eCommerce has transformed at lightning speed this decade—and digital marketing isn’t far behind because it races to maintain up. Marketers now must be agile to an unprecedented degree. That means adapting their strategies in response to their customers’ everchanging needs.
And as we glance ahead into 2023, it also means we’ll see marketers continually shifting how they engage and communicate with their audiences. I feel we’ll see them do that in response to what can be this 12 months’s 3 foremost digital marketing trends.
1) Using AI to Pivot on a Fast-Evolving Ecommerce Landscape
AI is quickly becoming vital for marketers, a tool for scaling their efforts to succeed in larger and wider audiences with tailored content and impactful campaigns. And as we work our way through 2023, we’ll likely see marketers finding ever more sophisticated ways to harness AI, infusing their campaigns with unparallelled personalisation—and at incredible scale. This will certainly prove key for engaging with and converting customers in a volatile digital landscape.
AI’s capability to scale personalisation means marketers will facilitate entire audiences seeing exactly what they wish to see, when and where they wish to see it. That being said, while it could be AI that makes this possible, ultimately it’ll still be the human aspect of personalisation that offers brands the sting.
Combining a talented marketer’s intricate understanding of what makes their customers tick with the immense power of AI will make for increasingly seamless customer journeys, ever more enjoyable customer experiences. And as customers’ expectations change into more stringent than ever, their preferences more exact and unwavering, AI can be the go-to for brands trying to adapt at pace to those changes—but it’ll be the strategically minded digital marketer who will know the best way to expertly implement that tool to construct a loyal customer base.
2) Incorporating Seamless Omnichannel Experiences as Standard
If 2022 taught us one thing, it was that connected journeys are integral to strong marketing. The boundaries demarcating channels proceed to blur, and brands are increasingly taking it as a provided that their customers use multiple channels. That means they need to offer their customers with easy ways to receive an interesting email while also with the ability to browse on their phone and take a look at their cart on their desktop. These are the differences that always determine whether a customer returns or goes elsewhere.
Omnichannel experiences represent latest opportunities for eCommerce platforms to expand their reach while engaging with latest and varied audiences in 2023. Text alone is becoming a more punchy and reliable marketing tactic, with ROI and open rates now rivalling those of email.
Investing in an omnichannel strategy that communicates with customers in additional creative and bespoke ways while benefiting from the channels to which they’re already most receptive will prove immensely useful this 12 months.
3) Leveraging Personalisation to Focus on Retention Over Acquisition
In 2022, customer acquisition costs (CACs) became a very potent source of stress for marketers. In fact, most retailers named CACs as the first threat to their annual sales goals. Moreover, even now paid media channels proceed to grow dearer, leaving marketers scrabbling around for alternative marketing channels.
Yet all this emphasis on customer acquisition has led to brands massively underestimating the ability of retention—and retention marketing. Prioritising customers who already know their brand will be an incredibly effective technique to drive results.
This 12 months, I expect to see way more digital marketers leveraging reliable channels like text and email to reengage existing customers and drive repurchase rates. What’s more, I’ve already emphasised to many consumers at my very own marketing agency, Pixated, that retention marketing can be easier also in the event that they embrace personalisation.
After all, established and returning customers have already given brands rafts of knowledge about their preferences and favoured channels. The foundation of trust has been laid. Brands can subsequently meet these customers where they are—and with impact. This will boost the percentages of them returning to buy again.
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