In modern commerce, meeting customers where they are is essential for driving meaningful and lasting connections. Adapting to new commerce trends can help brands stay relevant and top of mind with customers - and the best place to start? Mobile.
Mobile commerce will provide a competitive advantage in a busy marketplace for businesses in 2022 and beyond. For advertisers, that means focusing on mobile advertising can go a long way in helping to generate traffic and drive sales. In this blog, we’ll take a look at a few mobile commerce trends that businesses can expect in 2022, and how Snapchat can support mobile commerce advertising strategies.
What is Mobile Commerce?
Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, is the buying and selling of goods and services on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. These transactions can be done through a variety of mobile platforms, including web browsers, shopping apps, and social media channels.
Consumers have more access than ever to products on the go, enabling them to browse and make purchases from anywhere at any time. As mobile devices offer innovative ways to browse and buy online, consumers are opting for mobile shopping due to its speed and convenience.
Looking ahead, we’ve compiled the key trends that you need to know to ensure an effective mobile commerce strategy in 2022.
6 Mobile Commerce Trends to Watch For in 2022
- Seamless Shopping Experiences on Mobile Devices
- Reaching Audiences Where They Are With Social Commerce
- Connecting With Customers Across Channels Using Omnichannel Marketing
- Empowering Audiences Through Personalization
- Driving Foot Traffic Using Location-Based Marketing
- Immersing Audiences With Augmented Reality (AR)
Seamless Shopping Experiences on Mobile Devices
Consumers have officially made the jump from desktop to mobile, and with 67% of all e-commerce sales this year coming from mobile,1 shopping through smartphones and tablets is likely to expand from here on out. In order to drive sales and succeed in today’s world of commerce, customers must be able to shop from their mobile devices - and the experience needs to be as easy as it is enjoyable.
A fast, responsive mobile website ensures a seamless shopping experience for your customers, driving more online conversions. Mobile-optimized websites also have higher page views per visit and lower bounce rates, resulting in a streamlined browsing and purchasing experience.
When developing a mobile advertising strategy, data-gathering tools like the Snap Pixel are key to optimization on Snapchat. The Snap Pixel lets advertisers track and analyze the actions Snapchatters take on a website across all devices, helping to create well-targeted campaigns that are set up for more conversions. With the Snap Pixel implemented, brands can build Custom Audiences to increase engagement and optimize campaigns toward Snapchatters who are most likely to complete a purchase on your site.
Reaching Audiences Where They Are With Social Commerce
Social media is booming. Every day, users are hopping on to stay connected and informed, and for businesses looking for new ways to attract customers, social media makes reaching consumers easier than ever.
For mobile-first generations like millennials and Gen Z, social media is often their first (and only) impression of a brand. Millennials and Gen Z regularly consume news and entertainment through social media, and shopping is no different. As these generations continue to be a driving force in global spending, capturing their attention will be key to building brand awareness and sustained growth for your business.
Combining the reach of social media and the benefits of online shopping, social commerce refers to using social networking sites to promote, buy, and sell products, giving customers a native way to discover new brands and products while making purchases through apps they already use.
With 306 million daily active users on Snapchat,2 Snapchat Ads let advertisers promote products and services to a highly-engaged audience with tremendous global spending power - $4.4 trillion and growing.3 Snapchat Ads are full-screen, digital ads that inspire action from the people who matter most to your business. As social commerce continues to gain momentum, here are four Snapchat Ad formats built to reach this influential audience and drive sales:
- Single Image or Video Ads are especially effective for driving brand awareness and engagement. Brands can feature products or deals front and center, encouraging Snapchatters to swipe up and take immediate action, such as visit your website to make a purchase or add an item to their cart.
- Story Ads are a series of 3-20 Single Image or Video Ads that live in Snapchat’s Discover section as branded tiles. Story Ads are highly effective for driving brand awareness, generating excitement around your brand or latest collection, and allow Snapchatters to swipe up and take action.
- Collection Ads are made-for-commerce ads, specifically designed to help e-commerce brands drive sales. Collection Ads feature four tappable tiles to showcase multiple products at once, giving Snapchatters a frictionless way to browse and buy.
- Dynamic Product Ads help you create personalized ads for potential customers by leveraging your product catalog, the Snap Pixel, or your Mobile Measurement Partner. These ads are tailored to Snapchatters based on their previous engagement with your site or app. With Dynamic Ads, advertisers on Snapchat can automate ad creation while optimizing toward actions that matter most to your business, such as driving purchases online or in app.
Connecting With Customers Across Channels Using Omnichannel Marketing
With so many available paths to purchase, omnichannel marketing supports brands in giving customers a consistent shopping experience across channels and devices. As more audiences make purchases through social media, it's important for brands to focus marketing efforts where customers are already spending their time. With omnichannel marketing, advertisers can bridge the gap between online shopping and in-person retail, giving consumers more freedom in their preferences.
As a frontrunner trend in modern commerce, the goal of omnichannel marketing is to offer consumers opportunities for fulfilment from wherever they choose to shop. From app to in-person shopping, omnichannel marketing lets consumers engage with brands on their own terms through one convenient approach.
To achieve omnichannel marketing success, brands should mirror the messaging and branding used across marketing channels to ensure consistent brand identity. If your in-store marketing differs from your online presence consumers may find it difficult to develop a familiar relationship with your business. Creating consistency on all channels aids in building brand awareness, brand loyalty, and generating revenue from multiple avenues.
Empowering Audiences Through Personalization
Selling a product pales in comparison to providing an exceptional, custom experience. Today, consumers need much more than their name on the header of a marketing email for it to feel relevant. Consumers want to be understood and expect brands to give them content that aligns with their preferences - in the right place, at the right time.
Personalization in marketing is when you tailor your content for a particular audience based on their specific interests and needs. By communicating with customers in a way that feels unique and relevant, brands create a custom experience that can build brand affinity, boost customer retention and, ultimately, drive sales.
By personalizing your ads through custom targeting, brands can ensure consumers see what they’re actually interested in, driving relevance, engagement, and conversions. To help advertisers reach an audience that is most likely to convert, Snapchat’s custom targeting strategies engage Snapchatters based on interests, buying habits, behaviors, and lifestyles, delivering a personalized experience that connects with consumers in a meaningful way.
As mentioned previously, advertisers can also use Dynamic Product Ads on Snapchat to automate personalization. With mobile shopping and digital spending continuing to trend upwards, Dynamic Product Ads are a simple way to personalize ads for each potential customer who has previously engaged with your website. With these, brands can reduce the time spent on making ads manually while creating a personalized shopping experience for potential customers.
Driving Foot Traffic Using Location-Based Marketing
For brands that have both a physical store and an online presence, location-based marketing can be a valuable resource for driving mobile engagement and foot traffic from local shoppers to your storefront.
Effective for boosting brand awareness and reaching nearby potential customers, location-based marketing allows businesses to target specific audiences based on proximity and interest. This strategy allows brick-and-mortar businesses to engage nearby audiences and helps consumers find the nearest physical location, driving foot traffic and potential sales.
With Promote Local Place on Snapchat, you can promote your local business to nearby Snapchatters who are most likely to visit your storefront. Reach potential customers with location-based targeting or claim your local business on the Snap Map and share important information, such as your location, hours and how to get in touch with you.
Immersing Audiences With Augmented Reality (AR)
Among the fastest-growing trends for the future of mobile commerce is augmented reality (AR), a technology that enhances real-world environments with immersive, interactive experiences. As an emerging technology, AR is rapidly changing the future of advertising, digitally uniting brands and customers.
Businesses everywhere are looking at innovative ways AR can be used to give consumers an engaging brand experience and insight into how products can fit into their everyday lives. In commerce, AR can be used to connect virtual and in-person shopping, enabling consumers to experience your products in a personalized and interactive way.
Snapchat’s Lens AR Experiences are revolutionizing the way consumers interact with brands, making shopping a much more engaging and memorable experience. With Snapchat Lenses, brands have the opportunity to co-create memories and moments with their target audience while allowing them to experience the brand in the most immersive way - like virtually trying on items to visualize how it will look before making a purchase. With steady advancements in technology, AR is set to reshape commerce by bringing a real-life shopping experience to consumers on mobile, helping consumers make purchasing decisions with confidence.
Moving forward, mobile commerce will continue to play an important role within retail and e-commerce industries, and all brands should plan accordingly. By staying up to date on the latest mobile commerce strategies, you can empower your business for success in 2022 and beyond.
Ready to get your mobile strategy up and running? Get started with Snapchat Ads today to learn how to grow your business and reach valuable, interested audiences on Snapchat.