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CONSUMER TRENDS
Four key marketing trends your brand needs to capitalise on
By our News Team | 2022
Trend-spotting is an important skills for successful marketers. So too is moving quickly to capitalise on them.
African marketers need to be constantly scanning for emerging consumer trends that may impact their business or present new opportunities. Being indecisive and slow to act may mean opportunities lost to more nimble and dynamic competitors.
Grant Kruger, a Business Lead at consumer electronics company LG South Africa, lists his top four marketing trends to capitalise on.
Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels
1. The rise of the conscious customer
Brands can no longer exist in isolation from the communities in which they operate. Conscious consumerism has seen a steady rise in recent years — only strengthened by the pandemic — and many of today’s customers are now leaning towards products and services that make a positive social, environmental, or economic impact.
Therefore, businesses should consider implementing sustainable and socially conscious products and marketing strategies — without it coming across as inauthentic. Getting it right is not only good for society, but also for business.
2. Social shopping takes off
As more people use social media, more businesses are meeting their customers on their preferred social channels to create meaningful and personal experiences with them.
Popular social media platforms like Instagram are embedding e-commerce into the user experience, creating storefronts that allow companies to build their brand story and drive product discovery — without users needing to leave the app and visit an online store.
Social commerce offers a unique and potentially lucrative opportunity for brands looking for authentic ways to reach and engage their audiences.
3. Loyalty matters
In a highly competitive business landscape, customer experience is more important than ever. This means that many brands will have to work harder to keep their existing customers engaged and retain their loyalty.
Acquiring new customers is even more challenging, making loyalty the new frontier for revenue growth. To achieve this, companies should focus on the following to ensure that their existing customers keep coming back for more:
- Reputation management
- Flexible payment options
- Discounts and loyalty rewards
- Customer feedback, and
- Relationship nurturing.
4. Digital signage is back
With the worst of the pandemic possibly over, retailers are breathing a sigh of relief as more customers start returning to shopping malls and brick-and-mortar stores. As a result, digital signage offers an impactful solution for businesses looking to increase their sales by influencing the buying decisions of customers.
Many online marketing strategies fail because they don’t leave a lasting impression, while the latest in display technologies offers a sensory experience that is sure to catch the attention of potential customers.
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