What are the key marketing technology trends for brands in 2022?

CPDs drive more actionable customer insights as we move towards a cookie-less world

While consumers demand greater privacy, businesses face changing data privacy restrictions. By the end of 2023, Google plans to stop supporting third-party cookies, ending a decade of target-driven advertising. As brands scramble to make up for the potential loss of this rich data source, marketers had to rethink their approach to collecting and analysing data. This has shifted the spotlight on first-party data – a real goldmine for information.

Data generated directly from consumers is the richest source of data, providing an accurate 360 vision and enhancedz personalized experiences. However, consumers today are conscious when handing over their data of the vast value it brings to companies.

Having a centralized, transparent customer data platform (CPD) helps provide visibility of large volumes of data from multiple channels. For brands, this allows improved segmentation and delivers highly-personalized content driving deeper customer engagement. For this reason, Salesforce regional vice president Kevin Doyle explains that “CDPs won’t be an optional tool for the 2022 marketer — they’re essential to thrive through the next evolution of data privacy”. Investment in CPDs is critical in the 2022 Martech roadmap to build a better holistic view of the consumer, putting them first.

The metaverse is calling brands at the forefront of innovation

As Facebook famously embraced the metaverse and rebranded as Meta, it has been almost impossible to miss the leaps that the virtual realm took at the end of 2021. While interest continues rising around the possibilities of the metaverse – seamless blending of gamification tactics, interactive live events at mass-scale, selling and purchasing of blockchain-enabled digital goods - a lot still remains unknown.

Searches for the word 'metaverse' increased tenfold from 2020 to 2021. But the geographical balance is telling; searches focused heavily within Asia and remained lower across Western countries. Further research from Forrester seems to confirm that many consumers (particularly in the West) aren’t ready for the metaverse just yet: 36% of UK and 27% of US public said they have no need for the metaverse in their life; 33% UK and 29% US public said they still don’t understand what the metaverse is.

Regardless, the metaverse is something to look out for as it evolves and shapes how we experience our lives in 2022. Brands looking to make splashy headlines and label themselves as early-innovation adopters will test-and-learn as the realm evolves, or connect more with tech-savvy Gen Z-ers.

Drive real-time customer experiences through AI-powered marketing

Brands are already catching onto this new retail reality where marketing will no longer be ‘assisted’ by AI but instead ‘powered’ by it. The IDC estimated that 45% of Global 2000 B2C and B2B enterprises will “utilize AI, big data and conversational computing” by 2030.

2022 will be the year of pushing boundaries. AI will enable companies to “leverage customer data to build relationships with consumers that deliver relevant and compelling experiences,” says Bryce Boothby, a senior loyalty manager at McDonald's. Essentially, AI will enable marketers to make more informed real-time decisions based on a richer data set to forecast trends.

Companies like Amazon have become trailblazers for AI technology. By combining past consumer behaviors and predictive algorithms, Amazon’s recommendation engine can suggest real-time customized recommendations, even before the consumer knows they need it, driving 35% of total sales.

AI offers the opportunity to get to individual users through unique data profiles, generating personalization at scale. Investing into AI will no doubt future-fit brands' technology stacks, replicating human engagements - a crucial capability in this digitized world.

Customer obsession is at the heart of MarTech

The future of MarTech is more customer-obsessed than ever. The better brands know their customers, the more likely they are to succeed. This year will set new foundations to a more digitally-integrated world with data privacy concerns reshaping how we connect with each other.

In a world where physical touchpoints are increasingly merging with digital touchpoints such as the metaverse and AI, brands will compete through outstanding experiences. Brands that succeed in delivering outstanding customer experiences will be able to obtain more information on their customers in exchange, enabling hyper personalization and continuous enhancement; brands that fail will struggle to remain competitive.

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