In the internet age, content marketing is part of any comprehensive marketing strategy. The chances presented by the online platform are too vast and crucial for any business to pass up. E-commerce ventures cannot afford to lag behind because all their marketing happens online. The thing about content marketing digital trends is that they keep shifting with some factors.
For example, evolving consumer behaviors will impact buying practices, meaning that companies have to adapt accordingly. What was making waves last year is almost ancient as 2016 nears the end. Keeping up with these changing digital trends is essential when developing marketing strategies. A market cannot claim to have a strong campaign in place when the core principles are built on old patterns.
Here are some digital trends for ecommerce in 2017 that digital marketers should watch out for when branding e-commerce businesses.
Beacons gained popularity in 2015 as businesses started using them in indoor positioning systems. The beacon technology involves sending a Bluetooth signal to a smartphone device, thus broadcasting its location. IPS has been one of the latest technologies that businesses are utilizing to increase sales.
According to BI Intelligence, in 2015, beacons were expected to influence over 4 billion worth of sales and ten times that in 2016. Beacons have moved location-based marketing to a level of its own. For instance, you can send push notifications to a customer who gets near your shoe store even with the competition right next door.
2016 has seen beacon technology move from being the new kid on the marketing block to dominating the mainstream market. With the use of IPS, mobile e-commerce becomes more relevant. Combining beacons and loyalty apps is another trend that is driving digital marketing.
How this works is that merchants create rewards and promotions that are highly customized using information collected through beacons. Stores can use past shopping behaviors to tailor offers and deals for customers.
The concept of flash sales is not a novel one but not a lot of e-commerce businesses use it, especially with sites such as Groupon offering various deals. According to the Huffington Post, flash sales are an excellent way to capitalize on the impulse buying nature of everyday consumers.
Flash sales are sale offers that ostensibly “appear out of nowhere” with deals that are too good to pass up. E-commerce ventures are using flash sales to attract customers and drum up interest for their products.
Flash sales usually have time limits attached to their offers, therefore, creating a sense of urgency. Even when there are no purchases, flash sales serve the purpose of introducing your brand and making visitors think about it. Not every flash sale will yield tons of conversions, but it will get your business on people’s minds.
Over the years, technology has allowed e-commerce businesses to provide various modes of payment, including wire transfers, online wallets, and debit/credit cards. Lately, though, payment through mobile devices has become the preferred choice.
As predicted, mobile use has taken over the desktop, and there are no signs of the numbers letting up. The convenience of portability has made mobile payment options favorites for a majority of consumers.
In many developed countries, there’s a quickly growing trend of using mobile wallet to pay at checkouts. With a simple tap of your phone onto a card reader, you can easily pay in seconds without even taking out your wallet.
There is also the use of mobile apps which can be accessed from multiple devices. What remains now is for e-commerce companies to integrate mobile payments with reward programs. Starbucks is one brand that is doing that successfully, and Walgreens has seen success as well.
Online shoppers prefer sites where they can find options that don’t limit their choices. Merchants understand that and are successfully implementing multi-channel shopping for users. It means that an online shopper gets more than one seller carrying the products they are looking for. You can list products on sites like Amazon, where most buyers go to when in need of free varieties.
Multi-channel listing is not a new concept, it just keeps evolving. With websites gaining popularity by the minute, merchants get more digital platforms to list their products. As the online shoppers increase with the improved internet access, multi-vendor listings make it possible to reach more targets than a single channel offer.
Perhaps one of the best examples of this can be found in the air travel industry. There are countless platforms that host multiple vendors of flights. Expedia may have been one of the first to do this, but now sites like Dohop, Kayak, Hopper, and Skyscanner exist, providing even more options for buyers.
As the marketplace continues to expand, you can expect to see more industries adopting this multi-channel model.
Gone are the days when shoppers would just look at simple product descriptions and photos of what you are selling and then click on it. People want details. This juncture is where content marketing plays a crucial role. Online shoppers don’t have much to go on when browsing through your products, so they need all the content they can gather.
If you are not offering valuable information, they will just move along to a merchant that does. Product descriptions are important, sure. But what will really generate leads and drive conversion is the informative content you can provide. Of course, images factor in, but most people will relate to a brand through its content.
For example, selling camping tents through descriptions of hiking in the wild and campfire stories is more relatable to a potential buyer than a merchant who just posts the measurements. Content marketing is all about creativity and using language that resonates with your audience. But it’s also important to remember that content marketing is always evolving.
Interactive content and gamification is a trend businesses are using to really grab buyers’ attention. According to Convince and Convert, currently 53% of businesses have used some form of interactive content, and 45% claim it can be highly effective. Text content is great and all but internet users see it everywhere now. If you’re really going to attract and retain the attention of buyers, you need to add some extra flare to your content. That could mean video marketing, live videos, surveys, quizzes, or even virtual reality.
Media channels are constantly adapting to support more interactive content. Experimenting with those resources is a great way to find out what form of content is most engaging to your audience.
Appreciation goes a long way when looking to attract new customers or retain the old ones. A study by Infosysin 2014 showed that 78% of consumers would return to a retailer if the offers target their interests. From the survey, it was clear that online shoppers prefer deals and promotions that cater to their needs. Some customers are even willing to shell out more cash if it means getting tailored services and products. Current technologies make it very easy for merchants to gather information and design promotional material that resonates with the interests of a particular customer.
Online shopping digital trends are fickle and keeping up can be quite a challenge. As an entrepreneur with an e-commerce business, it pays to invest in professional services to help with your digital marketing. We, at Bright Vessel, specialize in creating marketing strategies that implement innovative campaigns to ensure that you capitalize on the latest market patterns.
From designing attractive websites to promoting your business on social media to creating quality content, we provide all the services you need. Contact us and get a one stop for all your digital marketing requirements.
If you like this post, try "A Helpful Guide to the Cost of Digital Marketing."
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