Almost all marketers believe that the changes to consumer behaviour brought on by the pandemic will play a role in their marketing strategies next year, according to a WARC survey.
As we fast approach another year, and we continue to (hopefully) live more normal lives, many of the habits we’ve picked up during the pandemic are likely to remain – and, as such, 97% of marketers will see this shift in consumer behaviour impact their strategies in 2022.
For a number of these marketers, their strategies will be heavily influenced by sustainability. 46% of them view the environment and financial growth as being equally important, while 58% of respondents agreed that sustainability and purpose initiatives should be distinct. Despite this, 25% see sustainability as a ‘general gaol’ rather than choosing to measure their efforts.
“Far from signalling a return to normal, the opening up of economies has only created a new set of challenges for marketers. Attitudes, behaviours and market structures have resulted in significant change during the pandemic, and a huge 97% of respondents to our proprietary survey believe changes to consumer behaviour will impact strategies in 2022,” said Aditya Kishore, Insight Director at WARC.
The survey also found that 54% of marketers feel that market penetration and customer gain are the most important indications of success, but 52% are on the search for new measures of effectiveness in response to the changing industry landscape.
One area that marketers are planning to really push forward on is social commerce. In fact, three-quarters of them are on course to increase spending in the area next year. And, along the same lines, 78% are likely to spend more on general ecommerce.
