It’s that time year, when the world reflects on the year behind us – and gets ready for the future! 2019 has been a big year for us at JXT Group as we celebrate our 10-year anniversary and look forward to more successes in the new decade.
2019 Is Going Out with a Bang!
While analysts are still compiling the final numbers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the statistics are starting to come in, painting a bright holiday picture for online retailers.
There’s been a growing trend over the past decade of holiday shoppers transitioning from brick-and-mortar stores to online platforms – according to Shopper Trak, 2018 was the first time that online sales officially beat in-person shopping. And, according to the latest data from Adobe Analytics, the digital trend appears to be increasing:
- Online shopping hit $7.4 billion on Black Friday 2019, more than a $1 billion increase from 2018.
- Mobile online shopping on Black Friday 2019 hit records highs – with 65% of transactions occurring on a mobile device.
Cyber Monday 2019 also reached record highs:
- Amazon reported sales of more items on Cyber Monday than any other day in the company’s 20+ year history. (Top U.S. sales included the 23andMe DNA kit, the Instant Pot Duo80, and the iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaner)
- Shopify reported that sales on Cyber Monday surpassed $1.5 billion, with 70% of purchases made on mobile devices.
- “Cyber Monday will generate a record-breaking $9.2 billion and become the first day in history where consumers spend more than $3 billion on smartphones.” –according to the experts at Adobe.
While 2019 surges to a strong close, what can online retailers do to capitalize on digital sales in 2020? (Not surprisingly, many of the newest developments cater to mobile device use.)
Looking Ahead to Grow in 2020!
Here are 6 of the top online marketing trends to know for 2020:
1. Visualization
According to research, visual content can improve every step of the customer journey online – from brand awareness to social media engagement to website traffic to lead generation to sales.
The growth of image-centric platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest, demonstrate the appeal of visual content. Significantly, in 2019 many leading tech companies report they are investing in visual search tools. This is consistent with data showing that over 60% of consumers aged 18 – 38 prefer visual search.
2. Position Zero
While SEO will continue to be important to digital marketing in 2020, changes to Google’s display mean that being number one on their search engine results pages (SERP) may no longer be your primary goal.
Google now features snippets and other “on SERP” content, so that searchers don’t even have to click through to a website to get the most on-demand information. This placement has been called “Position Zero,” as it often appears at the top of the page before the organic search results.
Data shows that frequently searchers won’t even go beyond the Position Zero listing. Especially as mobile device use continues to rise, customers are looking for the fastest information they can get while on the go.
3. Voice Search
Some statistics have suggested that voice search could make up 50% of searches by 2020. This is consistent with a rise in the smart speaker industry (with Google Home and Amazon Echo/Alexa still topping the sales charts) as well as a rise in smartphone voice searches, for example via iPhone’s Siri.
According to research by PwC, 61% of consumers aged 25-64 who already use voice search report they plan to use it more in the future.
In order to optimize content for voice search, online retailers should plan to directly answer the kinds of longer, more conversational queries that are popularly addressed to smart speakers. Often this kind of content is better for Google’s Position Zero too, so it can be a double win!
4. Live Video
Another rising trend as we enter the new decade is live video, which is predicted to be worth more than $70 billion by 2021.
Video is already the most popular way for consumers to learn about a product or service, and adding a live element can increase audience engagement, as audiences get the feeling of being an active participant rather than just a passive viewer.
Live video not only increases a sense of brand authenticity, it can also can also take advantage of FOMO (“fear of missing out”), especially if the content is meant to be ephemeral, like on Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, or Snapchat.
5. Customer Experience & Loyalty
As the world becomes more digitalized and customers become more tech-savvy, there is a growing shift to customers prioritizing the “customer experience” (CX).
Customer experience includes things like convenience, efficiency, and friendly service. But it also includes sophisticated expectations including advanced tech, mobile optimization, personalization, and brand design.
One major component of customer experience that is expected to be on-trend for 2020 is a focus on customer loyalty. Research shows that acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than keeping a current one, and improving your customer retention by just 5% can sometimes increase profits up to 95%.
Rather than seeking out new customers, how can you improve the experience of your existing customers so they refer you to friends and family?
6. Marketing Transformation
The business of marketing is growing more and more complex. In order to succeed in 2020, the best companies are thinking beyond what they are doing with their marketing to why their business exists as a whole.
“Marketing transformation” refers to the process of changing fundamental business and marketing processes so that your objectives align with the deeper mission of your company as a whole. Simon Sinek has popularized the essence of this approach with his directive “Start with Why”.
This transformation includes a fundamentally new approach to strategy. It’s often achieved through technology upgrades, data collection, content optimization, strategic online presence, and building more positive customer relationships.
When you put in place a strategic marketing plan, it will determine which marketing tactics (content marketing, SEO, email marketing, social media advertising offline marketing, etc.) will make the most sense for the current state of your business. It will also make clear how to integrate these tactics with all aspects of your business.
Now is the time to get ready to make 2020 your best year yet. Tell us, what digital marketing strategies do you want to pursue to capitalize on the latest trends and technological advances?
