The restrictions imposed on us earlier in 2020 to contain the spread of the virus and save lives meant millions of people had to stay home. The new restrictions combined with uncertainty and queues at the supermarkets caused a change in consumer behaviour. More and more of us changed from using e-commerce for buying the occasional treat, to buying food, ordering prescriptions, and even ordering from our favourite restaurant online.
The e-commerce industry has been growing for years, but the Covid-19 pandemic has strengthened the need for businesses to focus on their online presence. In June 2020, global e-commerce traffic reached 22 billion monthly visits, with exceptionally high demand for daily essentials such as food, medicine, and clothing; this demonstrates the importance of a good e-commerce offering.
As the world’s shopping habits have evolved, digital marketing has too. The development of virtual platforms has helped reduce human contact and campaign re-designs that acknowledge our new reality are some examples of how technology and digital marketing is adapting to our new and hopefully temporary way of life.
Covid-19 has reiterated the importance of a strong online presence and pressured business owners to change operations and adapt to meet the extra demand, caused by increased e-commerce activity. In some cases, a business’s ability to adapt could play a significant role in determining what shape the business is in at the end of the pandemic.
Making the most out of e-commerce trends in 2021 could be the saving grace for some businesses as we prepare to enter the first few months of the year with more restrictions in the UK and limited economic growth.
As we enter a new decade that is poised to be very different from the last one, what worked for marketers in previous years may not work in the next few years. This poses some difficult questions for marketers and business owners alike.
To help you stay on top of your game, we have compiled a list of e-commerce trends that are likely to dominate the digital marketing industry in 2021.
Consumers of today are bombarded with marketing messages from many different sources which can potentially make consumers blind to advertising as they are ignoring it on a consistent basis. Personalised marketing can help businesses establish a genuine connection with their target audience by tailoring ads to be personalised and relevant to the consumer’s interests. With nearly 80% of consumers stating they are more likely to engage with a brand and make a purchase if they are offered a personalised marketing message, this highlights the importance of investing in personalised digital ads in 2021. Developments in technology have broadly increased the options for marketers who are seeking to personalise their marketing campaigns and tap into their customers’ needs and wants.
Consumers expect the same level of services when shopping online as they do on the high street. Having a platform that can provide an all-in-one solution for digital marketing will be essential to get ahead of the competition in 2021.
Using an all-in-one ad builder platform not only saves time but gives businesses additional functionality as well as accurate reporting to measure the success of campaigns.
Using one platform to manage an entire campaign allows you to produce ads, have live feeds for stock inventory, target people in specific geographic locations, re-target consumers to capitalise on abandoned carts and accurately report on campaigns, all from one platform. Gone are the days of going from pillar to post to manage every aspect of a display advertising campaign.
Here at Fluid Ads, we have been tirelessly working to create one of the best digital advertising platforms available on the market today. Our platform allows you to produce and manage display advertising campaigns that can be displayed on various channels, from social media to onsite ads.
Brands that appear different in different spaces tend to lose momentum and engagement. So, how do you achieve success with a display advertising campaign?
Consistency is key. Regardless of where you are advertising, colours, fonts, and company logo’s need to stay consistent. Consumers should receive the same experience of engagement with your ads, regardless of where they see them.
Mobile and tablet friendly adverts are also essential in achieving success. Consumers do not want to be faced with adverts that don’t fit or unappealing due to condensed text boxes or distorted images.
Online reviews can instantly help establish the credibility of a potential new customer who is not familiar with your brand. It can make or break a business’s ability to attract new customers. These real, unbiased reviews from current and previous customers can help you set your company aside from the competition.
The most useful review for any business is received through their Google My Business Page (GMB). These are the most trusted sources of real, verified reviews. There is even a growing theory among the SEO community that getting reviews and replying to them can provide benefits to your companies’ rankings in the search engine.
Facebook, Yelp, and Trustpilot are other excellent sources of reviews.
Having lots of reviews from different sources can make your business stand out from the competition and start building trust before potential customers even click on your website.
One of the most interesting shifts we have seen because of COVID-19 is the increase in the use of ecommerce.
As the wave of pandemic restrictions spread across globally, we saw people of all ages in greater numbers turning to e-commerce. Beyond the obvious contribution to short-term performance in the e-commerce industry, these new behaviours may have longer lasting implications. People tend to get into a routine when it comes to shopping for their daily essentials and groceries, with the nationwide restrictions we are constantly being placed under, consumers are forming new shopping habits that could potentially continue long after the restrictions end.
Provided these new experiences are positive, this increased frequency will likely increase people’s overall familiarity with e-commerce and enlarge their confidence in it too.
Just under half of consumers say that they expect to continue their new online shopping habits. More than a third of internet users globally aged between 55 and 64 state their intention to continue online shopping more frequently, even after the pandemic has passed.
2021 is poised to be an exciting time for advertisers. The optimism that the Covid-19 vaccines have provided combined with advancements in technology provide lots of potential for businesses to ride the wave of economic growth we are all anticipating shortly after Easter. And what better way to achieve success than using an industry leading all-in-one digital advertising platform to get your message out there.
Contact us today to find out how our platform can provide you with all the tools needed to precisely advertise to your target audience and if you’re looking for more support with your digital advertising activity, please contact us and a member of our team will be in touch.