Digital trends of 2015

In early days, it often took years to discern certain trends. As an obvious consequence, responding appropriately to these trends took much longer than it does today. For instance, by the time some people first heard about the oil boom, the arid earth of Southern California was already milked for everything it had. The digital age changed all of this, the rapid evolution of digital trends is perfectly visible, even to the untrained eye. Companies need to learn how to be on their toes and think quick to come up with solutions for problems that emerge, change and adapt at a frantic pace. This is exactly why research and development is essential if you want to stay in the race. Keeping all this in mind, let us look at the significant digital trends that will define 2015.

C for Customer

The customers of this day and age are the most discerning that history has seen so far. They have exacting standards and a desire to be delighted, or even wowed. It comes as no surprise that customer experience will be the key focus for companies in 2015. While the path to the utopian state of staunch customer loyalty might be burdened with many obstacles, often practical and executional, it has certainly not managed to dissuade personalisation about the impact that customer experience can have. Look forward to a year of sporting one upmanship when it comes to providing the perfect customer experience.

It’s personal, and it’s business

Tying in with the perfect customer experience is the essence of marketing practices. There is a powerful commercial case for the personalisation of the customer experience with research showing that businesses that have personalized the customer experience report a 14% uplift in sales. Personalisation distinguishes an organisation from the herd and this is exactly how one grabs the attention of the discerning customer. With mobile gaining scale, it becomes essential to provide a multichannel customer experience through personalisation and targeting on multiple platforms.

Geo-targeting signposts

While mobile phones aren’t exactly a new trend, it would be criminal to understate the importance of the mobile market. Mobile is the basic canvas from which greater things are borne of. Geo-targeting technology is clearly on the radar for many retail businesses, as two out of every five (40%) retail respondents are currently exploring the technology, and justifiably so. When utilised correctly, its implementation can increase sales value per customer, retention and brand loyalty without retail staff doing a single thing. Smartphones and tablets are very much a part of daily life, and while the excitement behind them may have waned, it is hard to overlook such a vital medium.

John, I can’t make out what these graphs mean

How do we gauge impact? Well, the simple answer is R and D. But does it truly paint a clear picture? Like any science, the science of marketing must make measurability an absolute imperative. The problem is, companies still concede that there are a lot of aspects that are difficult to measure or gauge like the impact of advertising across channels. While this may all appear bleak, research shows that organizations will endeavor to make their marketing more measurable in 2015.

Need help creating your company’s marketing plan? Contact us at www.knctlab.com