Preparing for the year ahead, includes looking at the trends and factors that will play a role in consumers behaviour and purchase decision. Here are 3 major digital marketing trends that we expect to take off in 2022.
#1 Prioritising Privacy
We know what that means; people can opt out of being tracked by third parties, as well as the tracking of their personal data. For a long time, most marketers have relied on the power of remarketing from databases and app tracking. According to Eugene Levin, Chief Strategy Officer from Semrush, 75% of iOS users have already done that. By the year 2023, Google Chrome will stop the tracking of third-party cookies as they opt for a more privacy-focused solution.
The bad news is that privacy-related advertising techniques (like retargeting) will change. Online privacy is the main digital trend for 2022, and the years thereafter. The consequences of this are that there will be less and less opportunities for retargeting which means it will be harder to build and reach the ideal audience, and there will be less accurate measurement and attribution. Unfortunately, the small businesses will suffer more than larger ones.
So, how can we welcome this trend?!
- Start prioritising your users’ privacy.
- Experiment with other social media platforms such as Telegram and TikTok.
- Make use of email marketing and collect as much information as possible during the onboarding phase.
- Ensure that your website is fully optimised and focus on SEO efforts.
#2 Augmented Reality
It is to be expected that Augmented and Virtual Reality is going to have a major impact on businesses in 2022. According to Statista, the worldwide AR and VR market size is forecasted to grow up to $209 billion by 2022. The report further notes that the global AR and VR application downloads are expected to hit the 5.5 billion threshold during the next year.
How does this impact your business?
The demand for improved online shopping experiences have risen. Customer behaviour has also changed throughout the last couple of years. You’ll likely see virtual previews, showrooms, in-store navigation, virtual try-on solutions, VR for properties, interactive user-manuals, AR filters and VR in-store experiences.
How can this benefit your brand?
The benefits of including VR and AR into your marketing strategy is endless. It will promote a more seamless user-experience while you give your customers peace of mind when they make a purchase online. Implementing this will give your brand the competitive edge and increase your revenue.
It’s a definite way to attract new customers, increase the trust, reduce returns and increase sales.
#3 Mobile Marketing First
It’s a fact that people spend a lot of time online and the number of people using the internet is increasing daily. In 2022, a brand can’t ignore mobile marketing. As more people are using their smartphones and tablets instead of desktops to browse products or services on the web, businesses need to prioritise being mobile responsive and creating content that will rank higher in search engines.
How to ensure your brand is mobile friendly?
One simple way to improve your mobile user-experience is to optimise your website’s design so that it automatically adjusts for smaller screens.
Conclusion
The major trends we anticipate for 2022 is the increased demand for privacy-centred marketing, the need for augmented reality and virtual reality for online stores and prioritising mobile responsiveness across all channels.
The digital marketing trends forecast for 2022 may sound intimidating, but if you are a business that focuses on your customer whilst finding solutions for their needs and problems; it will also be a main objective to drive these marketing trends to meet your customers’ needs.
If you need guidance on how to make these trends a reality for your brand, get in touch with us today.
Resources:
AdWorld 2021: The future of digital privacy by Eugene Levin Chief Strategy Officer, Semrush
https://www.statista.com/statistics/591181/global-augmented-virtual-reality-market-size/
https://www.maropost.com/top-8-ecommerce-ar-and-vr-trends-to-watch-in-2022/
https://stefanini.com/en/trends/news/top-7-digital-marketing-trends-you-need-to-know-2022
