Shoppable Videos
Major social media platforms now support the ability for users to create shoppable videos, wherein users can click on a product and make instant purchases without leaving the site. As opposed to adding product links and purchasing instructions in the video description, shoppable video content has made it easier for customers to shop and for content marketers to get more conversions.
Headless Ecommerce Platforms
Headless ecommerce platforms refer to online stores where the front-end (customer-facing interface) and back-end (technical) systems are decoupled. This means that the ecommerce manager can update either without having to worry about the other. You can deploy only the components you need and give you flexibility when it comes to the development and optimization of your ecommerce store. This is one of the biggest content trends in ecommerce this year with examples of such platforms including Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento.
Virtual Shopping Experiences
VR (virtual reality) retailing has been going on for some time and we expect to see more innovative virtual shopping experiences offered by brands in 2023. VR experiences can take many interactive forms and there is virtually no limit to what brands can do to reach audiences in the metaverse. We have seen a lot of brands set up virtual online stores, virtual fitting rooms, and several other virtual experiences that are truly immersive and highly successful in growing brand awareness and engaging an audience.
Branded Deal Sites
Content publishers use the idea of branded deal sites to offer coupons and discount information directly to an audience. As opposed to traditional coupon and deal sites, affiliate marketers have the potential to scale bigger and faster with deals-focused messages to customers who are already following their channels.
Performance Podcast Advertising
Podcast advertising increased in popularity among direct marketers this year. Podcasters with focused expertise and established audiences tend to be more receptive to higher CPAs. More podcasters will likely want to join the trend, which would only translate to more affiliate links within podcasts. One major challenge would be the effective measurement of sales and traffic delivered through podcasts. Brands willing to venture into launching CPM ads can capitalize on programmatic placements from mainstream and niche casters looking to monetize their content.
Embedded Ecommerce Stores
The ability to integrate virtual catalogs and ecommerce stores into your content saves website visitors a few steps throughout the customer journey. Embedded ecommerce stores make it easier to convert traffic because it allows website visitors to explore the details of any product and make a transaction without having to leave a website. Embedded ecommerce platforms will definitely become more of a staple in content marketing in the coming months. It’s also very convenient how these platforms are compatible with content CMS systems and social sites.
OEM Advertising
OEM advertising is common in the mobile industry, driving app installs and trials with OEM ads. These ads are placed within hardware maintenance updates, appearing as “recommended apps or games” and acting as intermediaries between brands and manufacturers. OEM ads make it possible for manufacturers to reduce pricing on their devices to make them more accessible to many. But more brands have recently been leveraging OEM advertising to directly drive ecommerce sales, as well as their mobile apps.
