The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to rapidly reconsider their marketing strategies. Digital marketing and online commerce surged: according to Digital Commerce 360, e-commerce sales increased by $174.87 billion from 2019 to 2020.
Vaccination campaigns in the United States and the United Kingdom are continuing at a rapid pace. Canada’s own campaigns, though significantly slower, are accelerating. In other words, the beginning of the end of the pandemic may finally be here, even if there are significant challenges ahead. The shift to post-pandemic life won’t be as abrupt – or as painful – as the changes that took place in March 2020, but they will require businesses to adapt once again. Here are some trends to consider as we move into a new phase of this unprecedented period:
Privacy: Privacy was a major concern before the pandemic – remember Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal? – and became even more critical during the lockdowns. Recent moves by Google, to limit use of third-party cookies, and Apple, in its latest software update, suggest big tech companies plan to take privacy more seriously, which has implications for digital marketing.
Automation and A.I.: The use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) accelerated in 2020 and will continue to grow in 2021 and beyond. AI, in particular, has had a major impact on the way we do business: platforms like Google Ads now perform automated campaign optimization, leveraging performance data to streamline campaigns for maximum efficiency and return on ad spend (ROAS).
Communication: The digital marketing world, like the world in general, is in a transitional phase. COVID-19 supercharged existing trends like the growth of online commerce, concern over user privacy, and reliance on artificial intelligence. At GrowthEngine Media, we believe that client-agency communication is vital whenever change occurs – that’s why we distribute these weekly updates, and why we encourage clients to reach out whenever they have questions or concerns. If you would like to discuss your digital marketing strategy for the remainder of 2021 and beyond, contact us today.
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