In today’s Tech News Tuesday episode we’re talking about some research from Google on consumer behavior trends during COVID that are likely to have lasting impact on your marketing strategy. Some of these trends are the shopping experience itself, the awareness of the value of our local communities, the change in our values, and how we have changed as marketers over this past year. Have a listen!
Links in this episode:
4 COVID-era trends that will have a lasting impact on the products and experiences people want
Children interrupt BBC News interview – BBC News
Transcript
Welcome to the Get Digital Marketing Results podcast where we give you information and actionable tips to grow your organization.
Bob: Hi, I’m Bob Clark.
Donna: And I’m Donna Botti. We’re with Delos Inc and we make the web work for you. In today’s Tech News Tuesday episode we’re looking at some research from Google on consumer behavior trends during COVID that are likely to have lasting impact on your marketing strategy.
Bob: That’s right Donna. As we think about getting back to normal, let’s not forget about what a radical change the past year has been in our personal and work lives. This has prompted a shift in consumer behavior and businesses have had to pivot also. But can business return to the way of doing things in the “before times”?
Donna: Probably not. Some of these changes will have a lasting impact and Google has identified four of these trends that give consumers and B2B customers a better experience and relationship with businesses, so there’s something to pay attention to.
Bob: Yes and the first one is the shopping experience itself. E-Commerce grew 44% over the past year accelerating an existing trend. Hybrid experiences, where you order online and do curbside pickup, or contactless payments, video meetings, and watching a video about a product then buying in store, are a few examples of how things have changed.
Donna: Some of this has actually been so convenient. I know I want the option of curbside pickup and video meetings to continue at least some of the time. The second trend is awareness of the value of our local communities. With travel restrictions and distancing, “near me” searches are at a record high and searches for “support local businesses” grew an astounding 20,000%. So the continuation of this trend is great for our local businesses.
Bob: The third trend is a change in our values during this past year. We’ve had to look at family, health, and what’s really important a little differently. As part of this, I know a lot of people have been decluttering their spaces, and Google reported that searches including “minimalist” doubled last year. People are looking to buy products that have value and align with their values.
Donna: And the fourth trend has to do with marketers themselves. As marketers also experience this change in their own lives it’s really changed how brands are advertising to us. We can’t really turn back time now that we’ve interacted with our colleagues and know their dogs, cats, and children and the space they live in on a much deeper level. This has been a collective experience and it has also helped businesses get to know their customers better.
You know, it’s been 4 years since the BBC Dad video. Remember the expert being interviewed on BBC about international politics when his children walked in? Well today, that’s all of our lives.
Bob: That’s it for today’s episode. You can find a link to the Google article and a link to that BBC hysterical video, if you forgot what that’s all about, and a transcript of today’s podcast, at DelosInc.com/177.
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