8 marketing trends to know in the new year

For business owners in the retail industry, 2018 has been a year of challenges and changes. Despite some shake-ups, retail is still going strong and some strong marketing trends stand out.

How can your retail or wholesale business stay ahead of the game in 2019? Here are 8 trends you should know about.

8 Marketing Trends To Inform Your Year

1. Discounts

The economy may be thriving, but consumers are still looking for deals like 2009. In a 2018 Survey of the National Retail Federation6 out of 10 shoppers (including high-income consumers) say they buy than items are sold more than five years ago. 85% of respondents left a product on the shelf because it wasn’t for sale, even though they really wanted it.

On the other hand, more than 40% of respondents admitted that if something is on sale, they won’t be able to resist buying it. Small retailers don’t need to constantly cut prices like the big box stores do to take advantage of this passion of deals.

Instead, use flash sales and “snapshot” deals to engage shoppers with marketing messages that match their browsing and purchase history. Engage their FOMO (fear of missing out) by notifying them when the inventory on a product they’re interested in is running low.

2. Social Media Marketing

Social selling (buying directly through a social media site) is still in its infancy. Largely due to security concerns, only 18% of shoppers have ever made a purchase directly through a social media platform, Learn sumo report.

In 2019, retailers that can ease shoppers’ anxiety about the security of their shopping on social media will win big. But social media sites continue to promote the concept of social selling: In 2018, Facebook launches Facebook Marketplace and Instagram has been added Posts can show. Is 2019 the year that social media sales boom?

Regardless, retailers can’t lose by focusing more efforts on organic and paid social media marketing in 2019. In 2018, consumers ranked social media. to be number one purchase inspiration, according to PWC.

Continue to build relationships with your social media followers, and as they take the leap towards social shopping, they’ll be more likely to buy from you.

3. Voice Search

More than half (58%) of consumers used voice search to find local businesses in 2018. BrightLocal report. Of those, 46% use voice search to find local businesses on a daily basis.

Few users shop for retail products via voice — you can’t view or compare products through a smart speaker. But voice search will become an important way for potential customers to locate your store or find out what deals and products you have to offer.

To stand out in voice search, which is more conversational than traditional search, here are some tips for: optimize your website for voice.

4. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation software can help retailers reach specific customers with targeted offers and help wholesalers nurture leads through the purchase journey. You can find marketing automation tools to handle specific tasks (such as responding to lead forms) as well as all-in-one apps that manage a wide range of activities. marketing action.

Look for software that integrates with your existing applications (this feature list can help). Capterra, Software advice and G2 Crowd offers ratings, reviews and software comparison tools to help you make the right choice.

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

“The retail industry will see massive adoption of AI in 2019 and beyond,” Helpshift founder and Chief Strategy Officer Abinash Tripathy said in a press release. By making personalized and predictive recommendations, AI will improve the customer experience and reduce cart abandonment, Tripathy predicts. “Today, most after-sales interactions are handled manually, but in 2019 AI-powered bots will help customers self-service and resolve their issues faster. For example, bots can help reschedule deliveries and process returns.”

In one Interview with CP Strategy, Director of Growth at Drip, Jenn Berg, predicts 2019 will be the year where AI powers the entire online retail customer experience.

“E-commerce sites can be ‘super-personalized’ the Facebook way, delivering a unique experience for each user,” says Berg.[showing me only] Specific products for multiple data points are collected into my profile. “To succeed at this level, retailers will need to unify all of their available customer data to get a true 360-degree view of the customer,” she adds.

6. Personalization

Consumers are inundated with marketing messages. If you want yours to get noticed in 2019, you’ll need to personalize them. Three-quarters of customers say they want personalized offers from businesses, according to one Research by the Publicis . groupand 68% say retailers are getting better at personalization.

How can you use this marketing trend to your advantage? You can gain an edge in personalization by sending shoppers personalized mobile offers. Using in-store mobile devices to research products or compare prices is common consumer behavior, but most retailers still fall short when it comes to communicating with customers on mobile devices. motion.

Knowing what shoppers want and sending out offers at the right time can make all the difference in a sale. The same study reports that personalization increases spend per visit by fivefold.

To convince potential customers to share their personal data, explain how they will benefit — and how you will ensure its security.

7. Loyalty

Do you focus on acquiring new customers at the expense of existing ones? Big mistake. Consumers are less loyal to brands than ever before, so if you can win their loyalty, you’ll have a competitive edge.

Two-thirds of consumers say they are more likely to shop with retailers that offer loyalty programs. Tied to personalization, loyalty programs can help you simplify the process of targeting and acquiring new customers because of all the data the program allows you to collect. By using a loyalty account program to track your customers’ behavior and purchases, you can then create marketing campaigns that are tailored to them and create personalized offers. impersonal.

Getting your loyalty program “just right” can be challenging. It should be easy to use, deliver worthwhile rewards, and generate ongoing engagement. But with many retailers pledging to spend dollars on loyalty programs, here’s one marketing trend you should be thinking about this year. Last year alone, major retailer including Nordstrom, Kohl’s, Macy’s and Target, all of which revamped their loyalty programs. Some experts also predict that in 2019, more retailers will add “premium” loyalty programs. Like Amazon Prime, these programs charge a fee in return for desirable perks.

8. Email

Calling email marketing a “marketing trend” may sound like old news, but according to Campaign monitoring, email marketing has generated a higher ROI than any other marketing tactic for 10 years in a row. 77% of consumers surveyed said they prefer to receive promotional messages from businesses via email over any other method. Email may not be new, but it is still a powerful marketing channel that you should not ignore.

To get your emails noticed in 2019, focus on personalizing everything from subject lines to offers. Smart retailers will also use email marketing to build loyalty by encouraging shoppers to “subscribe” to their retail offerings regularly to see what’s new.

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