFTs, metaverse, augmented reality: towards a parallel world?
Although a growing number of consumers are buying online, they’re also still very attached to physical stores. The challenge for retailers? To offer them new hybrid experiences, at the border of the real world and the virtual sphere. These new parallel worlds increase the scope of online possibilities.
However, to be successful, it’s imperative to maintain a consistent brand image across all media and to create a seamless experience across all touchpoints. While content must be adapted to each platform and tool used, a certain uniformity must emerge from the brand's overall digital marketing strategy.
11. Jobs and new communication techniques will be created
Finally, while it’s essential for marketers to stay informed about ecommerce trends in the face of the importance of digital marketing, it’s also because it tends to transform the employment pool considerably. According to data in a study by Capital, 85% of tomorrow's jobs do not exist today.
So stay tuned... New technologies should still hold many nice surprises and just as many great opportunities throughout the years!
As you can see, as we enter the new year, more than ever, it’s imperative to take an interest in the great evolutions of digital marketing. Search engines are starting to abolish cookies little by little. Brands must therefore find other ways to track their customers and know how to reach them. Creating ecommerce marketing content to ensure a high-quality customer experience and help convert a maximum number of internet users must be one of your biggest concerns. Because today's consumers are increasingly demanding, so is marketing analysis.
