By now, the amount of pieces you’ve read and watched about digital trends in 2020 is probably making your eyes roll so far to the back of your head you can see behind you… but fear not! Here’s one you can really tap, move, shout at and interact with. Join us as we take a peek into how interactive content will impact the world of digital this year and beyond.
The Social Shop
You’ve likely seen shoppable posts on Instagram and Facebook. You know, the ones that pop into your feed and with a simple tap you’ll be on the website and able to make a purchase. This is a great opportunity for brands as it allows them to reach an already captive audience. A survey completed by Facebook, Inc. showed that 81% of respondents use Instagram to research products and services. Instagram Checkout recently launched and allows shoppers to make purchases directly through social media without leaving the channel. We expect brands to up their social shopping game by heavily leveraging this feature. Other social channels are also looking at ways to make their platforms shoppable, for instance, TikTok is BETA testing features like links in bios, videos, and posts. Another nugget we found interesting is that shoppable videos are expected to change how people shop in the future and will allow viewers to take immediate action in response to a TV ad.
The Audience Calls the Shots
There isn’t a bigger a buzz word in digital marketing than ‘engagement.’. The idea of letting audiences guide the narrative will evolve into new and exciting ways for users to dictate their own experience through story. We’ve already seen some brands approach this idea very effectively. One of our favourite examples is Netflix’s Black Mirror “Bandersnatch”, which allowed viewers to dictate plot developments that led to different endings. Another Netflix fav is You vs. Wild where the viewer gets to decide how the character is going to survive in the wild by choosing his actions. These moves from Netflix are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the next generation of Hollywood entertainment. As new technologies emerge there will be an increase the ways viewers can respond, like combining scripted TV and gaming to allow players to take an active role in choosing how the story evolves.
Retailers Embrace Fun
We’ve seen brands embrace gamification, which is super fun and helps encourage product engagement to influence a purchase. What’s next for gamification? Marketers will influence how we interact with games and will ultimately change the way we interact with brands. Target’s integration of gamification into their holiday gift guide is interesting, as the popular retailer created an app that allowed kids to build a wishlist using a 3D animated game-like experience and send it to Santa. Meanwhile, moms could access the list and share with the family as a gift registry, which adjusts once a purchase is made. We can expect gaming’s relationship with marketing to only increase, as it’s a market valued at $6.8bn in 2018 and is estimated to rise to $40bn by 2024.
The Dynamic Duo: Shopping and AR
You’ve likely heard the term Augmented Reality. Online retailers have been using this technology so customers can explore products in a way that’s similar to an in-person shopping experience, without stepping foot in the store. The Ikea Place app uses augmented reality to allow customers to see how furniture will look in their room before making a purchase. And if you look beyond the physical space and into the mirror, you can also see MAC’s collaboration with Google on the AR Beauty Try-On Feature where users can virtually try on makeup and purchase immediately. This technology is creating new opportunities for online shopping and allows customers to buy things online, like eyeglasses, that they’d traditionally need to go in store to purchase. We’re likely to see more retailers embrace this tech in the future, as augmented reality is expected to grow to $120 billion in revenue. Also, approximately 40% of consumers said they’d spend more on a product if it offered an augmented reality experience, which is sure to be a draw for retailers.
The Social Shop
You’ve likely seen shoppable posts on Instagram and Facebook. You know, the ones that pop into your feed and with a simple tap you’ll be on the website and able to make a purchase. This is a great opportunity for brands as it allows them to reach an already captive audience. A survey completed by Facebook, Inc. showed that 81% of respondents use Instagram to research products and services. Instagram Checkout recently launched and allows shoppers to make purchases directly through social media without leaving the channel. We expect brands to up their social shopping game by heavily leveraging this feature. Other social channels are also looking at ways to make their platforms shoppable, for instance, TikTok is BETA testing features like links in bios, videos, and posts. Another nugget we found interesting is that shoppable videos are expected to change how people shop in the future and will allow viewers to take immediate action in response to a TV ad.
The Audience Calls the Shots
There isn’t a bigger a buzz word in digital marketing than ‘engagement.’. The idea of letting audiences guide the narrative will evolve into new and exciting ways for users to dictate their own experience through story. We’ve already seen some brands approach this idea very effectively. One of our favourite examples is Netflix’s Black Mirror “Bandersnatch”, which allowed viewers to dictate plot developments that led to different endings. Another Netflix fav is You vs. Wild where the viewer gets to decide how the character is going to survive in the wild by choosing his actions. These moves from Netflix are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the next generation of Hollywood entertainment. As new technologies emerge there will be an increase the ways viewers can respond, like combining scripted TV and gaming to allow players to take an active role in choosing how the story evolves.
Retailers Embrace Fun
We’ve seen brands embrace gamification, which is super fun and helps encourage product engagement to influence a purchase. What’s next for gamification? Marketers will influence how we interact with games and will ultimately change the way we interact with brands. Target’s integration of gamification into their holiday gift guide is interesting, as the popular retailer created an app that allowed kids to build a wishlist using a 3D animated game-like experience and send it to Santa. Meanwhile, moms could access the list and share with the family as a gift registry, which adjusts once a purchase is made. We can expect gaming’s relationship with marketing to only increase, as it’s a market valued at $6.8bn in 2018 and is estimated to rise to $40bn by 2024.
The Dynamic Duo: Shopping and AR
You’ve likely heard the term Augmented Reality. Online retailers have been using this technology so customers can explore products in a way that’s similar to an in-person shopping experience, without stepping foot in the store. The Ikea Place app uses augmented reality to allow customers to see how furniture will look in their room before making a purchase. And if you look beyond the physical space and into the mirror, you can also see MAC’s collaboration with Google on the AR Beauty Try-On Feature where users can virtually try on makeup and purchase immediately. This technology is creating new opportunities for online shopping and allows customers to buy things online, like eyeglasses, that they’d traditionally need to go in store to purchase. We’re likely to see more retailers embrace this tech in the future, as augmented reality is expected to grow to $120 billion in revenue. Also, approximately 40% of consumers said they’d spend more on a product if it offered an augmented reality experience, which is sure to be a draw for retailers.