4 Marketing Trends Guiding Summer 2021

Shoppable UGC

Shoppable content serves brands in a variety of ways (most notably being that it removes the number of steps to purchase). And it also shows up in a variety of forms from videos to blogs to website content. As the rise of social media has coincided with the rise of e-comm, 81% of people begin their buyer’s journey on Instagram, a pioneer in social commerce. Now we’re seeing how much value there is in combining shoppable content with user-generated content.

Consumers are less interested in polished product images, instead becoming the content creators that allow brands to authentically show consumers using their products (70% of consumers say they trust UGC more than branded content). It’s an economically smart move, giving brands more visuals at a faster rate and lower cost, and nearly 80% of consumers say it highly impacts their purchase decisions.

Cult CPG Products on TikTok

The TikTok cult phenomenon is having a measurable effect on sales for many CPG brands, with the cleaning, beauty and apparel markets seeing the biggest impact so far. Products that in the past would have been labeled “as seen on TV” are now “as seen on TikTok”—Amazon even created a new page on its website for “internet famous” products that are the latest to go viral.

The Pink Stuff, a TikTok-famous cleaning product with 111 million tags, is now sold out everywhere. And a glowing TikTok review of EOS’s shea butter shaving cream went viral (18 million+ views), causing the product's sales to increase 25 times and sell out in stores around the US. They even introduced a limited edition line of shaving creams inspired by the viral TikTok.

Innovation Investments

Q1 and Q2 sales reports from major retailers are showing good news—brands are bouncing back post-pandemic. Even more exciting? They’re investing that money back into innovation and creative initiatives. One place this is showing up is the re-rise in concept stores. Dick’s Sporting Goods, for example, has set a focus on experiential stores with batting cages, climbing walls, health and wellness centers, and more following high e-commerce performance in Q1 (10% rise in net sales and a 100% increase in e-comm sales).

Another retail innovation investment on the rise is augmented reality, such as Sephora's latest Google-enabled "Dream Vanity" that allows customers to try on makeup virtually. We expect both of these trends to stick around, as a 2020 Shopkick survey found that 82% of consumers are more inclined to purchase an item after seeing, holding or trying a product in a store.

The Value of Email

As exciting and innovative as new ways of reaching audiences are, it’s also important not to underestimate the value of channels that have been around the block a time or two. Especially as the digital world sorts out what will replace the third-party cookie, it’s more important than ever to have streams of obtaining your own first-party data. One of those ways is through email marketing.

According to HubSpot, 73% of Millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email and 59% of consumers say emails influenced their purchase decisions. Another sign that email marketing isn't going anywhere is that major brands like Amazon and Facebook have recently invested in its future—Amazon is currently piloting a tool to help its sellers launch email campaigns, and Facebook is set to launch its own tools that will allow users who sell on Facebook to take advantage of email marketing.