Marketing experts have a number of predictions for the year ahead. Keep these developments in mind if you're creating or refining a marketing plan in 2016:
- Trust will be more important than ever. Brands must take care to keep earning it with every transaction, every marketing action. Customers still want transparency and authenticity, not just the right product at the right price.
- Omnichannel is no longer merely an option, it's a basic requirement as customers expect personalisation and relevant marketing communications and offerings across platforms, online and offline. Customers who buy online should be able to return products in a store without fuss.
- Real-time analysis of Big Data wins. Customers leave traces everywhere they digitally go. It's up to marketers to interpret wants and needs by tracking behaviour and offering ads, content and other information at the moment consumers need and want it.
- Virtual reality is a reality. Brands and entertainment marketers need to have communications and services for cutting-edge technology, especially for millennial consumers.
- 'Alternative' has gone mainstream. Goods and services that were once on the margins are increasingly popular. Customers want 'unique', and retailers want to differentiate themselves by offering something other than the usual.
- 'Buy it now' is the new social media reality. See it on Pinterest or Instagram, buy with a swipe or click. Is your brand ready to take advantage of this trend?
