When we talk about digital marketing, we can say that it is the one that can take your business to the heights of success, but this is possible only with a well-developed strategy, suitable for your brand, but also adapted to new trends in the industry. Being a constantly changing field, every year we witness the emergence of expected or less expected trends, which contribute to the formation and development of a broader perspective on the future. To be successful, it is important to be aware of these trends and to adapt your strategy according to them. Businesses that manage to adapt will be one step ahead of the competition, while those that do not take advantage of these opportunities in the digital world will lag behind. To avoid this, we come to your aid with a series of predictions and tips to keep in mind this year.

Here are 4 trends in digital marketing in 2022:

1. Social Commerce will become vital to any Ecommerce

One of the things that should be in the middle of your Ecommerce strategy in 2022 is Social Commerce. It allows the use of social media platforms to sell or buy certain products and services. According to a study by eMarketer, 55.5% of consumers aged 18-24 and 48.7% of consumers aged 25-34 have made at least one purchase on social media in 2021.

In addition, research by SproutSocial shows that 73% of businesses have already integrated Social Commerce into their marketing strategy, while 79% plan to introduce it in the next two years. If you haven't started taking advantage of the benefits that Social Commerce can bring you, our advice is to consider it because most of your competitors are already selling or planning to do so through social media. Most users discover products and buy directly from them, and statistics show that the percentage of purchases made on social media has increased and will continue to grow over the next three years. The platforms that currently offer this feature are Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, while platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, or Twitter have announced that they want to add it in the near future.

2. Artificial Intelligence will gain ground

Artificial Intelligence will definitely change the future of digital marketing given the fact that every year it manages to innovate in this field. In 2022 we expected it to become much more accessible, but also more used by most brands. According to trueNorth, 80% of businesses believe that AI can increase productivity, while 83% of those who already use Artificial Intelligence confirm that they have already reaped substantial economic benefits. This can be very helpful for both start-ups and acquaintances. Think about it, whether it's PPC, content marketing, email marketing, and more, AI helps you improve every element in order to increase sales, but also to improve the consumer experience.

One of the brands that take advantage of Artificial Intelligence is Amazon. In addition to the well-known Alexa virtual voice assistant, Amazon uses AI in many other ways, one of which is sending certain products and services to consumers, even before they think about purchasing them. They collect a lot of data about users, and through them they can predict the needs of customers, using predictive analytics. Another good example of how Amazon uses AI is the new Amazon Go stores, in which there are no cashiers, the way to buy and pay, respectively, being fully automated.

3. Consumer experience will matter more than ever

In the future, marketers will be more focused on the consumer experience, which is crucial when it comes to any business. Each user will want to have a personalized experience, adapted to their needs, and when they do not find it, they will certainly focus on a brand that offers this. Consumers want to be approached individually and not treated as just being part of the crowd that chooses to buy a product or service. Knowing this, marketers will need to focus more on building lasting relationships with the public, but also on presenting how a brand can add value and not just provide services. For this to be possible, an in-depth understanding of the consumer's thinking, desires, and needs will be needed. Thus, it will be possible to observe an increase in the conversion rate, the level of engagement with the brand, and the reputation.

4. The End of Third-Party cookies, the start of First-Party cookies

Cookies are files created by the websites you visit. They make the online experience much easier by saving certain browsing information. Cookies are also the ones that allow you to keep your preferences and provide recommendations based on them. They fall into several categories, but currently, the ones that are most helpful to marketers are Third-Party cookies. However, as users become more concerned about how their personal information is used, laws will increasingly restrict the actions that marketers can take with it. Thus, Third-Party cookies, which have already been blocked by large companies such as Apple or Microsoft, will be removed by 2023 and by Google. This will be quite a blow to the field of digital marketing, but because adaptation is essential in this area, we believe that a transition will be made to First-Party cookies. This will require a much more transparent policy, allowing consumers to know how their data will be used before providing it. First-Party cookies also allow users to block them from their browser settings if they wish so that the information will no longer be stored. Our advice is to prepare for this transition and adjust your marketing strategy for 2022 accordingly.

Although the future is uncertain, we can make some predictions about what might happen in this new year, based on recent research and statistics. These are just 4 trends in digital marketing that we believe will develop in 2022. In order not to be taken by surprise, it is necessary to take these into account and prepare in advance. Remember that if you want to have the most effective digital marketing strategy in 2022, you can call on Marketiu specialists, who are ready to help you!