The summer months are often associated with time off work to relax and rejuvenate in the sunshine. However, for marketers these are crucial months to prepare for one of the busiest — and, arguably, the most profitable — times of the year: the festive season.
With people starting their holiday shopping earlier each year, marketers need to act now to drive measurable impact with their end-of-year campaigns. That’s why we’ve created this essential summer reading list to set you up for success. It’s filled with our favourite long-form reads of 2022 so far — and we’ve teased some insights from each of the reports to give you a flavour of what to expect when you click through.
What matters to your customers right now
The war in Ukraine and rising inflation are creating fresh concerns and uncertainties for those living in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Yet, at the same time, people in many countries want to go out and have fun after more than two years of pandemic-related restrictions.
Here’s a snapshot of how this duality of emotions is shaping consumer behaviours:
- New priorities: People have taken stock of what truly matters to them and they are reordering their priorities. For example, they’re putting their health and wellbeing first.
- Fast-changing demand: Consumer demand is fluctuating as people are breaking out of their stay-at-home comfort zones and embracing new experiences.
- Value matters: Customers increasingly expect brands to help them in times of financial uncertainty and provide real value.
What you need to know about shoppers’ needs
People are shopping in ways never before imagined as they piece together the online and in-store shopping experience to best meet their needs. This in-depth retail guide helps you meet your customers where they prefer to shop — and puts them at the centre of your marketing and customer experience.
Some of the key findings:
- Shopping starts with inspiration: 48% of consumers around the world say they get inspiration for purchases when they are online.
- Shopping is local: Searches for “open now near me” have grown globally by over 400% year-over-year.
- Shopping is omnichannel: Today’s customers are living in a channel-less world. They expect to be able to shop wherever meets their needs, whether that’s on your site, through your app, or directly within an ad experience.
How you can meet consumers’ privacy expectations
New research from Boston Consulting Group and Google shows that customers and marketers are more concerned about privacy than ever before.
Here are three important elements when investing in privacy:
- Be transparent: Build customer trust by being clear and transparent about how you collect and use people's data. Focus on keeping that information safe and overcommunicate with customers about how exactly their information is being handled.
- Use first-party data to create value: Offer people benefits in exchange for sharing their data. For example, give them special discounts or deliver entertaining email newsletters to their inboxes.
- Build a data-centric organisation: Invest in long-term success by prioritising durable tech solutions and measurement to make sure privacy is built from the ground up, with agility to respond to evolving regulatory and industry practices.
Whether you're spending the summer months on a tropical beach in the sunshine or in an air-conditioned office, we hope these long reads inspire you to start planning your festive season and end-of-year campaigns now. That way you can engage your customers from the moment they start browsing online for shopping inspiration right through to when they’re ready to make a purchase.
