The 2021 marketing trends you need to know

2020 is almost over, meaning it’s time to look ahead and plan our 2021 marketing strategies. This past year has been one dominated by digital transformation, but what will the next 12 months hold?

Of course, we can’t predict the future but using our collective knowledge as well as some reliable sources we present to you, the marketing trends that will most likely take centre stage in the New Year.

Brexit will influence consumer buying behaviours

We can’t avoid the EU shaped elephant in the room. On the 1^st January 2021, the United Kingdom will formally leave the European Union.

Whether a deal is reached or not, the transition is going to significantly impact businesses over the coming years, and no more so in the first quarter of 2021, as we all adjust to the new trade relationship.

With potential price rises on European products, more consumers could begin to ‘shop local’ – increasing demand on British goods and services.

If your business relies on the export and import of supplies with Europe, you will need to focus your marketing on other areas of the 4Ps, as it’s likely that price may no longer be competitive factor against cheaper, UK-based products.  

Ecommerce will continue its rapid growth

So, this could be quite an obvious marketing trend for 2021 for many, but it is also one of the most important.

Due to Covid-19 and lockdowns, more consumers flocked online to purchase their goods which gave ecommerce platforms a massive boost. With social media such as Instagram jumping on the wagon with their own ecommerce platform to help their small business Instagrammers sell through their page.

 Amazon recently announced that their small and medium businesses saw an increase in sales on Black Friday by 60% compared to last year. This shows that ecommerce is certainly on the rise.

2021 is sure to be another year of consumers purchasing online. With the latest news that YouTube are joining the ecommerce train as well this could make selling for SMEs that much simpler and easier to access.

 If you need some advice on how to market your ecommerce platform we wrote a useful post on this recently.  

Digital marketing becomes a necessity

Following in the wake of the rise of ecommerce, it is natural that digital marketing has become just as popular if not more so than ecommerce this year.

With more people staying at home, the concept of marketing in such places as shopping centres and billboards became ineffective and so more marketers took to social media, Google, and the internet in general.

 If you haven’t already got a digital marketing plan, 2021 will be the time to set your digital transformation.

There are so many reasons to opt for digital over traditional marketing from the ability to interact with your consumers to easier to measure results through analytics tool. This year will be an important time to make sure you have a solid digital marketing plan.

Influencer marketing will become more important to companies

Influencer marketing was once a side note, something you added on to help boost the numbers and engagement rate. 

The lockdowns and Covid-19 also meant that more people rushed to social media for their interactions and latest news. According to Tech Crunch the number of 18-34 year olds accessing social media increased by over 40% this year. This has also meant a big increase in influencers and their effectiveness.

More screen time has meant more exposure and some great success stories for influencers around the world. One such example is Vodafone who were due to host roadshows in 5 different cities to promote 5G.

However, Covid-19 hit made this impossible, so they turned to several well known influencers who had a large following. There were virtual games and content all sponsored by Vodafone which led to a 3.2 million user reach and 1.5 million story views.

This shows how successful influence marketing campaigns can be and is something that is sure to be taken up more in 2021.

Brands who support racial, ethical, and environmental causes will reap the benefits

When Black Lives Matter appeared, big names such as Nike, Reebok and Netflix took a stand to support this movement. But they aren’t the only ones who have shown their ethical side this year.

Ben and Jerry’s collaborated with the Climate Council and created an “unfudge our future” campaign whereby their product range was used to urge Australian government to stop using fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy sources.

Companies supporting ethical issues whether it is creating posts in support of these or even donating or collaborating with ethical causes will continue to flourish in 2021 and beyond. This is because consumers, especially Gen-Z’ers are more likely to shop with companies who support ethical causes.

With 2021 just round the corner there is plenty to think about and prepare for and these trends are likely to be crucial to many companies’ success in the New Year.

If you are looking for more marketing trends for 2021 or if you need some help and advice on how to plan your strategy around these we can help. We have a wide team of experts ready to help you with all your marketing needs, from website building and SEO to social media and strategizing.

Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you succeed in 2021 and beyond.