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2024 Predictions & Trends in Marketing, HR, CX, and more
Plus: A 7-Minute Recap of 2023 | Brand Simplicity Really Pays | The 1% eCommerce Awards | And more...
Paul Campillo
January 4th, 2024
Happy New Year :)
Today, let’s take some time to look back—and look ahead to some big ideas that will impact the eCommerce and DTC world in 2024.
Table of Contents
Let’s get into it.
2024 Prediction: AI Becomes Your Colleague
It seems ridiculous to write that headline. And no, it’s not really a hot take. It’s based on what I read in Shopify and G2 reviews for Rep AI. It could be a canary, but it’s still hard to know for sure.
It’s just a matter of time…
But predictions are in, so why don’t I share one that may be a bit early but will probably be true by the end of 2024 (definitely by 2025)?
AI won’t just be your “co-pilot” or “assistant”—yes, it will be those things, too.
AI will become your trusted colleague.
Do you find that strange to think about? I do.
But then I read the following reviews. Here’s what stood out:
"Rep AI performs just like another member of the team. We can brand it according to the style of our store, and we can also train it on information we want it to provide."
"It's like having an extra team member who’s always ready to help out our customers 24/7."
“It has been a lifesaver for us by cutting down customer service time by more than 90%. Customers love being able to chat 24/7, and 93% of customers were happy with the replies received, and one of three customers who chatted went on to place an order.”
“Rep takes the manual work off our shoulders when it comes to support tickets - it can show our customers around the site, suggest products, collect leads, answer questions, provide special offers, track orders.”
“We have the ability to train the AI on information so it answers just the way we want it to.”
Extra team member. Cutting down customer service time by more than 90%. Takes the manual work off our shoulders. Training.
10 years ago, I would never have associated that language with an AI. But the one that gets me is “like having an extra team member.”
AI is a game-changing technology on the level of the printing press or the internet itself—there’s no doubt about that. In 5-10 years, AI will take its place among smartphones, refrigerators, and electricity as can’t-live-without-it technology.
And maybe in the next year or so, I predict, many of you will “hire” an AI to become an invaluable part of your team.
Onward.
The Latest
The Verge’s 2023 Review
Lots of great stuff in here, from art to tech to books to movies. If 2023 was a blur, take a moment to see what you missed.
A 7-Minute Recap of 2023
From Vox:
It was quite a year.
Brand Experience
Brand Simplicity Really Pays
KISS. Keep it simple, silly. Well, that’s my take on that acronym. And that’s what people want. In fact:
Simplicity creates trust
Complexity loses trust
It’s that simple. Because trust is profitable. Very profitable, according to Siegel+Gale’s 10th edition of their World’s Simplest Brands Report.
The World’s Simplest Brands
Siegel+Gale’s global director of business analytics and insights, Brian Rafferty says:
“The key thing about simplicity is that you need to promise something, make it clear, and you need to deliver on it. And it’s not a one-time thing. You need to keep doing it. Simplicity isn’t a process, it’s a journey.”
In 2024, let’s try to simplify customer journeys, shall we?
Marketing Experience
2024 SEO & Content Trends from Moz
From everything I’ve read, SGE or AI-generated search, is the ‘x’ factor in 2024. How it impacts the SEO landscape is anybody’s guess, but it will have impact.
Imagine. You’re searching for the latest trends in content marketing, and with AI, you receive the top 10 most curated trends from various sources. How will that impact content creators since searchers will now get their results in-chat versus from a traditional website?
AI generates content. But it will also evaluate your content.
That said, SGE is just one of many trends mentioned (multiple times) in Moz’s 2024 predictions for 2024. Some faves for me:
AI-generated content will create more distrust in content, so plenty of opportunity to stand out
Ranking for keywords won’t be enough — content excellence will be a thing (thanks AI)
Google’s E-E-A-T framework will reward more thought leadership and first-hand experience (sensing a theme here)
Instead of SGE, think about how Google’s algo, along with its advanced AI, will critique, reward, or punish your content (I can imagine a lot of AI on AI crime coming down the pike)
Unless AI prompts are topnotch or human editors are involved, content still runs the risk of having embarrassing errors, coming off as robotic, and being glaringly inauthentic.
Digital Marketing Trends 2024
Just 5 trends in this one from Neil Patel, but worth a look.
Will you create a podcast in 2024?
There’s some good data on the blue ocean of podcasting, which social networks produce the best ROAS, and a little more.
X, Pinterest, and Snap? Who knew?
User Experience
7 UX/UI Design Trends
Some interesting things here from Design Studio. They emphasize “individualized” personalization and that got my attention.
Put simply:
Personalized uses a general data set
Individualized uses a richer data set specific to that user
It took a while for most brands to personalize experiences, so the move to more individualized experiences will grant advantages to first movers.
Btw, the value of personalized experiences is well documented:
Google says websites and apps that offer personalized experiences generate more revenue.
Salesforce says over 75% of business-grade buyers expect their sellers to provide personalized experiences
But the deeper you go into “individualized” attention at scale, the stronger the interactions will be, and the more you separate your brand from the rest.
Top 1% E-Commerce UX Awards — 2023
It’s a thing…
From Baymard:
As 2023 comes to a close, at Baymard we’re awarding the companies with the top 1% UX performance across 18 industries, as well as the top 1% for theme and platform (e.g. top 1% checkout UX performance, top 1% mobile e-commerce UX performance, etc.).
Who made the list? Here’s a small sample:
If you want your UX to aspire to something greater, this is a great list to refer to.
Customer Experience
Martech Prediction: Better CX is in the way in 2024
Here’s Martech with their own prediction, emphasizing a stronger customer experience as an untapped advantage.
From the article:
In 2024, keys to customer success will include better personalization delivered at scale by ramped-up automation and generative AI. And better digital content will surface, if organizations put in place the necessary guardrails for generative AI to fuel the anticipated content surge.
Definitely a pattern in this newsletter, but you can’t hear or see it enough.
Employee Experience
2024 HR Predictions
From IT World Canada and their HR predictions based on trends. Some things to note here:
Gen AI increases workplace productivity, so expect more adoption
Enhance the Employee Experience with more values-based initiatives like productivity, creativity, sustainable and environmental practices
Remote work and talent acquisition: a strict RTO (return to office) policy will likely hurt your talent pool
More here:
9 Buzzwords that reshaped Workplace Culture in 2023
Just another ‘bare minimum Monday’
“Quiet quitting”
“Bare minimum Mondays”
“Lazy girl jobs”
If you’re a little slow on the lingo, here’s a little brush-up so you can keep up with Gen Z.
Data Experience
Data and AI Predictions: 2024
Finally, predictions around AI and data. First, Google will start phasing out 3rd party cookies, whether you’re ready or not.
So, start building better relationships today. Why? Because your potential customers are more willing to trade data for better value and personalized experiences.
From the article:
As third-party cookies disappear, marketers will continue to search for more engaging ways to connect with customers. The silver lining is that customers will share their data when there’s a clear value exchange and the interaction with the brand pays off for them. The key is that brands are transparent with users about this exchange.
Read more here:
Happy New Year!
Here’s to a more profitable and healthy year ahead.
Talk soon.
Paul
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