RetailMeNot: Ten retail marketing trends for 2019
Retail marketers’ approach to younger shoppers may differ from conventional wisdom in 2019.
This one of the key takeaways from the “2019 Retailer Playbook” from online discount site RetailMeNot. The playbook assembles the top 10 trends that will define retail marketing in 2019, based on a survey of 200 retailer marketers and more than 5,000 consumers.
The trends are:
1. Consumer marketers are not interested in Gen Z yet. Only 5% of retailers will focus on Gen Z shoppers in 2019.
2. Taking a stand is worth the risk for retailers. Eighty-seven percent of retailers say taking a stand on social issues is worth the risk, with 83% saying failure to take a stand can negatively affect their bottom line.
3. Offers and discounts top the list of growth strategies. Providing offers and discounts exclusive for mobile app users is the number one tactic retail marketers plan to implement in 2019 to positively affect sales growth.
4. Retailers will be bullish on laying voice shopping groundwork. Only 16% of Americans have made a purchase via smart speaker, but 96% of retailers are investing in technology to enable shopping through smart speakers.
5. Selection and free shipping drive consumer purchases on Amazon. Two-thirds (66%) of respondents choose to shop on Amazon due to superior selection, while 63% say Amazon offer free shipping more and 58% cite Amazon’s prices.
6. Try-before-you-buy will replace BOPIS. More than six in 10 (63%) retailers believe try-before-you-buy will become more popular than buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) among consumers in the next two years. Fifty percent of retailers have a budget dedicated specifically to try-before-you-buy initiatives.
7. Mobile is biggest investment priority for retailers. The percentage of retailers planning to increase marketing investments in non-mobile (digital) fell to 37% in 2019 from 72% in 2019, while those planning to increase investments in offline marketing fell to 36% in 2019 from 58% in 2019. Meanwhile, the percentage of retailers planning to increase marketing investments in mobile slightly fell to 88% in 2019 from 92% in 2017, and plans to increase social marketing investments fell to 81% in 2019 from 89% in 2017.
8. Subscription services growing among consumers looking for lower costs. Sixteen percent of consumers are buying products through subscription services, with another 34% saying they will use one in the future.
9. Millennials slow to make purchases on social media. Only one-third of Millennial shoppers have a made a purchase via social media advertisement, with 29% making a purchase through an influencer link on a social channel.
10. Automation of savings provides time, boosts confidence. Seventy-two percent of consumers say the number one benefit of a browser extension that automatically finds and adds deals to shopping carts is saving time, with 63% saying it provides confidence they got the best deal and 62% saying it makes online shopping more enjoyable.
This one of the key takeaways from the “2019 Retailer Playbook” from online discount site RetailMeNot. The playbook assembles the top 10 trends that will define retail marketing in 2019, based on a survey of 200 retailer marketers and more than 5,000 consumers.
The trends are:
1. Consumer marketers are not interested in Gen Z yet. Only 5% of retailers will focus on Gen Z shoppers in 2019.
2. Taking a stand is worth the risk for retailers. Eighty-seven percent of retailers say taking a stand on social issues is worth the risk, with 83% saying failure to take a stand can negatively affect their bottom line.
3. Offers and discounts top the list of growth strategies. Providing offers and discounts exclusive for mobile app users is the number one tactic retail marketers plan to implement in 2019 to positively affect sales growth.
4. Retailers will be bullish on laying voice shopping groundwork. Only 16% of Americans have made a purchase via smart speaker, but 96% of retailers are investing in technology to enable shopping through smart speakers.
5. Selection and free shipping drive consumer purchases on Amazon. Two-thirds (66%) of respondents choose to shop on Amazon due to superior selection, while 63% say Amazon offer free shipping more and 58% cite Amazon’s prices.
6. Try-before-you-buy will replace BOPIS. More than six in 10 (63%) retailers believe try-before-you-buy will become more popular than buy online pickup in store (BOPIS) among consumers in the next two years. Fifty percent of retailers have a budget dedicated specifically to try-before-you-buy initiatives.
7. Mobile is biggest investment priority for retailers. The percentage of retailers planning to increase marketing investments in non-mobile (digital) fell to 37% in 2019 from 72% in 2019, while those planning to increase investments in offline marketing fell to 36% in 2019 from 58% in 2019. Meanwhile, the percentage of retailers planning to increase marketing investments in mobile slightly fell to 88% in 2019 from 92% in 2017, and plans to increase social marketing investments fell to 81% in 2019 from 89% in 2017.
8. Subscription services growing among consumers looking for lower costs. Sixteen percent of consumers are buying products through subscription services, with another 34% saying they will use one in the future.
9. Millennials slow to make purchases on social media. Only one-third of Millennial shoppers have a made a purchase via social media advertisement, with 29% making a purchase through an influencer link on a social channel.
10. Automation of savings provides time, boosts confidence. Seventy-two percent of consumers say the number one benefit of a browser extension that automatically finds and adds deals to shopping carts is saving time, with 63% saying it provides confidence they got the best deal and 62% saying it makes online shopping more enjoyable.