E-commerce and online marketing are constantly evolving. With the New Year already begun, it’s the perfect time to look back at the biggest trends and see how those will affect your online marketing strategy in the coming months and years. Here are the most significant trends that will impact your practice in 2021.

1. Product Awareness.

Product awareness refers to the action of a consumer becoming more familiar with a product or service before purchasing it. This trend will continue to impact B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing. However, businesses can play a role in this trend as well by encouraging more trial and error before purchase. This way, they increase the chance of becoming more familiar with the product and thus being able to make a better decision. Moreover, this trend will increase the lifetime value of the customer as they will become more engaged with your brand.

The most successful companies in the future will be those that understand this trend and use it to their advantage. They will make their customers feel special by constantly presenting them with new products, special offers, and discounts. Moreover, this kind of strategy will make their customers feel that their opinion matters and that they are truly engaged with the company.

To stay ahead of the curve, you should be evaluating your own product awareness strategy and looking to improve it. Consider the types of content you are creating and evaluating whether or not that content is making your customers more familiar with your product. Moreover, it’s important to note that not all product awareness will be positive. You need to consider whether or not your customers are becoming more familiar with your product because there is often a negative connotation to this type of awareness. For example, if someone is made aware of a product because of negative reviews or bad press, there may be a negative perception of that product that will affect how familiar they become with it. In these situations, you need to consider what you are doing and if it’s worth it in the long run.

2. Virtual Shopping.

E-commerce and virtual shopping are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they are actually two different things. E-commerce is the process of buying and selling products or services online. Virtual shopping refers to the act of exploring a store’s physical locations online. Thanks to the pandemic, consumers have had the chance to try out many new shopping behaviors during the lockdown. One of the most popular virtual shopping behaviors is exploring a store’s physical locations through video or photos. This way, customers can see how a product or service looks in real life versus what it looks like online. Moreover, if a business doesn’t have an online presence, customers can easily find out where they are located with a quick search.

In the coming months and years, more and more people will adopt this behavior and more business will benefit from it. One of the most successful companies in the future will be the ones that can take advantage of this trend and ensure their customers never miss a sale again by using video verification and live chat. This way, they are able to personalize customer experiences and retain their customers.

To stay ahead of the curve, you should be implementing video verification into your own business. This will allow you to show customers the exact product they are looking at and ensure the order goes through smoothly. Moreover, you can use live chat to resolve any issues that may arise during the purchasing process.

3. Authentic Long-Form Content.

The number of consumers who enjoy longer articles is on the rise. In fact, according to HubSpot Blogs research, users prefer reading 1671 words versus 1336 words. The longer the article, the more likely users are to read it. Moreover, longer articles typically perform better in terms of converting website traffic into sales. Why? Authentic long-form content allows the reader to really get into the story and understand what the article is about. This makes it easier to read for customers and encourages them to keep reading. In the coming months and years, customers will increasingly look for longer articles and compelling content to help them make decisions.

The businesses that can produce compelling long-form content will thrive in the future. Moreover, it’s important to note that not all long-form content is created equal. Some pieces of content are just as effective as others based on how you plan on using them. For example, if you are using the article to gain sales, you will want to avoid using too much marketing language as this can soften the article’s impact instead of hardening it. Moreover, you can always consider using an affiliate link in the article to boost its impact. This way, you are providing value to your customers without having to rely on marketing pitches.

To stay ahead of the curve, you should be looking to increase the word count of your own content. Moreover, it’s important to note that shorter articles can work just as effectively as longer ones if the content is good. For example, if you have a fun story to tell or an interesting nugget of information to impart, shorter content can work just as effectively as longer content.

4. Customer-Centricity.

Customer-centricity is the action of focusing on the needs and wants of the customer rather than the needs and wants of your company. This is a significant shift from the conventional marketing approach of focusing on what your company wants. However, in an effort to better understand what your customers want, you need to put yourself in their shoes and consider what you would want if you were in their place. Moreover, developing a customer-centric marketing strategy will help guide the creation of all your marketing materials (web pages, emails, and social media posts) and help shape the way you interact with your customers. Your customers should come first and you should do everything you can to ensure their needs are being met. This includes listening to what they have to say, considering their suggestions, and responding in a manner that is most effective and efficient.

In the coming months and years, more and more businesses will adopt this strategy and the ones that don’t will struggle to stay relevant. One of the most successful companies in the future will be the ones that understand this trend and weave it into their own business strategy. Moreover, it’s important to note that not all customer-centricity is created equal. For example, you may want to consider the types of content you are creating or the products you are promoting if you are a business. If you are providing useful information to your customers, you should consider creating longer-form content to help them get the most out of it. Giving them the value they are looking for while also considering their needs is a fundamental tenet of customer-centricity.

To stay ahead of the curve, you should be evaluating your own strategy with regards to customer-centricity. Moreover, it’s important to note that you can’t force your customers to be patient with you or engage with your content. If you are looking for ways to improve the effectiveness of your content, it’s important to find the type of content that your customers enjoy most and use that to your advantage.

5. Video Content.

Thanks to the internet, the world is now only seconds away from being able to watch you sell a product or service. This has opened the door for companies to experiment with video content and see how it performs in comparison to written content. What’s more, according to HubSpot Blogs research, users prefer watching videos on websites rather than reading text-based content. Moreover, consumers like being able to see how a product or service works in real life as opposed to just how it looks in theory. This is why video content is always a popular choice on review websites. As a business, if you want to succeed, it’s important to understand that video content is here to stay.

To stay ahead of the curve, you should be looking to increase the number of videos you are creating and using on your website or in marketing campaigns. Moreover, it’s important to note that not all video content is created equal. For example, a video of a cat playing piano would probably not make as much sense to your audience as a behind-the-scenes look at how your product works. In these situations, you need to consider what you are doing and if it’s effective or worth it in the long run.

To succeed in the coming year, you will need to understand what is working and what isn’t. One of the most effective ways to track the performance of your marketing efforts is through the use of marketing analytics platforms. These tools will allow you to see which strategies are getting the most results and which ones need to be modified or replaced with new strategies. Customer engagement and interest are both significantly increased through the use of video content. Moreover, the lifetime value of the customer is also significantly increased through the use of video content. This is because customers are more likely to recommend products or services they have witnessed being used firsthand versus just what they have heard about.