Major Digital Trends to Watch For in 2020

New year, new decade, a new time to think about the latest digital marketing trends. 

Consumer interests worldwide are evolving at record-pace. Now more than ever, the requirement for a business to remain dynamic with its approach to digital marketing is non-negotiable. You either stay one step ahead of the game or your fall into obscurity - it really is as simple as that. 

On the surface, keeping up with a consumer public that’s constantly shifting the goalposts seems almost impossible. In reality, it’s as simple as keeping up with the latest trends in digital marketing. For 2020, it’s the usual case of 2019’s heavy-hitters being joined by a few newcomers on the scene. All coming together to form the basis of an effective marketing strategy for the year ahead.

With this in mind, here’s a brief rundown of four major digital marketing trends you’ll be seeing a lot of over the next months:

Enhanced User Experience Focus

It’s not as if prioritising the user experience wasn’t important already.  Nevertheless, consumers spanning most key markets are showing growing preference to the brands and businesses that deliver an engaging and memorable UX. Not to mention, a simplified user experience that makes it as quick as possible for the user to take whatever action it is they desire. 

There’s been a major shift in the way successful online businesses handle the user experience. Once a hard-fought race to dazzle customers with elaborate visuals and complex navigation systems, things are rapidly moving in the opposite direction. Particularly in an era dominated by mobile devices, delivering a simple and streamlined user experience is paramount. A task that can be simplified significantly through a very basic process of A/B testing. 

Minimalism in Design 

The same ‘less is more’ methodology is also making its way into different areas of the digital sphere. One of which being the production of minimalistic marketing materials and uncomplicated ad content. As traditional advertising and promotional methods become less effective, marketers are being forced to think twice about what today’s consumers respond to.

As a general rule of thumb, minimalistic marketing is about using as few elements as possible to deliver the required message. The simplest example of which being a predominantly visual ad, with very little accompanying copy - perhaps no copy at all. The image for itself has the desired impact, eliminating the need for ad copy to effectively plead with the customer to take action. 

User Generated Content (UGC)

The value of user generated content (financial and reputational) goes beyond that of even the highest profile conventional marketing campaign. UGC exists in a variety of forms - social media mentions, video clips, influencer posts, testimonials, ratings, reviews and so on. What remains the same across the board is the way in which the average consumer considers UGC far more reliable and trustworthy than conventional marketing and advertising.

The added bonus being that UGC can also be an exceptionally cost-effective marketing. It’s simply a case of convincing others to see positive things about your products, your service and your brand. Something that should be easy if you’re doing your job properly and targeting the right audience.

AR/VR Based Marketing

Last up, virtual reality and augmented reality marketing are only just beginning to hit their stride in the UK. However, we’re likely to see the technology play a more dominant role throughout 2020 and beyond.

AR can already be used to help consumers visualise products, locations and just about anything else using the camera built into the smartphone. Meanwhile, VR have the capacity to virtually transport a consumer into immersive 360-degree environment from anywhere in the world. Both relatively far-fetched concepts just a few years ago, but already making their mark in high-end marketing and advertising circles worldwide.