PREDICTION
Mobile payments will skyrocket
With the development of Apply Pay and the reliance on cell phones, mobile payments will have a steep increase this year.In 2015, nearly 15% of Starbucks customers already began paying for their daily latte fix with their mobile devices. As a whole, nearly 60% of consumers use their smartphone to pay in order to receive some sort of reward or benefit from the business. Furthermore, mobile technology continues to become more and more affordable, as demonstrated at Apple’s latest conference with its line of iPhones. As prices continue to drop, smartphones will replace older phones — eliminating limited payment functionality.
CONCLUSION
As mobile technology becomes more affordable, mobile payments will continue to penetrate the market.
So start looking into different platforms and hardware that your business can invest in to accept mobile payments.
PREDICTION
Search will expand beyond search engines
Search is moving beyond Google, Bing and Yahoo and onto social networks where search capabilities are expanding. Pinterest jumped into the search engine game, expanding its search algorithm and incorporating ‘guided searches’. Pinterest isn’t the only one in the search game either. Facebook is already working on tests for its own search engine and Twitter is, once again, being indexed by Google so that public tweets are seen on both the micro-blogging network and the wider Internet.
Small businesses that have been monitoring and building up the amount of positive customer reviews on social media sites, such as Facebook, will be pleased to hear one of the side effects of a search engine is that business’s reviews are about to get a lot more attention because they will show up in searches.
CONCLUSION
Expanded search means that your business needs to invest in expanding your listings and start monitoring social media more closely.
Not only should your local businesses claim a social profile on every popular network (Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yelp and LinkedIn), but you also need to be able to respond to what may be said about it online.
PREDICTION
Video will get the most views
Video has been a part of many online marketing strategies for years, but 2016 will make video the center of attention.From 2013-2015 there was a 360% increase in video views. Facebook jumped on the video bandwagon and began hosting videos to keep more users on their network (instead of sending them to YouTube).
CONCLUSION
Your local business can leverage video in 2016 too. Share (and host when available) videos in order to attract more views to your content and your business.Video is an incredibly versatile medium from showcasing a product to sharing behind the scenes. Look at your business and start creating videos to drive up your customer engagement.
PREDICTION
Webrooming will become as important as showrooming
Consumers want to know exactly what they will be buying before they make a purchase and consult 10+ sources before they acquire something.
Now these savvy-shoppers can use the web if they want to see how a product or service will fit in their lifestyle before they head to the store to make a purchase. By showcasing your product or service, or “webrooming”, you can help a consumer imagine how your product/service fits into their lifestyle.
Ikea on instagram
Ikea does a remarkable job of marketing their products to many generations, from millennials who prefer webrooming, to baby boomers who are used to showrooms and window shopping.
CONCLUSION
Pick up a few of Ikeas’ out-of-the-box marketing strategies to expand your offline experience with your online one.