Social media is and remains a channel that is growing enormously. For example, by the end of 2021, more than 3 billion people will be active on one or more social media channels. This is almost half of the entire world population. The current situation in which we live reinforces the importance of social media. In this way, it contributes to the opportunities to have contact with each other, but also with companies. The shift to a largely digital life has a lot of influence on the e-commerce world.
In order to optimally reach your target group, especially at this time, it is important to keep up with the social media trends that are important. In this blog, we share the 5 most important social trends of 2021 with you.
Online shopping has accelerated due to the current crisis. We are forced to shop online en masse and this trend will continue for a while. With new functionalities such as Social Shopping, social platforms are cleverly responding to this. Developments in this area are moving rapidly and the focus of social media has moved from pure entertainment to commerce in recent years, with countless advertising and online shopping options. Because the focus is increasingly on advertising, an even larger group of (potential) online shoppers is being reached.
What will make online social shopping even more attractive for consumers are the so-called “shoppable ads”. These ads make it possible to make a purchase and pay within the platform, without leading the user to the relevant webshop. For example, the purchase process is limited to 1 platform, which shortens the customer journey. In this way, inspiration and activation go hand in hand and creativity and commerce come together.
In the social world, algorithms change continuously, depending on users' activities. By staying at home more now, we have more time left, so we have more time to spend on social media. In addition, it is less easy to visit a physical store, so we shop online more and more often. The times at which we are now online have also changed. Algorithms adapt to this, which can cause ad performance to fluctuate significantly. Apple's new iOS update also involves changes to the algorithm. Inside us dedicated blog about the consequences of this update for advertisers, we will further explain its impact.
Influencer marketing has been a hot topic. We see that there is a shift from macro influencers to a more specific group with fewer followers, namely micro and nano influencers. Because we're more online than ever, this is a trend that will evolve even more in 2021.
When you, as an advertiser, decide to collaborate with an influencer, it is important to look at the proven reach and engagement statistics. With a precise selection of influencers who focus on a niche target group, this collaboration will lead to greater success than if you bet on macro influencers. Influencers can work performance-based, which makes it even more attractive to work together. Because of the check-out functionality on social media, a product or service can be purchased directly via the influencer's post. The contribution is calculated on a last click basis, which makes measuring performance and the added value of this form of advertising very transparent.
There are more and more opportunities to communicate directly with customers during the purchase process. For example, messaging apps have been developed that can easily recommend products that meet the wishes and needs of individual consumers. In addition, you can immediately send photos of the product that the customer is considering buying or transfer the conversation from the chatbot to a company employee, for example when specific questions are asked.
Such functionalities reduce the waiting time for additional information and make it possible, as an advertiser, to be closely involved in the purchase process. In addition, chatbots also ensure that you can switch directly and quickly with your customers. Larger retailers in particular are already making intensive use of chatbots on their web shop or within Whatsapp, for example. Read here also our blog about Whatsapp for Business.
Quality prevails over quantity, even on social media. This trend has been around for some time and will continue to develop in 2021. The expectations of social media content among users keep changing. The focus is now also moving from product- or supply-oriented to purpose and valuable content. That's why it's no longer just about pushing products, but more about how to transfer products. This makes engagement more important than ever before.
Yellowgrape helps customers use social media advertising in a smarter way. Would you like to discuss how we can help you be successfully visible on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest? Then take contact with us.
