If you are anything like us you are beginning to wind down for the year, and think about the monumental changes we have seen in 2020.

While all aspects of life have been disrupted, we thought it would be interesting to go through some of the short and long term changes in the digital space that will be with us for the future. Most of these changes have been seen as inevitable for a long time, but there is no denying factors in 2020 have accelerated trends to where they are today.

It’s hard to believe that in the first 2 months of this year we saw actual physical events take place. A moment that really stuck with us was in April of 2019, when our marketing team went on a trip to the London Excel to visit a large digital-marketing event with guest speakers from LinkedIn & Facebook; 12 months later that same room had been transformed into a Nightingale hospital. What a difference a year can bring!

Thinking of how physical spaces have changed in the last 12 months really shows how much we are relying on the digital space for almost everything.

The New Online Boom

The move to digital platforms and e-commerce has affected every marketing department in the last 12 months. The explosion in e-commerce sales are on track to top out at an unbelievable 3.9 trillion dollars before 2020 ends.

Large retailers who have been reluctant to embrace e-commerce over the last few years, such as Primark, finally gave in and released a range of products that customers can shop online. Larger brands who have been at the forefront of digital trends, like Nike, hit their online sales target 3 year earlier than they anticipated.

One of the largest success stories in digital sales comes from Alibaba, which managed to achieve the world record for sales in a 11 day period - $74 Billion, which is up 26% year over year.

You are probably not surprised to hear who the biggest winner out of this was. Who else, but Amazon. While they have certainly felt heat from staff over safety concerns during the pandemic, and rightly so, nothing came in the way for them gaining a staggering 38% year on year rise in sales for a total of $48.35 Billion in sales over 12 months.

These sales are not just happening for certain brands, this is a trend that is being seen across all sectors. Of course there are many factors involved in this. If you are based in the UK like us, you know that we have been in and out of lockdowns, or certain restrictions have limited how businesses can operate.

With retail closed, consumers have turned to e-commerce

The Rise of Virtual

Just as publishers moved events online, brands have had to get creative on how they create meaningful online experiences for customers.

While I sure you are aware how brands have used Live platforms through Facebook and Instagram to stay in touch with customers, these have had mixed results. The best campaigns are the ones where people really embrace a brands identity, and vision in a detail space.

While we can’t share many details at the moment, in early 2021 our client RUKA HAIR will be launching an online space for customers to shop their incredible product. Check out a preview below and come back next year to see more!

Virtual branding is even present in unlikely places, while you might be used to seeing brands advertise traditionally through social platforms, some companies are going the extra mile. While we won’t get to deep into the reasons, TikTok is currently (potentially) up for sale in the US and it looks like Walmart (former owner of ASDA) is looking to co-own the social network. While this certainly isn’t the first time an acquisition of the scale has gone through, it does have some interesting ramifications. Walmart owning Tiktok is a strategic move to grow its appeal to a new generation. Traditionally positioning itself to families, or people on a budget, Walmart owning TikTok allows for deep brand integration through not only e-commerce, but digital marketing campaigns that can seen by millions of young people each day.

Here to Stay?

Like anything, it’s hard to break a habit. The habits consumers have learnt this year are not going to go away in a few months. Even if 2021 has a better outcome for brick and mortar stores, its unlikely that high street spending will go back to what it was. Many businesses have unfortunately closed, and those left have put a lot of time and energy meeting the needs of their customers where they are in 2020.

If you own a brand and haven’t created a plan to build your business online through strategic marketing campaigns, and sophisticated e-commerce distribution, get in touch with a member of the team today.