These are the 5 trends that will dictate digital experience in 2022

1. Digital transformation has raised consumer expectations for digital experiences. Can you rise to the occasion?

Consider this: In a McKinsey survey, consumers reported that they were three times more likely now than before the pandemic to say that at least 80% of their customer interactions are digital in nature.

Heading into 2022, keeping up with the increasingly digital landscape and raised digital experience (DX) expectations will be the key to business success. Marketers should stay agile and lean into new technology, or risk ostracizing customers. Teams that react will reap the benefits, while those who do will be left behind.

2. Inflation is hanging around; it’s time for businesses to update their data.

Due to factors like bottlenecked supply chains and energy shortages, inflation has crept up throughout 2021. From the start, central bankers have insisted that it’s only temporary -- but as of now, we’re still waiting for that prediction to hold true.

What do rising prices mean for marketers? It’s important to re-connect with your product team to research optimal prices since they have likely shifted. Teams should also be prepared to re-manage any ecommerce data to make sure all insights are up to date.

3. With perks like quicker transactions and lower fees, blockchain payments will only get more popular.

Depending on your business, you might need to consider restructuring your payment solutions to offer crypto.

According to Deloitte, more companies are finding that important clients and vendors want to engage by using crypto. Integrating blockchain — the technology behind bitcoin — payments may provide access to new demographic groups, including a more cutting-edge clientele that values transparency in their transactions. And particularly for B2B businesses, blockchain can help speed up payments by 96% and lower fees by 75%.

Currently around 2,300 U.S. businesses accept bitcoin and about 13 major national companies accept bitcoin payments, including Microsoft, AT&T, Overstock, and Wikipedia. With crypto’s growing popularity, it’s time to examine if blockchain payments make sense for your business in 2022.

4. Individualized support is key to a thriving, appealing workplace.

The pandemic has forced the business world to shift to remote settings, and that trend doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. At the same time, many industries are facing talent shortages.

A large part of what makes a company attractive for today’s workforce is staying in tune with the employee experience to make sure everyone feels supported.

Let’s consider marketers. Many have felt strained throughout the past few years by trying to keep up with consumers’ ever-changing needs, all while using tools that were not built with a hybrid workforce in mind. To keep employees happy and also stand out to talent, companies can implement digital solutions built specifically for hybrid marketing teams, such as tech solutions that offer virtual collaboration features like sharable performance tracking for A/B testing to market.

5. Automation will be the backbone of personalized digital marketing.

According to McKinsey, 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when that doesn’t happen. Not to mention, companies that grow faster drive 40% more of their revenue from personalization than their slower-growing counterparts.

It’s clear that personalization drives customer outcomes, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to accomplish. Based on the Optimizely Global Data Study (LINK), 71% of business executives say they cannot easily gather gradual insights into what is driving customer experiences, and 69% say they do not have a full view of the customer journey.

One easy fix? Implementing automation solutions. Automation is being embraced across many industries, and marketing is no exception. By leveraging automated machine learning targeting and 1st or 3rd party data, marketers can personalize content while avoiding the typical trials and tribulations that come along with the old-school process.

The bottom line: adapt or get left behind.

As companies move into 2022, it is crucial to keep these trends in mind. Staying competitive in today’s digital landscape means staying alert and agile to the needs and expectations of not only your customers, but also your marketers.