Kimberly A. Whitler Senior Contributor
What are emerging trends in key marketing areas? Below, three C-level executives provide insight on changes shaping marketing.
PropTech will Change the Shopping Experience, Georgianna W. Oliver, Founder of Package Concierge
Outdated and unnecessary processes will fall by the wayside more quickly as the newest generation of consumers push for speed, innovation and self-serve products in their day-to-day lives. One example is self-guided apartment tours so consumers can tour on their own without leasing agents or brokers; another is a ghost kitchen to meet the urban-core hot food delivery needs; and finally property managers using common area spaces as creatively as possible in apartment buildings to meet the need for speed that defines Gen-Z.
Untethered E-commerce will Boom, Adam Fields, CEO of ARTA
We’re going to see the rise of commerce outside of the traditional set up of a brand’s website/ own e-commerce presence. This will be done via social media, ads, and media platforms; we’ll start to see options where you never leave those sites and are able to checkout in just a few steps. It’s all about providing other channels to purchase your items with a frictionless experience. E-commerce is going to be part of more platforms that weren’t initially commerce platforms, so you will be able to buy anywhere and everywhere online, and more brands are going to look for unique integrations in that respect.
The Omnichannel Experience will become more Personalized, Anthony Ferry, CEO of PriceSpider
A redefining of the overall customer experience has already begun. Offline retail and e-commerce will continue to come together, and we won’t be looking at the two separately anymore. Retail will encompass both brick and mortar and e-commerce channels. No longer will there be a digital customer journey and a physical one, it’ll be one customer journey with multiple touchpoints. Brands will look at integrated marketing efforts as they use data to customize, measure, and impact the customer journey. Personalization will be the foundation of this effort, optimizing and customizing the shopping experience for individual shoppers. Taking the Nordstrom customer service model and bringing it across all channels. Personalization is already the norm to a degree and has not only just become a trend, but something that is expected by a technologically savvy generation that is open to sharing their information for a more tailored shopping experience. The majority of consumers will unlikely opt out of privacy data requests at the expense of a subpar shopping experience that they have become accustomed to.
Gone are the Days of Keeping Information in Silos , Dustin Ray, VP of Business Development of Incfile
Technology will continue to advance and everyone will continue to drive for more efficiency, but successful brands will remain customer centric by improving communication efficiencies between the Marketing and Customer Service teams. Gone are the days of keeping information in silos. It’s about cross-functional transparency and sharing common knowledge and data in order to provide the best customer experience. Shared ownership of the customer journey across Marketing and Customer Service will result in higher conversions, increased word-of-mouth-marketing and, most of all, lifetime value. It’s about the human touch.
[SOURCE: FORBES – link]