Digital Trends for 2013 by Testify Digital

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Digital Trends for 2013
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Overview
Overview
The following document outlines 10 trends Testify Digital believe will be important
this year. This is by no means a definitive list but based on internal discussion,
industry insight and working with our clients we believe these are valuable to take
notice of as we begin 2013. In no order of importance…
• Cross Channel Customer Experience
• Content Marketing/Brands as publishers
• More Brands Adopt Google+
• Facebook’s Monetisation Drive
• Personalisation
• M-Commerce
• Conversion Rate Optimisation
• Responsive Websites
• Social CRM
• Utilising Social Data for Insight and Actions

COPYRIGHT TESTIFY DIGITAL LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Cross Channel Customer Experience
Overview
The way someone shops today has changed with the consumer coming into contact with a
number of touch points both online and offline before making a purchase. This isn’t news as
brands have run simultaneous disciplines like search, display and the like for years. However,
in 2013 as consumer spend gets tighter, the successful brands will become better at
understanding how each channel works with the other during the consumer journey to drive
effective cross-channel campaigns.

Influences/Causes
• “Showrooming” People
visiting a store but purchasing
online
• Increase in data available
(Google Analytics Multi-
Channel funnels)
• Consumer spend tightening
Example of Google Analytics Multi-Channel reporting,
• Marketing budgets decreasing
showing how channels have assisted in conversions.


Cross Channel Customer Experience
Are you integrating display advertising with any of Effect on conversions when integrating the following
the following marketing disciplines? marketing disciplines with display advertising?

Econsultancy Cross-Channel Marketing Report 2012 Econsultancy Cross-Channel Marketing Report 2012

Takeaways
• Knowing how your customer interacts with your brand when purchasing and deciding
against purchase is essential for increasing sales and meeting your customers needs
• Understanding the knock-on effect one discipline has on the other will result in a more
efficient marketing campaign and budget allocation
• Some channels are better assisting conversions rather than being the sole driver of them
e.g. Display for awareness, Paid Search for conversion


Content Marketing/Brands As Publishers
Overview
The discipline of Content Marketing has been around for years but in 2012 you couldn’t
escape the term being mentioned, particularly in SEO and Social Media circles. Producing
great content has always been the name of the game for publishers and also the better
brands out there that ensure their website, product pages, email or anything content related
is useful, insightful and has a point. In 2013 more brands will have realised content will
determine how well all forms of their marketing output will perform, not just SEO and Social.

Influences/Causes
• Currency for links & social
engagement
• How Google ranks a site
• Need to engage with customers
Luxury fashion brands like Paul Smith offer a glimpse into the things
associated with their brand that their customer likes. Louis Vuitton
have a separate platform ‘Nowness’ which covers topics close to the
brands interests.


Content Marketing/Brands As Publishers

Mr Porter is a fashion ecommerce site but Even smaller independent stores without
rivals traditional publishers with the the Mr Porter budgets are producing great
quality of content produced. content, like The Goodhood Store.

Takeaways
• Content key to search ranking success
• Quality content can increase traffic, leads, sales and engagement
• Market will become saturated with ‘content producers’ and people will be bombarded
with content
• Just producing content is not enough
• Becoming known for producing high quality content will make you stand out


More Brands Adopt Google+
Overview
Google has been trying to launch their own social network for years and has finally found an
infrastructure they are getting behind with Google+. Users grew at an impressive rate in 2012
and with more investment into the product offering being made, with existing Google
products like Places now requiring a Google+ account for use, Google+ will have to become a
consideration on any marketers strategy.

Influences/Causes
• Google+ total users grew nearly 5x in 2012
to 500 million
• Growing influence on Google’s Search
Results Circles is a way of segmenting your
• 50% of the top 100 US brands use it audience into groups depending on how
• Becoming mandatory to use some Google they are connected to you. This offers a
features chance to post content specific to each
segment of your following.


More Brands Adopt Google+

Google Hangouts are a way to host larger web chats and interact with your audience. Very
hosted a Hangout with Fearne Cotton for fans to ask her questions to coincide with the
launch of her latest collection with the retailer. Even Barack Obama is getting involved
answering a range of questions on policy at a Hangout from the White House.

Takeaways
• Adoption key to helping search rankings
• Enhances brand listings in Google Searches
• Offers a new way to engage and market to your customers/community (Hangouts and
circles)


Facebook’s Monetisation Drive
Overview
Since the Facebook IPO last year the social network has come under increased scrutiny to
justify its valuation. Advertising is already a big part of how Facebook make money but more
advertising streams are likely forthcoming in 2013. Already changes to how updates are
displayed in the newsfeed (Edgerank) have seen the reach of posts impacted, so setting aside
budget for paid promotion will be needed to reach your audience.

Influences/Causes
• Pressure from investors to justify
valuation
• Facebook’s need to generate revenue


Facebook’s Monetisation Drive

Sponsored posts will only become more prominent as Promoting posts with some budget will be required
Facebook looks to increase ad revenue to gain the sort of reach and engagement brands
want in an ever crowded newsfeed

Takeaways
• Newsfeeds are getting more crowded
• Paid promotion will be essential to gaining cut through
• More advertising avenues will offer creative solutions for brands to reach their audience
• Increases brands responsibility to deliver quality content
• Brands will have to tread carefully as Facebook users adapt to being exposed to more
advertising


Personalisation
Overview
Customers are tightening spend and brands are often finding themselves needing to do
something different in a crowded market. As capabilities have matured it’s more viable for
brands to offer site visitors some form of personalisation to improve the user experience
and increase the chances of a conversion. Personalisation can come in various forms
including personalised content, recommended products and offers based on previous
behaviour or even shop and collect at retail stores.

Influences/Causes
• Customers expect an “Amazon-like”
experience
• Digital capabilities have matured to make
personalisation more viable
• Increased need to convert existing
customers
• More brands and products are offering a
‘personalised’ experience: Google Search
Stylist Pick encourages customers to take a quiz to Results, Ad Retargeting, Product
reveal their style which then presents a personalised Recommendations
showroom of products each month.


Personalisation

John Lewis’ new personalised recommendation Morrisons Wine Cellar helps you choose the wine for you based on
tool on its website was a key factor in driving a your preferences after filling out three simple questions. You’re then
27.9% increase in sales over Christmas 2011. presented with a product range best suited to your tastes.

Takeaways
• Personalisation can delight customers and enhance their experience with a brand
• Can increase marketing effectiveness
• Data protection and privacy laws need to be considered when undertaking any
personalisation tactics
• Personalisation can take many forms using: personal data, browser history, purchase
history, user preferences and on-site behaviour


M-Commerce
Overview Influences/Causes
People have said this is the year for mobile for • U.S. consumers spend almost 1 in
the last few years but we are surely now every 10 ecommerce dollars using a
beyond this as we move to understand how to mobile
align our output with the number of ways • Smartphone penetration in the UK
people use their phones. Recent research from now stands at 58% while 19% of the
Forrester reports that over the next five years, population owns a tablet (Ofcom)
total mobile sales are expected to grow 33% • In October 2012 44% of UK
annually to $31 billion, making up 9% of online smartphone owners performed at
sales in 2017. If anything, 2013 will be the year least one shopping activity while in a
brands focus on getting M-Commerce right. shop
• 29% of smartphone owners had
purchased an item using the mobile
Takeaways web
• Responsive web design can align mobile • Showrooming — the phenomenon in
with desktop site which consumers visit a store and
• User experience is key then use their phones to buy items
• Shops need to be visual they see on Amazon, is becoming a
• Must be simple to purchase major headache.


M-Commerce

Amazon, ASOS and Next have some of the best m-commerce sites in the UK, which
make it easy to browse products and purchase.


Conversion Rate Optimisation
Overview
Brands have always spent the majority of resources on driving visitors to a website, without
much time on driving the actions they want them to take once they’ve arrived. As
competition for customers becomes fiercer brands will be investing more in conversation rate
optimisation to increase the chances of generating sales and leads.

Influences/Causes
• Online conversion rates in the UK
falling by 55% over the past five
years
• Acquiring customers is becoming
tougher in saturated markets
• For every $92 spent acquiring
customers, only $1 is spent
converting them (Bryan Eisenberg,
An example of a site funnel, showing where people Conversion Conference London 2011
leave the site and challenges at each stage


Conversion Rate Optimisation

Increased test drive requests by 62% 300% increase in conversion rate after
using multi-variant testing split testing landing pages

Takeaways
• Put the user at the heart of site design
• Test as many aspects of the user journey as possible
• Must have an understanding of your customers journey on site
• Does your site do everything it can to encourage purchase?
• Content is needed at each stage of the purchase funnel
• Product pages must answer all the customers product queries
• Get key insight from a group of people purchasing your products who don’t know your
brand
• Every site, design or content decision should consider whether it’s going to help
conversions


Responsive Web Design
Overview Influences/Causes
Responsive websites are becoming increasingly • Tablet sales are expected to overtake
popular with the need to access your site on a notebook PCs
number of platforms from desktop to tablet to • People spend more time using their
mobile. Sites are designed in this way so the smartphones for surfing the web
images and other elements on the site will • Mobile traffic continues to increase
adapt depending on the platform accessing it. • Many platforms to consume content

If you resize your
desktop browser the
text and images on Illy
quickly realign
themselves with zero
loading time, while the
navigation and social
tabs switch from tiny
text links to become big
CTAs in the mobile
version.


Responsive Web Design
As you resize the browser the Food Sense
navigation tabs jump from the left to the
top of the screen and social buttons
disappear, but the email subscribe tool
retains its prominent position.

Takeaways
• A site only needs to be used built once
• A single URL per page whether accessed from a laptop, mobile, TV or tablet
• Provides a simpler & faster user experience


Social CRM
Overview
As social has grown, the way people interact with a brand has changed and we are seeing
the rise of the social customer. They are savvy, consume information through Twitter and
Facebook and expect you to listen and engage with them when needed.

Brands that want to get connected with these prospects and customers are paying more
attention to Social CRM, which will only increase in 2013 as they realise the scale of
opportunity there is and role it plays across the whole organisation.

Influences/Causes
• 43% of consumers say that companies should
use social networks to solve the customers’
problems.
• The majority of customers are lost due to
long holds when contacting customer service
• Approximately 44% of adults now use the
Argos monitor Twitter for product mentions and
web to share grievances about products.
reach out and engage if the user shows purchase
intent.


Social CRM
After previous bad PR, Nestle is using social
media listening and analytics to engage at
scale in the market and responding. In 2012
they improved from 16 to 12 in The
Reputation Institute’s index of the world’s
most reputable brands.

Takeaways
• Social CRM is about moving from fans and followers to customers and advocates.
-Listen to customer conversations
-Analyse those conversations
-Relate this information to existing information within your enterprise
-Act on those customer conversations
• Successful social companies need to be able to engage in their customers' conversations
online.


Utilising Social Data for Insight and Actions
Overview
Following on from Social CRM, the same data collection used to engage with your audience
will be used even more in the coming years to help derive insight and intelligence that can
be actionable. Whether it’s feedback for product development or highlighting interests, the
data is there to align your output closer to your audiences needs.

Influences/Causes
• 41% of customers believe that
companies should use social media
tools to solicit feedback on products
and services (Cone Business in Social
Media Study, 2008)

• 36% of people expect brands to use
their social profile to target their
DoubleTree solicited feedback by using messaging with more relevance (Exact
promoted tweets to get people to fill out their Target – Meaning of Like Report)
customer survey.


Utilising Social Data for Insight and Actions

Takeaways
• Social data can inform business
decisions
• Brands need to understand their
customers
• Data captured from your
community is the best market
research available

Dell use social data across their product line
and action according to feedback. Product
improvements and price reductions have
been made based on the sentiment found.


THANK YOU

Telephone: +44 (0)844 991 7719
Web: www.testifydigital.com
Email: tom.mccann@testifydigital.com
How can we help?
Facebook: Facebook.com/testifydigital TESTIFYDIGITAL.COM
Twitter: @testifydigital

Digital Trends for 2013 by Testify Digital

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