MARKETING TRENDS
“ Edutainment video content is no longer just an option. Rather, it is now a musthave for any serious business that is keen on staying ahead of the curve. At the heart of its conception, is the fact that short-form video lends itself far better to the fleeting attention spans associated with modern audiences.” interact with loved ones, do our work, travel, get medical care, spend leisure time, and conduct many of the life routines.
These changes have accelerated the migration to digital technologies at a stunning scale and speed, across every sector. It’ s already a cliché that the Covid-19 crisis has accelerated the shift to digital. But the best companies are going further, by enhancing and expanding their digital channels.
Knowing what works or doesn’ t has made it possible for marketers to be far more agile, responsive, and targeted. Marketing practitioners no longer need to rely on heuristics on where consumer interest may lie when all consumer activities are being tracked as they happen.
To survive and thrive in an uncertain and rapidly changing world, organizations will need to innovate at speed, keep pace with technological and industry change, and cultivate greater resilience. There has been a realization that digital transformation can potentially affect a huge spectrum of business operations and marketing activities. The key is to ensure that your firm has the technology, processes, and talent in-house that can be able to exploit the transformation for your betterment.
Leap frogging of Ecommerce
Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of e-commerce. According to McKinsey, 10 years of e-commerce adoption was compressed into three
months, with all the impacts and changes to consumer behaviour during the pandemic. Many of the behaviours that consumers have adopted during the pandemic were already taking shape in recent years. The influence of e-commerce will continue to reign strong this year. While brick and mortar shopping will never cease to exist, we should expect the in-person shopping experience to continue to evolve to increase convenience for customers.
Rise of micro-influencer marketing
Influencer marketing has become an essential medium in the success of many strategies, showing massive ROI compared to other traditional mediums. This is mainly because referrals are one of the top reasons consumers purchase or buy into a product or brand. But with big influencers constantly changing their sponsorships, it’ s difficult for consumers to trust that influencer referrals aren’ t being bought, which reduces their authenticity and impact.
We’ ve seen the rise of the microinfluencer, influencers who might have a smaller following, but whose views are considered more authentic and trusted. In 2022, we’ ll see that influencers’ powers won’ t be measured by the sheer number of people they can reach, but rather the relationships they hold with the followers they have.
Increased adoption of Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
Technology is becoming more sophisticated, and so are consumers. That’ s why it isn’ t enough to just engage them, you also must surpass their expectations. Augmented and Virtual Reality( AR and VR) define the two spectrums of immersive technology.
Because they create lush, immersive, and interactive user experiences and enable consumers to get up close and personal with your product or service. When used correctly, virtual, and augmented reality could improve buyer awareness, offer better personalization, and speed up the purchasing process. One of the major impacts will be the commercial rollout of Facebook Metaverse.
Conclusion
Being able to see the big picture alongside underlying currents moving back and forth in the operating business environment has saved many from severe heartache. As the world slowly builds back to recovery, it will be incumbent upon all of us to pay close attention to the above trends and see how we can leverage them for growth. ■
Geoffrey Sirumba, is the Commercial Director Tian Xing Cloud Kenya Supply Chain Limited, a subsidiary of Xing Yun Global, China. Feel free to reach him via email at: Geoffsirumba @ gmail. com or @ geoffsirumba on Twitter.
MAL 46 / 22 ISSUE 33