In the days, where even before you key in words, Google thinks for you, it is very interesting to know that #ThinkWithGoogle has a vision 2020(incidentally 2020 is another nomenclature for perfect vision 6/6).
What it essentially talks about —
Changing a complex consumer journey:
Where earlier age the marketers were worried about the physical world, now they have to get the mind share and screen time of the virtual world. A customer going to an electronics retail shop in the real world, also checks about the same in the online world. This jumping of the shopper from online to offline is nothing short of a nightmare, because early in the purchase lifecycle the buyer could get influenced in the online world, but there are chances where the sales person may still convince the customer otherwise.
A point to the case is a simple dinner decision is being influenced by mobile query( grown by 60% over the last year). It is said that sometimes the inflationary increment that you get in your salary is less than the rewards that you get through a mobile app. Online videos, reviews, etc are playing a great role in the buying behavior in the real world.
The new media channels:
Augmented reality, voice, an overdose of videos—people are now doing an image search – which influences the buying decision. In the US alone, shopping-related videos have grown 5X times. Even the movie screen and YouTube watching on TV screens have grown multifold.
Smart Homes are no more a sci-fi imagination, but people have actually started wishing Good Morning to Google Assistant kind of devices.
The generation of instant gratification:
From Governments to brands everybody is talking about satisfying their customers instantly. No one has the time to wait. It is right here, right now! People can actually check for the inventory before they arrive in the store, book their table before they visit the restaurant. Near me, searches are increasing in almost every category.
Everyone doesn’t want to miss the digital bus:
Whether it is grocery, automobiles or managing finances – everyone is getting into the digital bandwagon.
Age of Digital Detox and Digital wellbeing:
The standards of data privacy are on the rise, and marketers have a great task at hand. People are more concerned about how they are perceived in the digital world, but at the same time, you can actually see a lot of courses offered on digital detox where more than 67% of parents are worried about the number of time kids spend on screen devices. ( Note that 1 in 3 Americans have taken steps to improve their digital well being, YouTube has delivered over 1 Bn ‘take a break’ reminders.)
What is in store for the future – is it going to be more complex is anybody’s guess! By 2050 there will be 9 billion people to feed, clothe, transport, employ, educate and entertain..if everything is going to be digital…the problems will be complex too. But then, powerful problems drive powerful dreams.