Top five predictions for the future of omnichannel marketing

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, Paul Hickey, our Director of Digital Solutions, recently shared his view on the upcoming opportunities and challenges to omnichannel marketing that we can expect to see over the next 12-18 months. Read on for the top five to watch.

1. GDPR for more valuable consumer-brand relationships

   With The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force soon, the way people use consumer data in the future will change, as well as consumer relationships with brands themselves. Millennials in particular are more likely to opt out of communications, which will drive down the size of target audiences that brands are permitted to contact. However, what this also means is that people will be receiving fewer one to one communications. So, if they opt into a communication they will be more receptive and more valuable to brands than before. As the control of the data reigns get held more firmly by the consumer, brands are going to have to be more conscious than ever about value transfer – making sure it’s worth the customer’s while to view the ad or read the email.

2. Short-form video to soar
   

   Video is going to continue to grow at a pace, but increasingly it’s going to be short form video that advertisers will focus on. Consumers don’t want to spend more than 15/20 seconds on a brand video.

3. Continued growth in ecommerce

   Ecommerce will explode in the coming two years. With smartphones having overtaken laptops as our means to go online, we can shop whenever and wherever we want – and we are doing so in droves. The irrepressible rise of Amazon will undoubtedly also have an impact as we can pretty much buy anything from one place now. Plus, there are more services setting up to help us receive or return our products more quickly and easily, so online purchases are less risky.

4. Contextual omnichannel programmes for targeted marketing

   Omnichannel communications will bring ‘context’ into play to make them more effective. Marketers already look to answer questions like ‘who, what and when’ when they target their campaigns. However, as more factual data becomes available, they can increasingly understand the ‘why’ behind consumer behaviour and tailor communications around this. For instance, understanding why a customer buys, e.g. paint, can open up opportunities for retailers to form closer relationships with customers and satisfy multiple needs. Homemovers, for instance, are likely to require more than just paint when they move in, as will someone about to have their first baby – but their desires will also be different and directly linked to their specific contextual life event. So, by understanding the context behind someone buying paint, a savvy retailer will understand the needs of the individual customer and can help them solve them with targeted promotional offers. This is value transfer in action in the digital age!

5. Actionable data at the heart of everything

   Data will increasingly be seen as at the heart of omnichannel campaigns. Most brands involved in omnichannel operations have understood this, but that doesn’t mean that they have all been using their data properly. However, every year, marketers get more data savvy, and tools to understand data and make it actionable have become easier to use.

Click here to read the full article published in Social Media Portal. This news piece follows the recent launch of TwentyCi Digital.

To find out more about how TwentyCi can help you prepare for some of these challenges and opportunities, including putting the consumer into context with our homemover data, please call 01908 829300 or email enquiries@twentyci.co.uk