Marketing Trends for 2022

Short videos

Following the popularity of TikTok, other social networks and services have developed their own platforms for short videos. Instagram introduced Reels this summer, and YouTube started its video service called Youtube Shorts. Short videos will be an important ad format for the next few years and we’re here to show you why.

Brands will continue to produce short content and contribute to the growing popularity of social media by creating small videos. These days, it is not uncommon for consumers to turn to video content when they want to learn more about a product before buying or investing in it. In fact, the results of Elite’s research show that 66% of respondents would prefer watching a short video to reading text. For large reach and traffic, marketers will go to platforms where audiences watch short videos.

Social responsibility and brand transparency

Consumers see trust as a key factor in their purchasing decision. In the midst of the pandemic, this idea only strengthened: users are ready to buy and return to brands they trust.

Trust is not just built on consistent brand engagement, and good content doesn’t always guarantee the same. With increasingly demanding consumers, companies are increasingly forced to take responsibility. This is an issue that goes both ways. Consumers will sympathize more with companies who follow their own principles and for this reason they might stop doing business with them if they violate them.

Users are expecting brands to be transparent and declare their stance on social media. Research shows that it’s easier for your audience to identify with your brand when they share views on important topics, like environmental protection, principles of consumption, freedom.

Inclusiveness

Consumers want more than just a bunch of news about the latest sales. Brands are expected to be inclusive, mentioning all communities in their communication. They need to represent different ages too. It’s important that when you’re communicating with potential customers on behalf of your brand, that they represent all people from different backgrounds.

That’s not surprising, considering that Deloitte found that young audiences are picking up on inclusive advertising when making purchasing decisions. It’s important to take into account inclusion when creating a marketing plan, this will help you be more successful. We think it’s worth studying your target audience even more and creating inclusive content (eg. advertisements) for all groups of consumers.

D2C model in advertising

D2C (direct to customer) is a company interaction method that takes out any intermediaries. The company does not make use of distributors or retailers, but speaks directly with its customers over its own platforms – an online store, website, social networks.

D2C lets consumers feel like you care deeply about them. Buying from us is convenient and easy. We will pack the product beautifully and offer a discount card on delivered purchases. Delivery will be to your doorstep at a time that suits you. All communication is done through our easy-to-use application, website or chatbot.

Companies will start to create their own communication channels in 2022 and seek out an audience of their own. Those who create an ecosystem will especially benefit—a single app with access to a variety of services.

Convenient payment formats

Allowing customers to pay in a variety of ways is a good way increase sales. Payment services, installment plans, and bill payments are all viable options that your customers will feel comfortable using to buy from you. Provide payment formats that are used by a majority of people:

• Shopping in social networks – A store has appeared in WhatsApp, VKontakte offers to make purchases through its own and third-party services – like, you can buy from a social network on AliExpress without going to the marketplace website.

• Shopping with chatbots – online stores are now using chatbots that help customers in more ways than just with answering questions. They can also accept payments. Bots have become commonplace in various businesses that have an online presence. You can now go to Baggins coffee shop’s telegram page and buy coffee through a bot.

• Voice purchases – Yandex has already taught Alice to accept payments. Voice assistants are the next big thing for making purchases.

• One-click payment – if you’re unable to pay using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay on the website or in-app, you can always refuse to purchase. It would be tedious & time-consuming to enter data like your bank card. It’s also easy to make mistakes.

Mobile Marketing

Russia is already reliant on mobile traffic, with the share of Internet access coming from mobile devices rising to 81% of the total according to SlickJump. This is why monitoring one’s own internet usage is so important. As more of the population switches from desktop to laptop, this trend change has become visible in the traffic numbers. SlickJump predicts this pace will only accelerate with the switch to mobile devices.

Mobile devices make up a whopping 51% of all ad spend in 2022 according to Statista. Interestingly, when looking at the medium-term trend, this figure will come close to equilibrium when stationary devices reach 49%.

Artificial Intelligence

According to Gartner, 75% of companies will employ artificial intelligence by 2024. According to Deloitte, it will help combine two marketing tactics:

1. Personalized suggestions at the right time

The best time to offer the user the perfect deal is usually when he needs it most. The more helpful your app is, the more likely they’ll want to make a purchase. It might take awhile, but most experts are sure it’s possible with the right figures & research. And AI is able to make decisions in the moment, analyzing information about the user and forming a suitable proposal.

2. Quality of service

Artificial intelligence technology is not the only necessary thing for this yet. Behind the algorithms, there should be people – company representatives who can offer solutions to your problems or answer your questions. This will make it easier for the audience to trust the content they are reading.

Hybrid experience

Personalised offers benefit both brands and their customers. The users are more likely to engage with the brand while they’re on the platform where they usually spend a lot of time interacting. A new international study from Deloitte has found that a lot of young people are already comfortable making purchases in the future through different social media channels, voice assistants and virtual reality headsets.

However, this doesn’t mean companies must broaden their marketing perspective in order to keep up with new services. One of the most important things to consider when having a successful content marketing strategy is delivering a ton of tailored and personalised content. Give users the opportunity to engage with you using their favourite channels.

Opt-out of third-party cookies

In 2022 Google will begin launching a new system blocking third party cookies, and in 2023 this will become the default setting. A few browser developers have refused third-party cookies so far.

Many people don’t like third-party cookies. People think that their data should be private and that the use of such cookies doesn’t result in any benefits (or isn’t worth it). They are not comfortable with their browsing being tracked by advertisers.

Third-party cookies collect data on the interests of the user and show you which topics, sites and products they browse around in. Marketers rely on this information to create tailor-made ads.