Emerging Digital Marketing Technologies

2019 is shaping up to be one of the hottest years on record for Digital Marketing. With the rise and integration of new marketing paradigms, such as AR/VR and Voice Search Marketing; it is crucial for marketers to gain a better understanding of how these technologies work. In the past few years, companies have started experimenting and integrating new technologies into their digital workflow. In 2019, we at Innovade believe it is going to be a landmark year for many of these digital marketing trends to continue to evolve.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

While Augmented and Virtual Reality are certainly not new technologies, an increased emphasis is being put on both small and large enterprises looking to use them for new marketing channels. Both AR and VR have opened up a wide array of new ways to attract and convert potential customers. In traditional marketing, the common approach is essentially speaking to the customer and trying to entice them to buy or use their product. In AR and VR, the rise of experiential marketing has led to an increased emphasis on providing interactive and immersive experiences for the end user.

With a VR headset, consumers can do things such as visit a virtual storefront to view a product prior to buying it. You could go on a virtual tour of a house that is on the market from the comfort of your own home. When it comes to marketing for entertainment, VR has proven to be a powerhouse for documentary-style content and virtual fundraising. Non-Profits are able to use VR-based apps to showcase different communities that they are working to improve. For instance, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one current example of a Non-Profit utilizing VR to do this for villages in Africa.

Both VR and AR are dominant in this new marketing space in their own unique ways. While VR tends to be more focused on documentaries, gaming, and entertainment; AR is taking a different approach for marketing to end users. Augmented Reality is blazing a trail into the future, specifically in the world of E-commerce, by bringing interactive new experiences to users that allows personalization before purchase,

For instance, the company Ray-Ban recently created an AR app that allows customers to try on different styles of sunglasses, allowing people to see what they would look like before purchasing. Another use for AR is in the 360 degree showcasing of products such as paintings and sculptures that can be previewed on counter tops or walls to see if they would look good for your decor. The ability to do this is huge for E-commerce and opens up a world of new opportunities to market to customers without being overly invasive.

AI and Voice Assistants

While AR and VR continue to make headway in their respective markets, the rise of AI and voice-driven marketing mediums through “Smart” speakers and mobile devices is crucial for marketers to get involved with. Studies have shown that by the year 2020, almost half of all searches made will be done through the use of a voice Assistant such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana or Google Home. That is a huge share of the market that simply can’t be ignored for digital marketers. Voice assistants have enabled consumers to find things faster and more effectively by utilizing their voice at any moment rather than having to go on a computer or mobile phone to order something.

For example, users of voice assistants such as Alexa can save certain phrases for re-use with Alexa skills. Domino’s is one of the first brands to utilize voice assistants to help save search queries and make it easier to re-order your favorite pizza. By simply saying, “Alexa, order my usual order from Domino’s,” users of the application can quickly get their order sent out by Alexa, prepared and delivered with one easy phrase.

Compare this to the time needed to go online, enter in your order and credit card information, and then get the pizza delivered. With voice, we can easily re-order our favorite items. Without it, we have to go through the lengthy process of going to the website and manually inputting our order, or calling the place with a phone! While this process adds seconds or minutes to the whole transaction, using voice and AI assistance continues to improve convenience and accessibility by utilizing your voice. Additionally, voice assistants, by utilizing AI and Machine Learning, are able to cater themselves to your individual voice over time. Based on the context of what you are asking and the voice the AI is hearing, voice assistants can suggest to you the best solutions for whatever your need is.

Embracing the Future of Marketing

As this year comes to a close, we are entering into a new marketing sphere that will be AI-driven, voice-enabled and allow for personalized interactions and experiences with AR and VR. As Digital Marketers, we simply can’t afford to ignore this new way of doing things. It is pivotal to have a strategy in place for how we as marketers can understand and benefit from these new and promising technologies for our customers and their brands.

Piece Contributed By Brian Glassanos