What We Learned in 2019: A Look Back

What to Take Into 2020 from 2019

2019 was a year of growth in technology, eCommerce shopping, and new ways of shopping. Taking a step back to review the year can give us an idea of what 2020 is going to bring.
From the predictable, like growth of cyber and mobile shopping, to the interesting, like vintage design and podcasts continuing to grow in popularity.

Mobile Spend is Up

The use of things like Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, and mobile spending grew immensely this year. Spending via mobile wallets was up 82% compared with 2018. The ease of use in store and acceptance online allowed for this growth, and we expect to see more in 2020 as mobile wallets grow in popularity, as we see the development of things like the Apple Card.
What does this mean for 2020? Allowing for options like mobile pay and Amazon Pay, Apple Pay gives more users the opportunity to make a purchase. 

Automated Emails are Growing 

This year we saw immense growth in automated and smart email sequences. These emails, sent out after someone subscribes or creates a trigger event, can streamline your marketing, and bring in new customers. By creating an efficient abandoned cart, welcome sequence, or post-purchase automated email workflow, you can build out customer groups and keep relationships warm. We’re expecting to see growth in technology, AI, and triggers for 2020. 

What's Old is New Again

This year, we saw a throwback in logo styles, 80s styles, and branding. In the middle of the year, Pizza Hut brought back his retro logo, last used in 1999. We also saw Burger King and Coke run throwbacks in collaboration with Netflix’s Stranger Things. The retro BK packaging and New Coke pulled on nostalgic heartstrings of people and grew the throwback style in popularity. For 2020, we plan on seeing a resurgence in retro styles again, with older brands tapping into the nostalgia of their old logos and branding, while newer brands can copy the style.

Podcast Popularity

After a dip in voice ads over the past decade, the growth in popularity of podcasts is increasing the amount of revenue we are seeing. One study found that 82.4% of people listen to podcasts for more than 7 hours each week, meaning those who listen are committed to their podcasts and it’s becoming a great medium for digital advertisers.

Google Bert Update

This year, Google search pushed another update, called BERT, in an effort to create better search results. The goal of the update, among many things, is so that Google can better understand search queries, with a deeper understanding of the context of words that include words with multiple meanings.
This means, users are hopefully finding their answers easier and building out their 

Social Commerce & Influencing is Working 

In 2019, Instagram introduced the ability to shop directly on the platform. Rather than linking to the website, users are able to shop right on the app and make a purchase. We also saw a lot of growth in the use of influencers and bloggers to sell products.
The loss of likes this year also took some focus off of the number of likes and shifted it more towards the number of conversions that influencers could get. Platforms like Later are predicting that micro-influencers will start to take over the market because they allow for a lower spend, but their smaller base allows for a higher conversion rate and more targeted marketing. 

Cyber is Sweet

According to Salesforce, global online sales on Black Friday were up 24%, adding up to about $40B, while Cyber Monday grew 13%, growth of about $30B. This year we saw growth in overall shopping for Black Friday, but especially in digital sales.

People like Amazon 

Again this year, Amazon grew in popularity- it accounted for 44% of all U.S. eCommerce sales. We also saw a growth in the number of product searches on Amazon, meaning that people go straight to Amazon to start looking for products.
What does that mean for your business in the coming year? Visibility on Amazon can help you grow, but it’s a tough game to play. Creating a solid channel marketing strategy can help you build out your business and visibility through Amazon, while not losing all of your profits. 

When we look back on 2019, we saw a lot of growth in the use of technology, new ways to market, and some exciting trends in design. As 2020 begins, we’re excited to see the different trends play out and the new changes we're going to see. Which ones are you going to take advantage of for the new year?