It is always a challenge to fully predict what trends will take the lead in a new year, but for many brands and marketers, predicting 2021 may feel even tougher with the tumultuous climate of 2020. To bring more stability to digital marketing strategies in flux, PowerChord — a leading technology and marketing company offering digital solutions for multi-location brands —releases today its inaugural list of Digital Marketing Predictions for 2021, based on campaign data from PowerChord’s proprietary platform and trends identified by its top marketing specialists.
One theme is clear to take dominance in 2021: businesses must continue to embrace long-term digital transformation, which will be critical to economic recovery and business growth. Brands and manufacturers must focus on the “new normal” of the omnichannel shopping experience that promotes seamless and consistent consumer journeys across digital channels and devices.
Several digital and marketing trends expected to take precedent 2021 include the following:
- Enhanced Website Search Function and Product Details
PowerChord saw an expected increase throughout the pandemic in online sales for the brands leveraging its platform for local digital marketing campaigns, showing the average conversion rates increased 159 percent during COVID-19 as consumers turn to digital channels for product research and consideration. Since online shoppers cannot physically view, compare, or touch products, they will continue to rely heavily on information from search queries, product descriptions, and ratings and reviews. Consumers are spending more time browsing the web and discovering new products, so brands will need to create a strong online product presence throughout 2021. When selling through retailers, they provide local retailer information and inventory whenever possible. - Prioritization of Mobile Functionality
Marketers should be clearly on board at this point; mobile smartphone users will continue to grow and are expected to exceed 280 million in 2021. Mobile is not a trend anymore; it’s here to stay. But how consumers use mobile is evolving. By 2021, mobile eCommerce sales are expected to account for 54 percent of all online sales, and shoppers will expect a seamless checkout experience. Research indicates that reliable click-and-collect pick-up options and various payment methods like online checkout and touchless mobile payments are anticipated throughout 2021.
Additionally, updates to search engines like Google and Bing will likely negatively affect websites that are not mobile responsive. To meet consumers during their moments of intent, once businesses ensure they have adequate mobile capabilities on their website(s), they should continue to improve their organic search results through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This includes strong product descriptions, which can be an efficient method to enhance the customer experience and SEO rankings, in light of the increased use of online channels for product research. - Visual Commerce Will Sell
Video marketing is likely to continue to be the backbone for digital marketers in 2021, and visual commerce will support the shopping experience. Many brands will likely showcase larger images online and in stores, and create 360-degree imagery or videos for top-selling products. A more cost-effective strategy includes repurposing user-generated content on product pages to generate interest and harbor human connection. - Actionable Third and First-Party Data
In addition to AI technology, there are many ways to gather consumer data to enhance the consumer journey. Leveraging this data for faster and smarter automation and measurement will help market fluctuations that are likely to occur in 2021.
Google Tag Manager allows more digital advertising customization and ensures the digital campaigns receive the most valuable information to guarantee the most effective message is delivered to users.
Email programs will be an effective method for capturing consumer data through product registrations and connecting with customers throughout the year. Post-purchase emails also allow an opportunity for customers to rate products and provide reviews.
PowerChord’s SaaS platform, used by brands selling through thousands of local retailers, syndicates the perfect brand experience (or customer journey) across all retailers and captures previously hard-to-track, local store marketing (and sales opportunity) data. - Voice Search and Commerce
With more people at home, voice search will continue to rise via smart speakers like Amazon and Google and mobile voice queries. Amazon recently announced context questions are coming soon to improve this experience. For 2021, this can be an effective local lead generator as it impacts how consumers research decide where to buy products. With the ability to purchase through gadgets like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, research suggests that 70 percent of all searches will be voice-activated in 2021.
For more information about PowerChord and to access the full list of 202
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