Target, one of the best omnichannel retailers in the country, recorded its most impressive quarter in Q2 2020 with sales increasing 24.3 percent thanks to the digital section soaring 195 percent. The omnichannel – a unique integration of digital and physical – made this possible for the company.

Target found out that multi-channel consumers typically spend 4x as much as consumers that only visit physical stores and 10x more than consumers that only shop online.
By integrating both physical and digital channels, the company made huge sales while offering a consistent brand experience.

Omnichannel Means Transformation, Integration, and Collaboration

Omnichannel can be defined as a multichannel approach to sales that focuses on providing flawless customer experience whether the buyer is at a physical store, using a mobile device or computer.

About 73 percent of all consumers use multiple channels during their journey. It is common for consumers to search for a product on a mobile device as they hear from it then research more as they reach their computer. Omnichannel makes this transformation easy and allows consumers to switch between two or more devices without any trouble.

It should also be noted that more than 50 percent of buyers search the web before visiting a physical store. Integrating the two allows businesses to retain more consumers. It doesn’t focus on individual experiences but the entire customer journey.

Online Retail in an Omnichannel Reality

Approaches to retail marketing are fast changing. In these times, success means the ability to reach consumers no matter where they are or what device they’re using. You need to concentrate on omnichannel retail and not traditional methods.

According to reports, more people now use mobile devices than desktop computers. This is why purchase decisions are often made on the go, whether people are in their bedrooms or the shop.

Today, digital is not only driving e-commerce, it’s getting people in stores. It would not be wrong to call smartphones the new ‘shopping assistant’, whether people are inside or outside the shop. 

Retailers are working to ensure customers convert no matter what channel they’re on. Companies seem to have realized the importance of consumers who use both online and in-store channels as they have a 30 percent higher lifetime value (LTV) than consumers who use a single channel.

Retailers need to have a full understanding of consumer behavior in order to attract and win these consumers.

Sellers don’t only need to be aware of consumer demographics such as gender and location but also buying behavior. Despite so much data out there, it is still easier said than done.

Purchase Online and Pick it Up Offline. Everything Becomes Hybrid

You can’t excel in a single environment as things have become hybrid. Companies need both virtual and physical presence as this is the era of omnichannel retail.

Online-to-offline (O2O) hybrid can improve the experience for your consumers. It refers to acknowledging the fact that there will be several online and offline touchpoints during a customer’s journey.

A business must be able to take advantage of all these touchpoints and ensure they work together and not separately. Sellers must understand why consumers intend to buy online and pick from the store.

Consumers are in a hurry and they can’t always wait for companies to ship products. They’re not only afraid of delays and additional charges but also goods getting damaged during transit, hence a large number of buyers are now shopping online and choosing to pick products offline by visiting the store or desired destination.

This offers buyers great ease, especially when it comes to rare products that require consumers to stand in queues to make a purchase. They can book products online, make payments, and pick when time permits.

Businesses need to use this opportunity cleverly by pushing more products when consumers visit the store. This can help increase the worth of a consumer and make them buy more.

Products that a consumer shows interest in (online or offline) can be pushed more when they visit the store physically or on the web. You will need the help of a company like Aitarget to ensure you show the right product to your consumers.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are designed to ensure consumers don’t choose competitors and keep coming back to you. They were once only offered by big companies like hotel chains and airlines but now even small businesses have points systems that reward consumers for making purchases. 

About 52 percent of consumers are willing to participate in loyalty programs with 92 percent agreeing that rewards can make them buy more. However, loyalty programs today are more dynamic as they take into account multiple actions and not just ‘purchases’.

Businesses are rewarding consumers for sharing content, posting reviews, taking quizzes, and referring friends. Rewards include discount codes, free goodies, cash prizes, and more.

Since more consumers are buying online, traditional loyalty programs may not always entice them. Businesses can use omnichannel discounts to turn consumers in their desired direction, i.e.: by offering online-only discounts they can discourage people from visiting physical stores.

Remember that about 74 percent of consumers choose a brand after looking at its discount program. Moreover, about 71 percent of companies that use omnichannel loyalty programs see an increase of nearly 50 percent in transactions.

You must, however, make it easier to win and utilize rewards. For example, consumers shouldn’t be forced to carry multiple cards to redeem rewards. Technology can be used to identify consumers and apply discounts automatically.

A Consistent Pricing and Discount Policy

An omnichannel pricing strategy can be a little tricky to handle. You have to look at several factors when deciding a strategy. First of all, understand your customers and think about how you want to be different from your competitors. 

Your cost may differ based on the channel you are on. In-store sales, for example, can be more expensive due to additional costs including electricity and rent. On the other hand, online sales are usually more affordable since you do not have to worry about a presentable office or store.

Customers, however, don’t understand these factors and they expect a consistent pricing policy no matter what channel they use. Most companies choose one of the following strategies:

• Omnichannel Price: In this strategy, it’s uniform pricing on each channel. This option removes purchase barriers.
• Channel-specific Price: In this strategy, pricing varies depending on the channel. This one can be used to optimize the price/margin in each channel you use.
• Combination: This one uses the same omnichannel pricing but with a few exceptions. It can help provide a unified experience to users.

Businesses can use any of these strategies and offer ‘channel specific’ discounts to make buyers use more of a specific channel. For example, special discounts for walk-in customers if they wish to attract more in-store buyers, or ‘online only sales’ if they want more online customers.

Social Media 

It is possible to integrate social media into your omnichannel strategy. Social media gives you access to millions of people including your target audiences. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram now even let buyers shop directly on the platform. 

You can use this as an opportunity to improve customer experience by offering the best services without forcing consumers to go to another platform. 

Be consistent with your brand message so that customers can easily recognize you. You can use special media not only to sell directly but also to build loyalty and increase your consumer base.

Unique Experiences Within Physical Stores 

Despite what everyone says, physical stores are here to stay. They have evolved over the years and it is no longer about a boring shelf and products resting on it. Experimental retail is the future.

Fashion labels are using technology to help people see how a piece of clothing or accessory would look without having to physically try it. The concept of AR-clothing has revolutionized the fashion world. However, there are several more ways to keep things exciting.

Product building is a great way to keep people coming back. You can have them create their own product. Magnum’s Make My Own strategy proved to be a success and now many stores are replicating it.

Target appears to have done an excellent job as well. It offers unique experiences by investing in omnichannel, BOPIS, and curbside. The idea is to make it easy and exciting for users to visit your physical stores even if they’re used to the online channel.

Integrate Your Offline Store with Your Online Presence

As mentioned earlier, it is now possible to integrate your offline store with your online presence. 

Make it possible for users to find your physical location through your website or social media pages. This can be done by adding Google maps to your site. Also, use one to promote the other and make sure to tie up your online and offline data because users may not stick to a single channel.

You can use social media to promote not just online but offline events as well. Also, store reps must be aware of both in-store and online prices and deals.

Handling Returns, Complaints, and Exchanges Easily

Some people argue that omnichannel makes returns, complaints, and exchanges difficult to handle since users who buy from one channel may choose the other channel to return or exchange a product.

At the end of the day, consumers want ease. Your return and exchange policy should be the same no matter what channel a buyer uses. Also, pay attention to all kinds of complaints, whether they’re related to online payments or in-store customer service.

The experience should be the same and your buyers should not feel that you prefer one channel over the other. Your agents should have no trouble accessing the information of a client no matter what channel they used to purchase.

Consumers who visit physical stores to make a purchase often file online complaints. Your system should be quick to identify consumers and provide solutions to their problems. If such isn’t the case, they may end up picking one channel over another causing your omnichannel strategy to fail.

Is Omnichannel The Future of E-commerce? No! It is a NEW Reality 

Omnichannel is the future of e-commerce. It is a new reality that counts on data and analytics. With an emphasis on consistency and efficiency, omnichannel has proven to improve customer satisfaction and keep buyers coming back.

Omnichannel doesn’t just benefit buyers but sellers as well. It allows buyers to enjoy a positive experience while sellers enjoy a larger share of the market and make more profits. 

Both big and small businesses have started to adopt this technology by offering more personalization, integration of offline and online channels, etc. 

Mobile is Critical for Omnichannel Marketing

People are ditching computers and using mobile devices to not only know more about a product but also to purchase it. They can watch demo videos, check reviews while on the go. Buying a product online takes a few minutes. Plus, with the option to save payment details, buyers don’t even have to worry about feeding card numbers and other such data again and again. Mobile has revolutionized the world and we know that even people who shop offline choose to use mobile devices at some point in their journey. 

You cannot have a successful omnichannel strategy without integrating mobile. There are several things to take care of including a mobile-friendly website, mobile app, etc.

Digital Touchpoints In-Store 

Most consumers who enter your store will be holding a smartphone. You can make them use the device by offering digital touchpoints such as QR codes to know more about a product.

Remember that it takes around 8 touches to get an initial meeting. You need to make every touchpoint count. Give people reminders about your social media pages, mobile app, online discounts, digital card, etc.

Make it easy for them to find you on the web when they visit your store. This way you will get the opportunity to reach them more often and build a stronger connection.

More About Omnichannel in E-commerce

Is e-commerce an omnichannel?

E-commerce can utilize different omnichannel strategies to make more sales, find loyal customers, and increase the consumer base. This includes offering customized deals, integrating online socials at offline stores, and more. An e-commerce store, however, must work on an omnichannel supply chain to get the best results.

What are omnichannel trends? 

The latest trend is to use social media to promote not only online but also offline events. It improves the omnichannel distribution and bridges the gap between online and offline. Moreover, we have also seen excessive use of scanning technology, i.e.: QR codes to help people reach a specific platform. These trends will continue to increase as companies work to integrate the latest technology to blend multiple channels.

Why will omnichannel retail in 2022 with the surprising comeback of the physical store?

We’re seeing omnichannel retail give a new lease of life to physical stores. You can sell more retail articles by utilizing omnichannel distribution channels. 

With a perfect blend of online and offline channels, omnichannel is revolutionizing retail making it possible for buyers to choose any channel they wish to purchase without compromising on user experience. Experts believe that omnichannel retailing will beat out multi-channel retail as it offers more ease.

Ready to use omnichannel marketing to win more clients and make higher profits? Let Aitarget help you. We can meet creative challenges and create campaigns that offer good returns. 

Marketing in the post-covid world can be tricky, as humanity has never been in this situation before, and the circumstances are changing quickly. Successful campaigns abandon salesy language, focusing on thoughtful analysis of the needs, perceptions, and expectations of the audience.

Even before the pandemic, consumer expectations were on the rise. Today, companies are not competing with one another — they are competing with the last best experience their customer has had. Generation Z has grown up with technology, and the shift to hyper-personalization was already noticeable in 2020. The preferences of the new generation have changed social advertising, and they continue to affect it. 

The outbreak accelerated digital transformation and sent consumer expectations skyrocketing. Today, users want anticipatory personalization throughout their customer journey. Meanwhile, tolerance for engaging with social media ads in such markets as the UK and France has grown substantially. Discover post-pandemic tips that will help your brand shine in 2021. 

Customers Must Be at the Heart of Your Customer Journey

The lockdown experience proves the old axiom — brands must target consumers based on their circumstances and perceptions. This requires a laser focus. Companies should conduct research country by country, ZIP code by ZIP code, to tailor their communications and services. Marketing requires the knowledge of both the segment and sentiment.

One of the key marketing tips to employ is that messages must be relevant both geographically and personally. They should speak to each customer’s situation and values. Targeting an age or gender on social media is not enough. Brands succeed if they create a deep human connection within commercial messages. This requires cross-field research into attitudes and psychographics. According to The EY Future Consumer Index, five distinct cohorts have formed since the start of the pandemic: 

• Almost a third (32%) of consumers are focused on affordability, so they prefer functionality over brands. 
• A quarter (25%) prioritize health and safety, so they opt for products they can trust.
• 16% of customers want to minimize their carbon footprint, so they buy from the brands they view as sustainable. 
• 15% are focused on the benefits for the community, so they purchase from companies with a reputation for honesty and transparency. 
• 12% of consumers live in the moment, so they are most open to novel products and experiences.

Based on segmentation and customer profiles, companies can make the most of their marketing spend. They can drive deeper insights for their creative promotional approaches. While coronavirus has changed social advertising, the old adage ‘Know Thy Customer’ is still relevant.

Transforming Consumer Behavior Insights Into Effective Ads

The above-mentioned insights can inform the entire customer journey. For example, Facebook offers a wide variety of targeting options. You can reach customers with a specific gender, location, interests, marital status, occupation, etc. Target parents with toddlers, new-vehicle buyers, people who donate to world relief organizations, expats, farmers, etc. The sheer number of options for social media is staggering. 

Such granular targeting ensures your ads are shown to people who can see value in your products or services. In addition, they are relatively affordable, even for small businesses. Use the digital space to show how your company has changed due to the pandemic, offer exclusive discounts or promotions related to COVID-19.

Everybody knows that visuals are more appealing than plain text, but video ads are particularly effective. They are 1,200% more successful in terms of engagement than text and images combined. Aitarget E-Commerce creates video ads in 45 seconds using only your product feed and customizable templates.

Lately, the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) has also declined, which means it is a great time to invest in Facebook ads. The platform will also let you reach users who have viewed your offerings in the past but left without making a purchase. Retargeting is a great strategy for post-pandemic times.

As so many consumers are focused on affordability, exclusive discounts and freebies attract new customers and get the old ones to come back. As companies are reopening, exclusive promotions help them regain their audience. This works for different industries, from restaurants to travel.

Change Your Ads to the New Reality by Fusing the COVID-19 as the Context

COVID-19 is one of the most widely read-about subjects. The words ‘COVID-19’ or ‘coronavirus’ now appear in content describing the effects of the pandemic on our lifestyles, habits, and behavior. Such content is highly relevant, as it helps consumers make the right decisions in the new normal. Companies cannot ignore this contextual change — instead, they can leverage it, which is one of the vital marketing tips to employ.

The pandemic has disrupted economies around the globe, but it has also brought new opportunities disguised as threats. They have changed social advertising. Marketers should not rule out uncomfortable topics — they can drive brand awareness and sales by helping users cope with the aftermath.

For example, consider advanced contextual targeting. Using semantic analysis, Google matches ads to specific pages based on keywords. Brands have been able to unlock new opportunities with messaging concerning the global changes during lockdown (for example, articles like Coronavirus: 6 Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements Tips to Strengthen Your Immunity). 

Ads appearing in such content boost engagement and ROAS for the campaign. Consumers are more interested in news than ever, so coronavirus lets brands reach a wider audience and create ads that attract attention. AI helps them detect new trends and behaviors to maximize the results. The focus on keeping consumers healthy and advertising in the credible sources of news pays off.

Create New Market Opportunities Based on Changing Needs

Marketing practices are ever-changing to keep up with fleeting consumer preferences. Advertising strategies must be aligned with the needs of the target audience. Demographics are quickly changing, and personalization is now at the forefront, which is also reflected in the post-pandemic tips.

Brands have to respond to customer needs quickly. Over half of executives understand that trust-building is a priority for a campaign. At the same time, market data shows that many companies are struggling to engage their audience. 

Companies of different sizes tackle these challenges differently. Major brands focus on product innovation to meet evolving demands. Small businesses emphasize competitive pricing. Open innovation, when customer opinion is integrated into product development, helps companies learn what their customers want, establish a connection, and reinforce trust. 

This is the antithesis of the conventional vertical integration, where products are developed internally based on internal R&D and distributed by the firm. In this concept, ideas come from the outside, while underutilized technologies are transferred to other processes. Open innovation is all about inflows and outflows of knowledge. 

As consumers’ priorities and preferences change over time, businesses must adapt their marketing mix to suit the evolving needs. For example, environmentally conscious individuals are attracted to brands that announce a shift to sustainable packaging. During an economic downturn, customers spend less, so businesses must focus on lower prices and greater convenience. 

Use Your Brand Assets to Increase Effectiveness 

Brand assets are the distinguishing characteristics of a company — i.e., the tangible and intangible things that make it stand out from the crowd. This is one of the top marketing tips to employ. Assets provide marketers with the resources that facilitate finding leads and closing deals. If the team cannot leverage these elements during a campaign, its potential is limited. 

The category includes a variety of elements from the tagline and USP to the logo, visuals, packaging, and ads. According to the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute of Marketing Science, all of these things contribute to the brand identity if they are both unique and well-known.

First, the element must be automatically associated with your brand in the minds of the users. For example, consider the Nike “swoosh” symbol or the McDonald’s golden arches. An asset cannot be confused with your competitor’s identity. 

Secondly, the elements must be recognizable as a representation of the brand. They must reinforce the core values of your company and convey the benefits of using your products or services to the audience.

Not sure what your assets are? List your existing and previously used brand elements, along with any suggestions for the future. Survey your target audience to see how many customers associate a specific element with your brand, and how quickly they make this association. 

This will reveal the prominence of each component. Based on this research, you can create the Distinctive Asset Grid developed by Research Professor Jenni Romaniuk. You will see which elements should be avoided or tested, which of them can replace your brand name in ads, and which require further development. 

Genuine Generosity is Highly Effective

Generosity improves the brand image, making companies more attractive for consumers. According to Forbes, volunteer grant programs are used by such giants as Apple and Google. Many businesses offer paid time off for employees who volunteer at nonprofits, which boosts morale and loyalty. Meanwhile, engagement in sponsorships and product donations boosts sales. 

Such opportunities are plentiful. Businesses can support educational institutions, community organizations, and special events. When consumers see a brand’s logo displayed on the stadium or bulletin, this creates an instant association between the business and generosity. Participation in charitable auctions shows that your company has a heart. 

Generosity is increasingly reflected in marketing, and the benefits are two-fold. On the one hand, millions of dollars are raised for charity. On the other hand, brands see a rise in sales. Cause-related marketing, when a brand partners up with a charity to tackle social or environmental issues, builds business value. The collaboration of for-profit and nonprofit entities is powerful. 

The year 2020 was pivotal, as it exposed multiple social injustices and highlighted the role of brands in fighting the issues that governments failed to resolve. Americans gave a record $471 billion to charity. Some of the most efficient marketing campaigns were based on social causes, such as Black on Depop or Real Change by Persil. 

Soon after the outbreak, brands got to work helping consumers adapt to the changes. Many of them launched ads with phrases like “we’re here for you”, “times like these” and “togetherness”. Ads showing how your company helps can drive bigger long-term equity gains in comparison with ads that offer hope or encourage good behavior.

Your Brand Should Stand Behind Great Values

Our list of post-pandemic tips would not be complete without generosity. Stressing the benefits of your products or services is not enough to make them memorable. In fact, the vast majority of consumers (80%!) forget branded content in just three days. To leave a lasting impression on the audience, your content must resonate with their own values.

Brand awareness is hard to quantify, so here is a simple test. Are you sure that your brand’s messages, visuals, and strategies communicate its core values in a consistent manner? Do you even have a clear-cut set of values? If not, most of the users you have reached have already forgotten about your company’s existence.

Core values are the beliefs the brand stands for. They are a compass guiding decision-making and the entire brand story. Values are constant reminders of what truly matters for your business and the people it serves, and they help executives make the right decisions in turbulent times. Any choices a company makes must be aligned with its overarching vision.

Brand values determine customer perception and choices, as consumers tend to support companies whose values they share. According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of buying choices are triggered by the unconscious, where values operate. The same works for employees, as values are crucial for engagement. 

Today, when consumer trust is lower than ever, values are critical for maintaining authenticity, as they let you connect to the audience on a deeper level. Finally, the right values will help you grow a brand you are passionate about and proud of.

Product videos and overlays are highly effective creative formats. Paired with personalized advertising, results can be phenomenal. The high costs of video production and motion design  complicates their use in Facebook advertising. Creating overlays may be challenging for a wide range of products. 

Well, that ends today. 

Aitarget takes the hassle out of creation of personalized videos and overlays at scale. You can get started even with pictures from your existing product feed. 

Just think of enriching product pictures with valuable data or image and carousel ads in a few clicks. 

Imagine having videos generated for any product in your feed with information about prices, discounts, or user reviews. 

Picture having your creatives tested and automatically improved to increase their performance by our closed-loop machine learning algorithm. 

You can even integrate data from third-party sources into your creative ads. This increases the relevance of the ads to your custom or lookalike audiences. 

Customer case 

Aitarget’s video tool was instrumental in generating videos that incorporated daily-updated data on pollution levels in various cities for a Philips campaign where the objective was to increase the sales of air purifiers. 

There was added complexity as videos targeted different geographic locations and were only shown if pollution levels exceeded safe levels. Aitarget dynamically updated the creatives, ensuring that the audience saw the most up-to-date data. This generated demand for the product. The result was an increase in sales. 

That’s just a snapshot of what you can achieve with personalization made possible by Aitarget. 

It doesn’t end there. 

You can even automate certain aspects of your campaign management. 

Overview of Facebook Ads

Facebook constantly develops new ways for advertisers to reach the right audience while optimizing their ad spend. One of the key innovations has been dynamic Facebook ads. 

Previously, businesses with a large range of products faced the challenge of manually creating ads for items in their product feed. Facebook’s dynamic ads can now generate ads from the advertiser’s catalog and show these ads to suitable audiences based on their interests or behaviors.

There are two main targeting options when advertising on Facebook—reaching broad audiences who may have shown interest in similar products but have never visited your website. The second more detailed approach involves going after people who have previously interacted with your service. 

Retargeting has been enhanced through Facebook pixels, where you can add code snippets to your site to track Facebook users through various stages of the buyer’s journey. Custom audiences are then created from the data gathered from content views, abandoned carts, searches, etc. 

What makes dynamic ads possible? They are based on pre-made or custom templates. Facebook then determines the most optimum products to show customers and fill the templates with product data. 

Advertisers now can create product sets from their catalog. The sets feature products that share certain characteristics, such as certain price ranges. 

The Dynamic Creative Tool has allowed advertisers to find the best performing creative ad formats. In essence, you can upload different variations of ad components such as videos, images, or text. Dynamic Creative then tests to find the best performing variations that resonate most with the target audience.

Common challenges with creative Facebook advertising

Native dynamic ads are only available for carousel, single image, and collection Facebook ad formats. You miss out on the ability to create dynamic videos for retargeting or creating brand awareness. 

One workaround may involve creating video ads manually following broad categories such as the best-selling products. It may be time-intensive and expensive. 

Another option is to use native dynamic carousels to promote product sets. But static images are not  as engaging as video content when marketing on Facebook. 

Aitarget’s internal testing on a campaign featuring Madrobots showed that use of videos for product suggestion improves the performance of dynamic ad carousels, often increasing ROAS while minimizing CPP. 

Facebook’s dynamic ads also have other limitations. For instance, you can’t delete a product set used in an ad campaign, and Facebook advertises against editing it. If your ads need to be constantly updated with new information, you need to do this manually. Facebook’s Dynamic Creative offers limited testing capabilities, as you can run through scenarios involving about 10 images, 5 CTAs, and 5 text descriptions at a time. 

Why Aitarget Is Best for Work with Your Product Feed

The first obvious advantage you’ll enjoy with Aitarget tools for Facebook advertising is the ease of creating videos. You only need to come up with one custom on-brand video template. It’s applied for individual products or product sets. The videos may leverage data variables that are constantly updated, for instance, traffic information, weather, flight data, new pricing details, etc. If there is a change with the variables, new videos are generated.

Aitarget takes on the role of uploading your creatives to Ads manager, meaning that will save  you much time. We have also built on the capabilities of Facebook’s native Creative Tools, allowing you greater customization over your creatives’ appearance. 

Product feed images may require tweaking to look great in pre-made templates. Aitarget’s use of computer vision algorithms ensures that your product photos appear correctly in your custom templates. They may be scaled or centered. 

You can access more feed management and enhancement options with Aitarget and work directly with our team of experts to come up with custom tools and implementations that are not possible with what Facebook natively offers. 

Creating nice-looking overlays and personalized videos is only part of the equation. Aitarget supports campaign automation. Leverage our closed-loop machine learning algorithm that works under the hood to perform multivariate testing to determine the most effective creatives. Our AI control center can also perform iterative improvements to increase the impact of the best-performing creatives. The gradual improvements build on what worked in the past. 

Boost Your Marketing with Facebook Advertising Automation

Campaign management may be tedious and often requires repeatable tasks. Aitarget takes campaign automation to a new level. Automation eliminates the number of tasks a marketing manager has to perform, reducing the demand for additional media buyers, and allows campaigns to scale infinitely. 

You can set up custom rules to monitor the results of marketing campaigns and the actions to be taken. For instance, you may adopt ROAS-based rules to keep track of and respond to the performance of the ad campaign. 

Our tool kit allows you to implement different automation strategies, including tunnel, weighted average, and funnel strategies. 

What We Offer

On Aitarget, you can access a wide range of tools that will make it effortless to create overlays and scalable personalized videos. New clients receive a detailed consultation with our team to understand the full capabilities of the platform. What’s more, we can create custom solutions to fit into different advertising workflows. Some of our top solutions include:

Data-infused overlays

Elevate your product feed images by adding first and third-party data to create more relevant ads. 

Feed-based videos

Bring your product feed imagery to life by generating videos from branded templates. The videos can be at any length and format. They can even incorporate data from third-party sources. Videos may be automatically updated and uploaded as the variables change. 

Custom product sets 

We focus on exposing more of your products to your consumers in a meaningful, targeted way. 

Multi-image product ads 

Enhance single image ads to incorporate views of the product from different angles. 

Circular ads 

Create hyper-geo targeted ads complete with localized pricing, messaging, and store details like an enriched location map. 

Iterative creative improvement 

Our closed-loop ML solution creates a feedback loop to enhance ads with visual testing. Deliver ads people want to see and improve your ROAS. 

Product image enhancement with AI 

Reduce the hassle of working with product images. Enhance them through our computer vision algorithms. 

Advanced image editor 

We have extended the capabilities of Facebook’s native creative editor to bring you a new set of tools for better customization.

Intuitive dashboard

You get a dashboard that allows you to manage and track the performance of your campaigns. See vital stats at a glance, including impressions, CPM, CTR, number of unique visitors, etc. You get access to reporting features allowing you to share relevant insights with your team quickly. 

Benefits

• Create scalable, dynamic videos based on data collected from your product feed in minutes 
• Incorporate your brand assets in your Facebook ads 
• Take advantage of any data source to personalize your videos 
• Drive better conversions with the best performing creatives
• Stop non-performing ads 
• Create reusable and scalable templates 
• Automate your campaigns and reduce the need to hire new media buyers
• Save costs and optimize for speed

Accelerated Performance

Supercharge your Facebook advertising and accelerate performance by leveraging the unique capabilities of Aitarget tools to create personalized videos and overlays. Our AI algorithm will test out the best performing combinations and offer enhancement opportunities to help you meet your KPI goals. You’ll receive expert support when configuring your product catalog to serve as the basis of your dynamic ads. Try our smart strategies to optimize your bidding, ad budget, and performance. 

During this process, you’ll be in touch with our team to build automated campaigns that execute 24/7 reliably and confidently. Building the automation templates is highly visual, and the tool supports a wide range of multiple actions. You can even tailor the automation schedule. 

If you don’t need Altarget’s mass video generator, we can still help automate your campaign management. We effectively did this with Two Dots. The brand wanted to scale its advertisements to new geographic locations while actively receiving signals that would allow them to respond promptly to developing situations.

We live in a time when consumer preferences are highly changeable, and technology marketing is developing at breakneck speed to keep up with them. Advertisers cannot rely on guesswork. They have to constantly manage the balance between proven methods and the latest fads to outpace the competition. 

Discover 18 hottest trends in digital marketing that will help your brand flourish in this age of innovation. From AR to video marketing to influencer marketing & geofencing, these are the things you can implement today to stay relevant in the future. They will boost the visibility of your website, drive traffic and sales. 

AR

According to Gartner, by 2022, almost two thirds of businesses will be experimenting with immersive technologies, and a quarter of companies will have implemented them in production. Despite the hype around virtual reality, augmented reality (AR) is easier to adopt. It also lets brands create a superior customer experience that drives sales.

For example, Sephora Virtual Artist by ModiFace shows the user how different types of make-up products would look on their face. Meanwhile, IKEA Place overlays the company’s furniture on a photo of a room. You can even move the items around and see how they look from different angles.

AI 

Companies hesitating to adopt Artificial Intelligence may soon find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. AI-driven systems analyze consumer behavior and search, aggregate and condense data from blogs and social media. These technologies help brands understand how users find their products or services and boost visibility. 

For example, the MasterCard chatbot on Facebook uses natural language processing to reply to queries and automate payments. ClickFlow’s Content Editor helps companies optimize content based on data from the top 20 ranking pages. It serves up keywords, subtopics, recommended word count, and more to help them climb to the top of organic search results. Aitarget uses powerful AI tools for cross-platform marketing on social media, including fluid creatives based on real-time insights. 

Voice Search Optimization

72% of consumers who own voice-activated speakers consider them an integral part of their daily routines. Systems like Google and Siri are getting smarter, and voice shopping is expected to reach $40 billion in 2022. As consumers are using such assistants to search for products, voice search optimization is becoming a must for any e-commerce site. 

This novelty can provide a unique experience that fosters brand loyalty. For example, Domino’s lets customers order pizza without phone calls or an app. You can even make PayPal transfers using Siri. Nestlé created a “skill” for Alexa that provides voice instructions as you cook.

Programmatic Advertising

This term refers to automated buying and selling of online advertising. The trend is strong: according to eMarketer, 88% of digital display ads in the U.S. will be programmatic by the end of 2021. A great example is real-time bidding, which is more efficient than manual methods. The format translates into higher conversion and cheaper customer acquisition. 

Brands do not have to use separate platforms to advertise on different channels, and they may use hundreds of targeting signals to tailor their ads narrowly. Manual campaigns consider 3-4 criteria, such as keyword or location. Meanwhile, programmatic advertising platforms may target users according to behavior habits or lifestyle. 

Social Messaging Apps

Did you know that WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat combined have over 4.5 billion users? In Facebook Messenger alone, 10 billion messages are exchanged between individuals and businesses monthly. As social messaging apps are so popular, companies use them to reach their target audience directly, providing a personalized user experience.

If your website has a live chat, customers are more likely to return to it. This is true for 63% of users. In addition, messaging apps will let you deliver valuable information and cultivate contact with your target audience, boost sales, involve customers in events, and provide support.

Shoppable Content

Any image, video, or article may be shoppable, which means it contains a direct link to a buyout portal. This simplifies the journey from discovering products to purchasing them on e-commerce platforms.

This is so much more engaging than standard product descriptions with details, images, and prices. Shoppable content is interactive, and it can tell a captivating story. For example, Instagram users may purchase products directly from a post or story. A similar feature is offered by Pinterest. Brands like H&M are filling their profiles with shoppable posts. Their followers get inspired, discover new products, and buy them directly.

Video Marketing

Research confirms that videos appeal to users more than static images or text. 70% of consumers have shared a brand’s video at least once, while 72% of companies have seen a substantial improvement in conversion rate thanks to video ads. 

This is the most popular way to learn about new products and services. Creating powerful videos is also easier than ever thanks to automation. For example, the Aitarget E-Commerce Tool can generate them from product catalogs in just 45 seconds!

Over half of consumers say that product videos give them confidence in their buying decisions online. This does not only apply to YouTube! Video posts and live broadcasts are now shared on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. 

Instagram Reels

The emergence of Reels was great news for a savvy marketer. They provide twice as much engagement as normal videos and are used for different types of content, from product reviews to behind-the-scenes processes. Instagram also lets you track the performance of these ads using its insights.

Louis Vuitton’s marketers create Instagram reels bound to go viral — each of their innovative videos receives 5 million views on average! When NFL teams’ launched their Reels, they saw 67% more engagement as compared to regular videos. Clearly, this is one of the best ways to grab and retain your customers’ attention. 

Personalization 

Generic advertising is a poor choice, as 63% of users find it annoying. In comparison, personalized emails, recommendations, and products attract 90% of consumers. Personalized videos created by Aitarget help companies maximize their results on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. Personalization works across industries, as accurate targeting ensures relevance. 

For example, EasyJet found that emails with stories based on the user’s travel history had a 25% higher click-through rate. Cadbury’s achieved a 65% CTR when it launched a video campaign matching a Dairy Milk flavor with Facebook users based on their age, interest, location, and other information on their profiles. 

Conversational Marketing

Today, when a consumer has a sales-related query, they expect an immediate response. According to new research published on HubSpot, 82% of users do not want to wait. Conversation marketing caters to their needs, as it is all about building a real-time connection between brands and customers. Thanks to chatbots, brands can build AI-driven dialogue 24/7 across multiple devices and platforms. 

Conversational marketing boosts engagement, as it enhances the user experience through a feedback-based model. Eventually, this translates into higher brand loyalty. Businesses need to incorporate a wide spectrum of channels and adopt the manner of communication their audience prefers. 

Chatbots 

Chatbots that communicate by text and auditory methods are one of the biggest trends. Instant responses to questions from site visitors boost engagement and let companies reduce staff costs. For example, Starbucks’ MyBarista app lets customers place orders through a chatbot using Amazon Alexa or messaging.

Over half — 63% — of users prefer this format to other channels. Chatbots are also multitaskers, as they can provide 24/7 customer support dealing with hundreds of inquiries at once. Today, delegating repetitive tasks to AI is a no-brainer. Companies may also let the AiTarget QModeration tool moderate comments to their ads on social media.

Visual Search

Now, users can upload an image of a product to find where to buy it or find similar goods. Pinterest Lens, Google Lens, CamFind, and Bing Visuals Search turn your smartphone into a visual search bar. The method is used for many categories from fashion to travel. 62% of Millennials prefer it to other novelties.

Now, Pinterest Lens recognizes 2.5 billion objects, and it has been used over 600 million times. Pincodes found in stores and magazines open the brands’ profiles when scanned. Lens Your Look takes the guesswork out of wardrobe planning, while Shop the Look lets you buy products you see in a photo. 

Browser Push Notifications

Most e-commerce sites (85%) use push notifications to boost engagement. Enhanced with images and CTAs, they can bring twice as many sign-ups as newsletters. They let marketers increase the click-through rate despite short attention spans. Push notifications are also resistant to ad blockers, which are now installed on 615 million devices. Meanwhile, ROI may grow by as much as 2,200%!

These notifications are increasingly sophisticated and customized. Personalization shows higher conversions in comparison with generic messages (54% vs. 15%), and a higher open rate (7% vs. 3%). This is a popular way to re-engage users and remind them about abandoned shopping carts.

Automated Email Marketing

Emails are still the most reliable channel of online marketing. They are six times more likely to be clicked on than a tweet, while a CTA button in an email can boost the click-through rate by 28%, according to Backlinko. However, the abuse of mailshots has reduced the efficiency of conventional methods. 

Innovative systems let a marketer send personalized emails based on schedules or triggers. Automated email marketing campaigns show that the brand is not an impersonal entity, which makes customers feel special and brings tangible results. As we have mentioned, EasyJet achieved a higher conversion through email personalization based on every user’s purchase history. 

Interactive Content 

A whopping 91% of customers are actively searching for interactive content. One of the fastest-growing trends of 2021 signifies a shift from text to dynamic, engaging, and immersive forms. These include quizzes, polls, calculators, AR ads, and 360° videos. 

For example, the Single Grain’s Marketing Impact Calculator lets users see how much more money they can make by using the company’s services. Content built for interaction is more memorable, and it makes people feel connected to brands on a deeper level. This means interactive elements will help your brand achieve its goals better than a static image or article. 

SERP Position Zero

Position zero in search results is a great way to win eyes and organic click-through. It refers to the information shown above the first result (not including paid ads), which is also known as a “featured snippet”. It is the holy grail of modern SEO.

Now, you do not need a screen to run an internet search. This year, nearly a third of queries will be zero-click voice searches. In almost 41% of cases, answers come from a featured snippet. This brings VSEO (voice search engine optimization) to the forefront. Brands are competing for space in Google SERPs, as “zero-click search” is used for 62.5% of mobile searches and 34.4% of desktop searches.

Influencer Marketing & Geofencing

Cooperation with influencers helps brands amplify their messages, as these users (YouTube and Instagram personalities or celebrities) have a huge following. This form of marketing is perceived as more authentic, and 63% of consumers trust the opinions of influencers more than ads. 

Another trend is geofencing — the use of radio frequency identification, GPS, Wi-Fi, and cellular data to trigger a text, email, or ad. Starbucks sends push notifications with great deals when the user is around one of its coffee shops. Meanwhile, Sephora’s “store companion” is activated once the customer walks into the store. It shows current promos, discounts, etc. 

Branding

Google aims to provide users with accurate, up-to-date, and authoritative content on any topic. Its E.A.T. (Expertise, Authority, and Trust) ranking factor gives strong brands an advantage, as it prioritizes pages with high-quality content that comes from experts and contains links to trusted sites. 

Over 65% of consumers feel connected to a brand they trust, and companies must focus on building their expertise. Some of the methods are guest posts on leading blogs in their niche, talks at conferences, and applying for industry awards. Author bio at the bottom of published content builds brand recognition and earns trust. 

When everything is set up, you will need amazing images for your creative ads. Let’s get in touch!

Our team of experts in e-commerce advertising will show you cool overlay technology to scale banner production process. Such companies as Adidas, Farfetch and Philips have already tried it, now it’s your turn. Contact us help@aitarget.com

This is more than another marketing strategy. High-quality visual content is an art. It involves the use of different types of media — images, videos, GIFs, and others — to engage with the target audience. Visuals are widely used for promotion on social networks, and they can also maximize the results of SEO campaigns. Did you know that an infographic or video can boost your position in organic search?

Without a visual content marketing strategy, your business is like a ship without sails. At the same time, visual trends come and go quickly, while new platforms and opportunities emerge. We have looked at how successful brands let their photos, videos, and graphics do the talking to come up with the best tips and inspiring examples for 2021.

The Role of Good Visual Content in Advertising

Powerful visual ads convey compelling messages that speak volumes — sometimes, without a single word. They create memorable experiences that help brands reach different goals, from gaining leads to boosting brand awareness. There are three main reasons to integrate visuals into your advertising strategy.

• Visual information has always been more popular and engaging than text.
• It is an effective way to attract and retain the attention of your audience.
• The consumer will remember more information in comparison with static images and text.

Visuals do not only make the textual content more memorable, readable, and adjustable. They help businesses stand out in the wildly competitive digital space, attract new customers and outshine the competition. You cannot afford to ignore the impact of visual ads in 2021. 

Best Practices and Recommendations to Create Visual Content for Advertising

All photos, videos, and graphics must be aligned with the requirements of the platform and the basic principles of design. Aitarget helps businesses create flawless ads to put their vision on display across social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat all have their unique standards, but the fundamentals do not change: 

Alignment of Visuals with Overall Strategy

Visual storytelling must tie in with the rest of your marketing efforts. Focus on consistency and have a clear plan. Masters of visual content create an unquenchable thirst for their products. Consider:

• what you want to achieve
• content preferences of the target audience
• the problems your product/service solves
• if your brand voice is consistent and communicates target values
• what makes your brand and offers unique
• relevant ad performance metrics

The Rules of Design

Well-designed ads do not just draw the eye — they drive the conversation forward. You cannot create them without the know-how, but there are shortcuts — for instance, the Aitarget eCommerce tool generates ads from product catalogs in under 45 seconds. Discover the essentials of design that you can easily master with solutions from Aitarget:

• Include sufficient white space between the elements to give them breathing room. If an image does not add to the visual conversation, remove it. Make sure the ad is clearly structured. 
• Choose colors that correlate to your brand’s color palette and work well together on mobile and desktop screens. Start with a base color and add complimentary colors — you can use an online color-wheel tool to find them.
• Make sure the compression and size are correct to ensure speedy delivery. Consumers are impatient, so they click the back button on slow-loading content. 
• Choose the right spacing and style of font. Otherwise, your ad may be incomprehensible or confusing. Highly stylized fonts should be reserved for large headers, while the bulk of your ad copy should be simple. 

Why Do You Need to Create Interactive Ads for Your Brand? 

Consumer preferences are ever-evolving, so conventional methods like static ads are obsolete. Your marketing team must keep up with the changes in behavioral patterns. Whatever your goal is, be it drawing more awareness or boosting conversions and sales, interactive ads are the optimal choice. 

Visual content can tell an engaging story, which is crucial for capturing the attention of the modern consumer. Brands that also use personalization achieve the best results. Such content retains attention better than generic messages. The Aitarget Video Tool for Facebook helps companies maximize Return on Ad Spend through hyper-personalization.

The more you personalize, the more users pay attention. The longer they interact with your brand, the more likely they are to make a purchase. Here are a few impressive figures from the MAGNA report. Interactive ads may:

• increase user attention by 47%
• increase the time spent with the customers by 300%
• make people 35% likely to interact with your brand and remember it.

Visual ads are effective for any target audience. As the researchers concluded, the figures were consistent for all gender and age demographics, as well as industry verticals. Without exaggeration, visual advertising is a unique opportunity for all businesses. 

Types of Interactive Ads 

All ads must be consistent with the brand’s overall messaging. For example, you may ask the audience for design ideas or promote a new product in an interactive way. Here are three key formats for 2021. 

Video Poll Ads

Brands launch video polls to engage customers and discover their preferences. The results may then be used to optimize the marketing strategy. This is a great way to build ongoing dialogue. There are three models: Poll only, Poll + Watch & Browse, and Poll + Watch & Install. According to Facebook, when users see polls in their feed, it results in higher brand awareness and conversions in comparison with video ads. 

Playable Ads

A simple HTML5-based game experience may drive consumers from awareness to purchase faster. The user can start playing immediately without downloads, so businesses can get their undivided attention. What’s more, as the interaction time is longer, these ads are great for forging and reinforcing your relationship with the audience. 

Playable ads can drive sales, downloads, brand awareness, conversations, and more. The potential is only limited by your imagination. Giants like Uber, Amazon, and McDonald’s have all embraced playable ads.

Augmented Reality Ads

AR lets you create a memorable and emotional experience by letting customers become part of the ad. This takes interaction to a whole new level, bringing products closer to the consumer. Brands may use animations, face filters, or other tools to help potential customers try on their products. 

One popular example is the IKEA Place app, which overlays furniture on a photo of a room. The user may even move the items around and view them from different perspectives. Meanwhile, the Sephora Virtual Artist lets users try on different makeup products without physically applying them.

How to Create Visual Content That’s Worth a Thousand Shares 

To create shareable content, you need an in-depth understanding of the target audience. What needs and values do these consumers have? Here are some of the practices that help brands boost trust and encourage dissemination. 

1. Visual Hierarchy

Every element of the ad must complement the others, and they should form a clear structure. For example, titles, slogans, striking images, and CTAs must all be prominent. Hierarchy leads the user to look at specific elements in a specific order. This guarantees they do not miss the message you want to convey. They can grasp the entire content more easily and decide whether to share it or not. 

2. Evoke Emotions

Humans remember emotionally charged experiences the best. Create ads that spark positive emotions and conversation. Tug on the user’s heartstrings, so your ad will not be easily forgotten. Empathy-driven content shows that your brand can understand and relate to the feelings of its audience. You can find customer stories on social media and bring them to life through visuals.

3. Encourage Sharing

Every ad must include a CTA to be effective. Tell the users what you want them to do. Is it to follow you, share your content, or browse the latest bargains? Encourage dissemination with 1-2 short phrases. Simple encouragement can go a long way. 

4. User-Generated Content

Leverage social proof by asking customers to submit their own content. Humans tend to trust peers more than product shots and promo pitches. For instance, SupplyHouse.com asked Facebook fans to film themselves talking about their trade as part of the Trades Built on Pride campaign. 

5. Repurpose Insights

Adapt your most popular content into compelling visuals, such as infographics or checklists. This makes valuable data-driven information more shareable. Aesthetically pleasing infographics may be turned into snackable bites for social media. 

Visual Content Marketing Is Fast and Easy to Consume 

In 2014, an MIT study showed that it takes the human brain 13 milliseconds to process an image. However, this was the shortest measurable unit researchers could apply. Our brains may be capable of processing visual information even faster. Images are perceived and understood instantly — 60,000 times more quickly than text! 

Most of the information (90%!) received by our brain is visual. Our eyes can process a stunning number of images per hour — 36,000! It takes a fraction of a second to feel the sense of a visual scene (0.1). This means such stimulants trigger faster reactions that are also stronger. Visual ads that evoke surprise, confusion, or other emotions are more effective, as the combined impact is more likely to be remembered. 

Finally, visual ads stimulate engagement, as an image is worth a thousand words, and stories have a strong effect on everyone. Marketing professionals develop stories that are captivating, emotional, and connected to the objectives of the campaign. The user ‘gets’ an image immediately, so why not put that speed to work in your favor?

General Visual Content Statistics

As brands are looking for fresh ways to communicate with their audience more efficiently, visual ads are increasingly popular. According to HubSpot, 70% of businesses invest in content marketing strategies that may include visual content. Here are the key statistical insights.

• Video is the primary type of content marketing media. 
• 25% of marketers are investing in content marketing that promotes products.
• Over a fifth of marketers invest in branded storytelling.
• Professionals devote the most time to content creation for Facebook and their company website.
• One in four marketers finds design and visual content to be the most challenging part.
• 49% of professionals consider visual marketing very important to their strategy, 22% regard it as important, while 19% consider it to be the cornerstone of their strategy. 
• Almost half of the marketers share visual content primarily on websites and blogs, while social media channels come second.
• Most people remember just 10% of the information they heard three days ago. This share grows to 65% if the same information is paired with a relevant image.
• Adoption pays off — 87% of marketers say that videos have boosted traffic to their sites. 

It is hardly surprising that the majority of marketing professionals surveyed by Venngage (63%) believe that over 60% of brands will rely heavily on visuals in 2021 and 2022. Clearly, visual content is a crucial strategic component, and we hope this guide has inspired you to show off your brand’s personality! If you need help, try automatic tools by Aitarget that bring leads and conversions on Facebook, Instagram,Snapchat, and Tik Tok

FAQ

Can you create visual content marketing if you’re not a designer?

Yes! Some designers are born with an aesthetic vision, others are just good learners. Have you heard that creativity can be taught? The design has rules, and those who apply them diligently eventually become proficient. Gradually, these principles become ingrained in their perception. The more you practice, the better you get! There is also a shortcut — Aitarget tools let nonprofessionals create powerful ads easily. 

Is Visual Content Important for Better Results of Advertising?

It is absolutely crucial. As there is so much content online, most users skim-read their feeds. Old methods do not work, as brands need content that captivates in a second. Visuals are unbeatable — these types of information engage and retain attention better than text, and they are also more memorable. 

When you thought that advertisers had been through the worst of the storm, they are dealt with this new card, talk about hitting them when they are already down. In this light, marketing companies have no option but to look for unorthodox means of getting new customers and also keeping tabs on the current ones. 

One option for achieving this is by getting data directly from consenting customers as a Direct-To-Customer (DTC) brand. The whole privacy improvement idea is centered around removing self-attribution networks that have become major players in this field. New features like masking the IP and email address will make it difficult to use them as the only online tracking identifier. For advertisers and marketers, this new update requires different strategies, lets discuss what other implications it has for digital advertisers.

iOS 14.5 + iOS 15 – the Difference

As far as general differences between the two operating systems, there are several updates that come along with the recent version. While most of the features have remained pretty much the same, Apple shifted its focus on new apps and improving some existing features like Siri and Maps. 

But, let’s get away from that, the differences in the updates that make sense to the digital advertiser and online marketers are the improvements on privacy. The recent update essentially builds on iOS 14.5 and comes with three significant upgrades. iOS 15 builds from its predecessor’s tracking dashboard. The App Tracking Transparency feature makes tracking consent-based. The user has full control over the trackers they want to be involved in or not. Users can also see who is collecting data from them through a detailed but easy report. This new update is also putting a stop to email tracking by masking the IP address. The last significant update for privacy is to enable Siri to operate offline to avoid the risk of unwarranted audio recording.

App Privacy Report

In the spirit of putting matters of privacy in the hands of the user, the latest update comes with a detailed yet easy-to-understand privacy report. This report is a summary of how frequently applications use the permissions the user extends to them, for instance, microphone, camera, location, and even contacts. The user can then critically analyze the data and see whether it makes sense to them or not. 

It doesn’t stop here, the report also puts to the fore who their data is shared with by highlighting all the third-party domains associated with the particular application, how often the domain contacts the app, and vice versa. Right from this feature, users have the ability to decide on what to do with the applications that share data with other third-party domains. One possible course to take is to remove all the permissions previously granted by the user. Such detailed reports were not available on other previous updates. This new version affects digital advertisers who depend on third-party domains for data. 

SKAdNetwork Postback Aggregation in iOS 15

It is not all bad with the iOS 15 altogether, it is however good to see that Apple is acknowledging the presence of advertisers in this equation although in a small way. SKAdNetworks are a friendly way of sharing information with the applications on the phone while withholding user and device-level data. Now advertisers have the opportunity to receive copies of winning postbacks that come via the API privacy attribution, SKAdNetwork. 

This particular change is very much welcomed because it gives marketers and advertisers better transparency, what’s more, getting data right from the source is a better option for many advertisers. Once you opt in, you will receive postbacks on every successive install via an ad. This feature is not just beneficial to advertising agencies but also to developers who have been pushing for this feature for the longest time. On the flip side nonetheless, advertisers do not have the control or power over the SKAN campaign ID. The control lies with the ad networks where each network has its own individual mapping.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention

Intelligent Tracking Prevention is not an entirely new feature exclusive for this update, on the contrary, this feature first came into existence back in 2017 as Apple introduced API to Safari. Essentially, ITP changes how advertisers and different websites were accustomed to using cookies to tailor-make advertisements. The owners of different sites and digital advertisers track user’s digital footprints across different domains and from that they are able to personalize ads and campaigns to offer services or advertise goods. 

ITP is evolving and different web browsers are taking the Apple approach by incorporating ITP as part of privacy protection to its users. Firefox has an ITP that blocks and reports back to the user how many cookies have been blocked but doesn’t indicate who placed the cookies. However, Google Chrome is blaming Apple and Firefox for the more harmful approaches to tracking that are now taking shape because of blocking cookies. 

Changes in the New iOS Affecting Digital Advertisers Negatively

Let’s face it, ad performance is the bread and butter of any marketing or digital advertising company, and Apple is not slowing down on strict privacy updates. These privacy control features are giving digital marketing companies a hard time in getting their hands on important conversion data. 

For instance, the API Safari feature blocks cookies from tracking the online activities of users making it difficult for marketing companies to come up with ads exclusive to different individuals. Moreover, the opt-in feature that Apple requires apps to consent to in order to access identifiers from the user is counterproductive since the user can decide not to give certain permission to that particular app or worse still, no permissions at all. 

How do Changes in iOS 15 Affect the Activities of Digital Advertisers?

The current iOS version; iOS 14.5 dealt a big blow to digital advertisers and the latest version; iOS 15 is not getting any lenient to them. In fact, this latest version is coming with more privacy options for users, digital marketers have just been dealt a significant blow. The most significant change in the new version that is going to affect the activities of online advertisers is the Mail Privacy Protection. 

With the introduction of the Apple Mail app, the Mail Privacy Protection will prevent the sender from knowing whether the email sent has been opened or not, therefore, making it very difficult to determine whether that action is linked to other online activities. For online advertisers, email marketing has been essential in their business, giving brands the highest Return on Investment. Considering the footprint Apple Mail app has on all the available devices, the future is not looking too good for digital advertisers. With the Mail Privacy Protection, online advertisers will have a difficult time assessing the relation between email activity and the Return On Investment making business difficult. 

Difficulties Encountered When Working with Versions 15 of iOS

Similar to the previous version, there are a few bugs that mainly affect the general user experience. These bugs, however, were mainly evident on the beta version but the September release promises to take care of the few hitches. Nonetheless, digital advertisers have more than a few hitches to worry about. The whole transition to consumer privacy control is what will bring roadblocks to the business. 

While the previous versions had the identifier for Advertisers  IDFA where advertisers could know what ads to present to a particular user, the new version iOS 15 comes with an option to disable this feature. Technically this is similar to blinding the advertiser, it will be virtually impossible to know what the user’s online activities are and also how to reach them in any network. For the first time ever, this new update gives the users control of what market will have some access to their data and who will not.

Recommendations for Overcoming Difficulties in iOS 15

The silent war between digital marketing and privacy will not end any time soon. However, it is imperative to develop new ways of navigating this murky world that is proving to be a tough nut for online marketers to crack. Regardless, overcoming difficulties for advertisers will mean looking for new approaches to marketing. 

The silver lining in this dark cloud is that marketing will have to take a more valuable approach. Data is like currency, marketers will have to provide value before asking for data. Now, digital advertisers will have to come up with creative ways of reconnecting and building stronger ties with their audiences. Moving forward, it will be necessary to have to show value and accountability before asking for data. Forging more honest relationships with the audience will also mean that their feedback is reliable, transparent, and trusted. 

Now you will be able to curate emails that the recipients want because they will be able to give you their preferences. No more guessing about what users may fancy. The move towards more privacy will help marketing go back to its former glory. Because the information will be willingly given to you by the audience, as a marketer you can now create meaningful and valuable content which is relevant for them. Finally, the best way to get ahead of any situation is to equip yourself with relevant and up-to-date information. Understand the direction marketing is going and also work with other experts in trying to find the best solution that will work for you. 

Direct-to-consumer Brands and iOS 15

D2C brands appear to be barely taking the brunt of the recent iOS 15 upgrade. This is because they are already making use of the direct-to-customer approach that digital marketers will soon have to get into. Right now, direct-to-consumer brands are getting first-hand data from consistent and consenting clients. However, D2C brands have not been relying entirely on consenting clients, to the contrary, they have been relying on social media platforms for advertising and customer acquisition. These brands have been able to critically assess client’s purchasing patterns thanks to detailed tracking. 

So what does the new upgrade have to do with the direct-to-consumer brands? With the new update, D2C brands might still be able to push advertisements but they won’t be able to tell whether clients made purchases through their phones. This will in turn compromise their ability to make better business decisions without the effective data from the advertisements. Now D2C companies have to fall back to their original ways of getting loyal clients who will give them reliable feedback to work with.

Embrace Personalized Messaging

All is not lost yet, despite the new update coming with the Hide my email feature, the mechanism of operation still gives some room for smart advertising. It goes without saying that the online marketing company will not be able to see the email address of the user that has given consent, but they will still have a line of communication. Understanding how to personalize the emails and sending them at the right time is key. Digital advertising agencies need to come up with creative ways they can use to persuade users to share data through this channel. 

For instance, you could offer a discount on sales or services offered if the user agrees to fill in simple and fast surveys. Through this method, digital advertisers can collect valuable data on the user’s preference and purchasing intentions for free. What’s more, this process will also give you accurate information directly from the user which can be relied upon. Moving forward, the digital marketing scene will require deliberate efforts to get the right information using this channel of direct communication to the user. 

Conclusion

Apple isn’t stopping any time soon with the privacy-centered approach. With the soon-to-be-launched iOS 15 updates, more privacy features are expected. This will further destabilize the digital advertising space, but the good thing is that businesses still have ways to work within the system. Through restrategizing and changing tact, digital advertisers will be able to adapt to the soon to arrive upgrade.

No more pausing ads. Use our new product set editor in the Aitarget Tech Tool.

We know that every e-commerce advertiser needs a clear catalog structure. Fast product data management is important for achieving high ROI, especially if the data is constantly being updated.

Facebook allows you to group products into segments according to some characteristics, but you will not be able to make changes to existing sets. Our team at Aitarget Tech developed an add-on to the tool that allows you to edit the existing segments, even if they’re being used in an active campaign. You can replace one product in the product set with another (a seasonal example would be switching out boots for sandals), and you don’t need to pause ads.

All details (the title, image, brand name etc.) are visible in the segment.

We’ve also increased the number of built-in options for creating catalog segments so you can create the segments that best suit your brand. Here are some examples:

• actual price – Discounted price will be shown for the product. When the discount ends, the standard price will return to the ad.
• description – Allows users to select products by keywords in the product description text.
• sale value – Shows the difference between the price and the discount price.

Several parameters can be used to create a segment. If there isn’t a suitable one, you can create your own in our easy-to-use editor.