The digital world is constantly evolving, but some trends are here to stay. Discover the 8 key trends of 2022 you shouldnât miss to get your 2023 local marketing strategy ready. Boost your storesâ online visibility and drive more traffic, both online and offline! đ
- Consumers are looking for inspiration online.
- Shopping is local.Â
- Shopping is increasingly omnichannel.Â
- Les consommateurs sont en recherche de valeur ajoutée
- Social commerce is here to stay.
- Short videos are trending.
- Micro-influencers: a marketing strategy worth investing in.
- Position zero: the holy grail of local SEO.
4 consumer trends 2022
1. Consumers are looking for inspiration online.
According to a recent Google study, more than 48% of consumers worldwide say they look for inspiration online when shopping. This trend is confirmed at the time of purchase: 91% of consumers search online before going to a store (Ifop, 2020).
Our advice: Increase your establishmentsâ online visibility by creating local pages on key platforms (Google, Facebook/Instagram, Store locator, etc.). Develop a local content strategy tailored to the news and events of your various points of sale to attract customers in-store.
2. Shopping is local.
Searches for âopen now near meâ queries have surged by more than +400% year over year worldwide.
These figures reflect an increasingly strong trend of checking online before going out, showing that when searching for stores, consumers are increasingly looking for immediate solutions. For example, in the early evening, a person is more likely to search on Google (Maps) for nearby restaurants that are open.
Our advice: Invest in the natural referencing (SEO) of your stores on different GPS tools (Google Maps, Apple Maps, Bing Maps, Waze, etc.).
3. Shopping is increasingly omnichannel
Who today uses only one source of information? Beyond traditional channels (TV, radio, pressâŠ), brands are now connecting with consumers through multiple digital channels:
- Site web
- RĂ©seaux sociaux (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, PinterestâŠ)
- Moteurs de recherche (Google, BingâŠ)
- Plateformes e-commerce (Amazon, BolâŠ)
- Apps
- Newsletters et emailing
- âŠ
Marketing strategies (online and offline) should be designed as a seamless experience across these different channels and, above all, be adapted: each platform and medium has its own codes â communication must differ depending on the audienceâs age and the supported formats.
Our advice: Take the time to design omnichannel communication strategies while ensuring your brand image is respected at the local level.
4. Consumers are looking for added value
In a climate of economic uncertainty with post-COVID inflation, consumers are seeking added value â both in terms of company values (positioning, inclusivity, environmental commitment, etc.) and, above all, in terms of direct value for themselves: offers and promotions.
According to a study on French consumption trends, 52% of consumers report stagnant non-food budgets, and 22% plan to reduce their non-food spending. (Source: Into the Minds, 2022)
Our advice: amplify the promotions and special offers of your stores across various channels (Facebook, Google, newsletters, etc.).
Social networks and Google
5. Social commerce is here to stay.
First of all, what is social commerce?
Social commerce means promoting and selling products and services through social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
According to an eMarketer study on the number of consumers who have purchased online through social media, there has been an annual increase of +10%.
Why?
Social commerce enables a âfrictionlessâ shopping experience: on a social network, a consumer sees a product theyâre interested in, clicks on it, gets redirected to a merchant site, and if they wish, completes the purchase and receives the delivery (if all goes well and there are no bugs!).
Example of social commerceÂ
Instagram Shopping: allows you to tag products in post images, videos/reels, and stories.
Facebook Shops: a new interface that allows users to discover brands and purchase their products directly within the Facebook app.
6. Short videos are trending.
Do you know the average attention span of a person?
According to recent studies, it is gradually decreasing and has recently reached an average of 8 seconds. This, among other factors, explains the success of platforms offering short video formats, such as TikTok or Instagram.
Instagram has nearly 1.4 billion users worldwide, while TikTok follows closely with 1.02 billion. This makes them extremely popular platforms centered around short videos (or Reels on Instagram).
TikTok offers formats ranging from 3 to 60 seconds (within the app) and has recently introduced âlongâ formats from 3 to 10 minutes. Instagram offers a Reels format of up to 90 seconds, as well as videos ranging from 3 seconds to 10 minutes.
Why use these formats?
These formats (both on TikTok and Instagram) allow for an organic reach that can be exponential, depending on user interactions (number of views, clicks, likes, comments, shares, etc.).
Moreover, these platforms automatically display in the feed content similar to what the user likes. This means that videos are shown to an already qualified audience, interested in similar topics, and therefore more likely to engage with them.
Videos under 15 seconds already account for 45% of the videos posted in the feed.
Guillaume Thévenin, Head of Creator Partnerships at Instagram for Southern Europe, via France Inter.
7. Micro-influencers: a marketing strategy worth investing in.
Micro-influencers (this includes influencers with an audience between 1,000 and 100,000 people, depending on the sector) generally have a (much) higher engagement rate than influencers with larger audiences. Weâre talking about an audience engagement rate that can reach up to 20% (thatâs huge!).
Why do micro-influencers have such high engagement rates? Itâs very simple:
Their audience is smaller and therefore more targeted around a specific interest or niche.
They find it easier to maintain a connection (messages, comments, etc.) with their followers.
They appear more authentic and therefore inspire greater trust.
Moreover, a campaign or product placement will be less expensive with a micro-influencer. This allows companies with smaller budgets to diversify their digital acquisition strategies.Â
8. Position zero: the holy grail of local SEO.
What is position zero?
Position Zero refers, in Google search results, to any information displayed above the first organic (SEO) result or âblue links,â excluding Adwords links.
đ Definitions SEO, 2018
In short, itâs the immediate answer provided by Google to the userâs search terms. The goal is to directly offer the user an answer through knowledge graphs, featured snippets (optimized excerpts from web pages), and structured data.
In the case of physical stores, one of the best ways to achieve this is by having complete Google Business profiles (description, services, hours, products, etc.), keeping them up to date, and responding to reviews to encourage users to click (and potentially visit in person).
Why take these actions?
Because Google takes them into account during indirect searches (searches for products or services without mentioning a brand) and highlights product descriptions as well as customer reviews (and responses).
Conclusion
The 2022 consumer and social media trends (and 2023 predictions) focus on consumer habits: most internet users look for inspiration online before making a purchase, use their smartphones to search for stores or products, seek added value (actions and sustainability), and rely on multiple channels (social media, search engines, GPS, TV, radio, etc.).
Preparing your 2023 local marketing strategy requires an omnichannel approach, coordinated between national and local levels, to highlight these trends and drive both online and offline traffic.
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