We love the marketing trend game at the beginning of the year because it allows us both to look in the rearview mirror and to project ourselves into the future. If 2020 was a unique year, it primarily confirmed certain practices, brought new behaviors to light, and created new opportunities.

The omnichannel purchasing journey

The health crisis accelerated the digitalization of many businesses. Those that did not manage to adapt have faced and continue to face significant difficulties. Consumers, on the other hand, have changed their behaviors and their purchasing journey by largely turning to online shopping during the lockdowns, without necessarily turning their backs on local shops.

According to Médiamétrie's Internet Usage Observatory, 

• +1 million cyber-buyers in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 (thus a total of 41 million people)

• 71% of cyber-buyers seek and use e-commerce sites that have physical stores.

• 68.3% of respondents believe that local shops in city centers should offer the ability to order online.

The omnichannel journey has developed and become widespread. For example: order a product online > be alerted by email of its availability > go pick it up in-store via click&collect.

While these steps seem simple, they can be sources of numerous friction points, which can affect customer satisfaction. The challenge for a brand is to optimize each touchpoint throughout the customer journey by displaying its availability and demonstrating its ability to find solutions to potential problems to reassure the consumer.

Examples:

The presence of a virtual assistant on a website allows for a connection with the brand throughout the purchasing journey (information requests, order tracking, package pickups, customer service). The bot should be supported by humans to quickly respond to specific requests that fall outside predefined scenarios. Conversational strategies are an important marketing lever to perfect an omnichannel journey (we talked about it in this blog post).

And while marketing automation can save a precious amount of time and adheres to increasingly stringent optimization logics, with some hindsight, we can observe, for example, that the poor use of chatbots brings more frustration than answers. Poorly designed and poorly implemented, they are not favored by the French, with 36% stating that they would prefer never to be in contact with them. In 2021, the challenge will be human. Associated with technology, it will bring back the lost authenticity, provided it is trained and offered a work environment conducive to empathy. (We’ll share a tweet showing that there is still a long way to go).

Social Commerce

Social networks are becoming essential new e-commerce platforms. On March 20, 2020, Instagram rolled out the Shopping feature for business accounts in France. Thus, a brand can offer its catalog directly in the app, tag products in its posts and stories, and encourage purchases by directing consumers to its e-commerce site (in-app payment is not yet available in France).

We clearly see an evolution in 2021! The French spend an average of 1 hour and 30 minutes on social networks every day and this figure can be much higher depending on age and consumption habits. Social Commerce will gain traction thanks to a very smooth navigation design of the purchasing journey. Also, the advertising system is formidable and exposes users to their desires. With a click away from the pretty sweater that catches their eye, it’s so easy to give in.

When looking at the evolution of a social network like Instagram, one cannot help but think of WeChat, the Chinese mobile app that is a true life companion. From simple messaging to paying for groceries, to booking a medical appointment, users can spend their day on the app. It is a truly frictionless ecosystem designed to simplify daily life. Many platforms aspire to this.

More broadly, retail has always been a fascinating source of technological inspiration. Between reality and science fiction, the line will be thin.  Take a look at this video that imagines the future of the industry. 

Short videos (and more)

Video content emerges every year in trends and will not escape 2021! According to an eMarketer study, the French over 18 spend an average of 4 hours and 30 minutes watching videos every day. While television holds firm, digital consumption is gaining minutes.

In 2020, the TikTok video app shocked audience numbers. In France, by the end of June 2020, it had gathered 4 million monthly active users. Its success: short videos based on challenges, authenticity, and creativity.

If you missed TikTok, the app has curated the 100 best videos of the year that bring “joy and inspiration”:  “The Year on TikTok: Top 100”.

The popularity of the app has shaken up the market, even that of giants. In August 2020 Instagram launched Reels, its short and entertaining videos. Competition is visible, but TikTok is ahead and has made a name for itself.

Full of authenticity and spontaneity, these short videos are meant to be fun and creative. They are easy to consume on mobile and gather communities with common interests. 

TikTok is also a place for exchanges and debates. Social issues are discussed, information is shared. Le Monde even created its account to address a young audience (three-quarters of the users of the social network are under 24 years old) with a tailored editorial offer.

You can also listen to the words of Anne Cordier, an HDR lecturer in information and communication sciences at the University of Rouen, a specialist in the digital practices and uses of youth in this replay of the show “The code has changed.” Through field surveys, she notably emphasizes that TikTok can be a good app for information. #BlackLiveMatter has also prompted many young people to react, hesitating not to take a stance, share their viewpoints, and engage for diversity. From seemingly trivial videos to deeper ones, it’s just a scroll away.

If short videos (less than 60 seconds) have found their audience, long videos are not to be outdone. With carefully crafted storytelling, an assumed brand universe, and artfully edited montages, long-format videos resonate with an engaged target audience.

Picture Organic Clothing released a film that speaks of sliding, travel, and dreams. The protagonists' clothes are those of the brand, but that is not the focus. We dive into a universe rather than a commercial discourse.

Finally, confinement necessitates, lives and video calls have gained ground. In 2021, brands will be able to showcase themselves through computer screens... and they will not be alone. Numerous television personalities have paved the way by appearing on new platforms (Examples:  Samuel Etienne on Étoile’s Twitch channel — his channel and an interview –, Cyril Lignac cooking live from his home on Facebook or Jean-Pierre Pernaut launching his TV).

Television, Twitch, social media live, everything mixes to create exchanges, unprecedented content, and new video consumption patterns.

Recycle, repair, reduce your footprint

In 2020, brand commitments flourished everywhere. Between the climate emergency and the health crisis, the world of tomorrow will surely not be exactly the same as yesterday. So brands are recycling, repairing, reusing, planting trees, and reducing their carbon footprint. Behind the lines lie actions but also sometimes weave lies. Let’s be positive, it is possible to act for a greener future that respects the planet's inhabitants.

Some examples :

These 4 major themes will surely mark the year 2021 (we do not claim to affirm this ;-)). There are many others like voice, audio, increasingly efficient artificial intelligence, data protection, a return of newsletters (we talked about it here) or even gaming. In short, keep an eye out, this year is going to be exciting!