One of the most remarkable trends over recent years, and which intensified in 2017, is the way that consumers have taken to new technology. No post Christmas lunch snooze for me. There was chatting to some of my family in Kyoto for a while, then moving westwards to Lucerne for a magnificent live view of mountains. Those I saw face to face were keen to show me the latest apps which would allow me new experiences.
One factor that was apparent was that the preferred form of messaging is personalised. Various chat bots were demonstrated to me ad nauseum, with the weather being popular. We now choose the nature of the information we receive. Such details as when, where and how are no longer subjects chosen for us.
A quote I read with regards future trends is that they are here now, just not evenly distributed. To a great extent this is spot on. Everyone, and that includes me, agrees that for email marketing personalisation, the big trend in 2017, will be a bigger trend in 2018. Or, to put it simply, we haven’t seen the best of it yet.
The last 12 months has seen a massive development of control by the individual, which is a facet of the most significant trend, that of interaction. For exploiting our email marketing lists, this is excellent news as the more information our customers allow us the more we are able to target effectively.
This means big data, again a prediction for 2017, will continue into 2018, making automation vital. Artificial intelligence will make decisions instantly that even a couple of years ago would have required a meeting of minds. Not only that, the conclusion would have been a best guess.
No one can predict the future with enough precision for detailed planning. It is probable, almost certain, that chat bots, automation, personalisation, video and social media will play a bigger part in email marketing. After all, that’s what was predicted last year, and it was proved correct. They could well be the next big thing. The one plan that is required for 2018 is the flexibility to respond quickly.
