Marketing Trends Tipped For 2014

Each year is a new beginning that brings new challenges and experiences to all aspects of business, and it’s natural to see various reports from various experts on the trends to evolve over the next 12 months. The Guardian has made a list of its own predictions for the 2014 marketing landscape, in an article that outlines the developments that industry professionals must watch out for throughout the year. Here are some of the trends forecast to guide marketers in 2014.

2014 is going to be an interesting year for mobile, as the technology will penetrate even more into the world of retail. According to figures from eMarketer, smartphones and tablets were responsible for 18% of UK e-commerce sales in 2013, with revenues more than doubling to £8.2 billion. This year, m-commerce is forecast to rise by 53.3%, exceeding the growth of retail e-commerce threefold.

Mobile’s potential won’t go unnoticed by advertisers, who are expected to almost double their mobile budgets to £2.26 billion this year.

The unprecedented adoption of mobile devices will also trigger an increase in mobile traffic. This will not only exceed that of desktops, but will also make smartphones and tablets consumers’ mainstream gadgets, as they will allow them to perform more tasks on the web anytime and anywhere. This must suggest to marketers that the always-on consumer is arriving.

Marketers can also make use of content creation to spur consumer engagement, since this will also be among the opportunities offering solid growth potential this year. The most cost-effective ways for content creation will be embracing native advertising or partnerships with renowned publishers.

Another strong trend that will take off in 2014 will be that of “visual sharing,” which will see the marriage of the three most popular formats of 2013: mobile, social and video. Video is tipped to become the top tool for consumers wishing to share experiences, and will also be a primary tactic for brands seeking to capitalise on the success of Twitter’s platform Vine and the launch of video on Facebook owned Instagram.