How retailers are preparing for the 2021 holiday season
So what can you expect to see from Facebook, Twitter and the rest in 2022? With the pandemic disruptions easing, it seems a little easier to predict the next stages, with more stable pathways appearing – though our predictions for 2020 and 2021 were also fairly accurate, even amid the chaos.
There’s certainly a lot happening – here’s a platform-by-platform overview of key trends you can expect to see take shape in the 12 months ahead.
FacebookDespite rising challengers, and a steady stream of controversies (both real and invented), Facebook remained atop the social media heap in 2021, with its 2.9 billion active users dwarfing all others, and forming the largest interconnected network of humans ever created.
The platform may be losing touch with younger audiences, but it also continues to expand into markets, offsetting any major usage declines, while it also continues to add new ad tools and business options to build a more complete platform, and facilitate the next stage of brand connection.
And that’s before you consider its move into VR, and the evolving metaverse concept. It still faces challenges, of course, and various investigations around the world, but Facebook looks set for more growth as it continues to develop in more, and different ways.
Here are the key elements of development for The Social Network.
eCommerce focus
Facebook made a big push into eCommerce at the start of the pandemic, with the introduction of Facebook and Instagram Shops, providing another way for retailers to connect with their audiences.
Facebook Shops
In-stream shopping has since become a key element of focus for the platform, and in 2022, you can expect to see Facebook expand this even further with more shoppable posts, streamlined payment processes (potentially through the development of Facebook Pay and its own Diem digital currency), improved product discovery and more alerts for buyable products in-stream.
Live shopping will also be a key element of focus. Live-stream shopping has become a key trend in China, with the value of China’s live-commerce market rising some 280% between 2017 and 2020, and now on track to become a $423 billion market by the end of next year. Facebook sees similar potential in western markets, and with the general consumer focus more firmly aligned on eCommerce, now is the perfect time for Facebook to make a bigger push as it looks to make live-commerce a bigger element.
It’s already experimenting with this, and you can expect to see this become a bigger focus.
Facebook’s also working to become a foundational element in the digital infrastructure of emerging markets, with eCommerce also set to play a big role in this shift. Given this, you’re going to see even more shopping tools slowly merging into the Facebook experience over time, as it works to integrate more utility into the platform to counter likely losses in ad spend.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has already staked his claim to the Metaverse shift, which, theoretically at least, could provide a means to integrate its various social media and evolving tech projects.
Expect to see the next stage of Facebook’s AR glasses, more specifically integrated with Instagram, along with the emergence of more interactive tech, like wristband control for AR overlays and next-level social and workplace tools for its Oculus VR headsets.
If Facebook can own the trending Metaverse space, that will be a big win for its future ambitions, and it’s already building the foundations in this respect.
The recent ‘Facebook Files’ expose looks set to be a significant moment, not so much in terms of the revelations about the company (many of which we already knew or suspected), but in regards to the extent that Facebook itself is aware of the negative impacts it’s apps can have, and the efforts it’s then made - or not - to rectify such.
Will Facebook look to address these key areas, even if such action would run counter to its business interests?
As Facebook eyes the next stage of digital evolution, moving beyond the Facebook platform itself, I suspect we’ll see more willingness from The Social Network to experiment with things like reducing political content in News Feeds and giving users an option to switch off the algorithm, either by an easy, Twitter-style toggle, or an alternate, swipeable timeline.
Removing algorithmic amplification was a key recommendation made by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, and by providing this as a simple, optional feed alternative, that may well prove to be the easiest way forward, in that:
a) It gives users more control, which shows that Facebook is working to address this, and
b) Because most people won’t use it anyway, which lessen the impact for the company.
Facebook News Feed alternatives
Facebook has tried this in the past (as per above), but I suspect we’ll see more prominent, more user-friendly feed alternative options soon, which will make it even easier for users to control this element - or at least feel more in control of their in-app experience.
Building digital identity
Another key step that you can expect to see Facebook take action on in 2022 is digital identity, and building a bridge between your
Trust the system
In regards to Facebook ads, ‘trust the process’ will be key refrain, with Facebook urging ad partners to rely more on its machine learning processes to guide spend, as the impacts of Apple’s ATT update continue to muddy the attribution waters.
Facebook’s working to build systems that’ll help brands to maintain ad effectiveness, despite data restrictions, and it’ll increasingly be looking to highlight key examples which show that it can still provide good results, but the learning period for each campaign - the early stage where it’s systems are testing and iterating results based on user response - will now be more critical than ever.
Facebook will continually push for advertisers to run longer campaigns, and to be patient, while marketers will increasingly move to a hybrid reporting approach, using Google Analytics and other methods to track response (don’t be surprised to see Facebook try to make a push on in-store QR code scanning as well, as a means to provide more direct attribution).
But eventually, with Page reach in decline, along with campaign results in many cases, more marketers will look to rising alternatives, like TikTok and YouTube CTV ads, to replace Facebook ad spend. That will impact the company’s bottom line, though it’ll be working to replace those losses with eCommerce tools, while also pointing to the next stages of digital connection.
TwitterTwitter has adopted a new, faster development timeline, which has seen it add a lot more features over the past 18 months - though many of those new updates have also fallen flat or had little overall impact.
Still, Twitter’s numbers continue to improve, both in terms of engagement and revenue. And while there are key elements that will require more focus, it is theoretically on track to meet its ambitious growth targets, which it announced earlier this year, in response to a group of activist investors taking up Twitter board seats and calling for significant improvement, or the replacement of the current management team.
In other words, Twitter needs to improve, or Jack Dorsey and Co. could soon be out of the job. So what’s Twitter going to do in 2022 to build on its momentum?
Shopping via tweet
Twitter, too, is developing its eCommerce options as it looks to tap into the rising mobile shopping shift. It’s already testing new shop elements on its Professional Profiles, its variation of business pages, along with direct, in-stream buying from tweets.
Twitter eCommerce
Will that work out?
It largely depends on how accustomed users are with spending money in-app, which is another element of its creator monetization push. Getting money for creators is one thing, but building habitual behaviors - i.e. getting Twitter users used to paying money in the app - is another consideration, and that could extend to in-stream purchases if Twitter can get it right.
Expect to see Twitter’s in-stream buying tests ramp up in the second half of next year.
InstagramFacebook’s other social app has become a key player in many aspects, though it’s hard to tell whether Instagram is still growing, considering it hit a billion users in 2018, and it hasn’t posted an update to that figure ever since.
The platform continues to chase trends, be they Snapchat or TikTok-originated, with varying levels of success, and it remains popular with younger users. But there are also some potentially concerning signals coming out of Instagram HQ – and that’s before you consider the reports of the app’s negative impacts on mental health.
What’s in store for IG in 2022?
Instagram Shopping
Ideally, Instagram wants all items in all posts to be shoppable, or at the least, able to guide product discovery, and it’s working on object identification tools, in still images and video, to facilitate exactly that.
Expect to see more shopping options being tested in IG through the year, including advanced product search by image, product discovery panels in the main feed and a big push on live shopping, the same as Facebook.
That’ll also provide more monetization pathways for creators, and build a new usage focus for the app in developing markets.
Variable focus
I’d half expected Instagram to try this out in 2021, but with video becoming even more of a focus, I’m more confident that this, eventually, is where the platform is headed. Soon, Instagram will give users the option to open the app to their latest Stories or Reels, as opposed to the traditional feed of image and video posts.
Video engagement is already dominant on the platform, while Reels is its fastest-growing element. Given this, it makes sense for Instagram to put more focus on these formats, and I expect to see it first start with an optional Stories/Reels home screen option, before, eventually, retiring the traditional feed altogether.
Users would still be able to post still images in this new state, you would just share them to Stories instead, which would then remain on your profile by default. Then you’d open to a variable Stories/Reels feed, leaning into the engagement of both.
That’s a big step from the app’s origins, but broader user behaviors point to these being the future, and if Instagram wants to stay in touch, it needs to move away from the original focus.
eCommerce would be the only area in which traditional static posts are used.
Snapchat
Despite being much smaller, in terms of user count, than its competitors, Snapchat has established a valuable niche within the social media marketplace, becoming a key platform for more intimate connection and community, while it’s also facilitated new trends in content consumption via shorter, snackable shows and content.
That will play a key role in Snap’s next stage, while it also remains a leader in AR, despite clear disadvantages in this respect.
Here’s what’s on the horizon for Snap.
Keeping up with the big boys
As noted, Snapchat has long been the leader in AR tools and capacity, and while the bigger, and better-resourced platforms are now taking more interest, I expect Snap to maintain its position at the top of the space.
Which seems like it simply won’t be possible, given that Facebook and Apple, among others, are now developing AR glasses and advanced tools. Surely Snap can’t keep up with the pace of development, purely from a resource standpoint.
There are two reasons why I have faith in Snap here. First, Snapchat is just better at understanding its audience, and it’s consistently shown that it has far more creative and cultural nous, which has enabled it to build industry-leading AR experiences while other platforms have flailed, despite technical advantages.
Snap’s able to tap into, and even lead trends in ways that the bigger players are not, and that, in many ways, is a key commercial advantage in the evolving, creative digital landscape.
The second reason is that Snap has a defined path, and it’s not deviating from it by chasing trends. Snap decided many years ago that AR was its future, when it announced that it was a ‘camera company’ not a social app, and it’s been developing its own AR tools since then - which could, in fact, enable it to release its own AR glasses on a similar timeframe to the bigger players, despite having far less development and production capacity.
What Snap does have is an established production process, via Spectacles, while Snap also has a strong relationship with Apple, which may still yield and jointly developed, fully AR-enabled version of Spectacles in the near future.
Facebook’s collaboration with Ray Ban certainly looks promising, but don’t count out Snap as being a major player in the next stage of AR connection.
PinterestOf all the major social platforms, Pinterest may actually have been the biggest winner of the pandemic-led eCommerce shift, with many more users turning to the app as a replacement for the shopping mall, and a means to discover new products and trends.
The challenge now for Pinterest is to capitalize on that push, and ensure that the new users that it’s gained as a result of the pandemic don’t suddenly drift off as physical stores re-open.
So how will Pinterest do that?
Video content
Like all platforms, Pinterest is working to align with consumption trends by adding in new video display formats, including Stories, with a Pin-specific spin in each case.
Expect to see Pinterest expand on its TikTok-like options, specifically, with its coming ‘Take’ option, which will enable users to respond to Idea Pins with their own variation or attempt - the first of various trend-style tools that Pinterest will test to see how users respond.
Pinterest will also continue to highlight video content - a key note for Pin marketers - and also watch for AR placement options that will enable users to see what certain products will look like in their homes.
Live-shopping
Live-streaming is not a part of Pinterest’s product suite at the moment, but with the expanded push on live-stream commerce, following the lead of Asian eCommerce trends, you can expect this to also be added into its Idea Pin options, likely late Q2 next year.
Pinterest live-streaming
As you can see here, Pinterest has already tested its own variation of the format, and if live-shopping takes off as many predict, Pinterest will need to step up, and with the platform’s broader push into video, it seems like an obvious fit.
Simplified process
A big focus for Pinterest has been making it as easy as possible for businesses and merchants to plug their product catalog into the platform, facilitating more buyable Pins, with stock and price info updating in real-time. The platform already has integrations with Shopify and other eCommerce platforms, and you can expect to see it both expand its partnerships, while also offering even easier connection options on this front, helping more brands list on the platform.
This is a key focus to make products more universally accessible, and the more Pinterest can improve on this front, the better.
TikTokThe new big player on the market, with usage that now rivals Instagram. TikTok continues to go from strength to strength, and despite lingering concerns about its connection to the Chinese Government, it looks set to become an embedded part of the broader social landscape – and as such, a key consideration for all digital marketers.
Here’s what you can expect from TikTok over the next year.
Shopping spree
While TikTok continues to expand, and has now surpassed a billion active users, its key challenge still lies in effective monetization, both for the platform itself and for its top creators. If creators can’t make money in the app, they’ll find other platforms that will reward them for their efforts, with direct monetization in longer videos - via pre and mid-roll ads - a much easier, more equitable process in this respect.
TikTok can’t compete with this type of direct revenue generation, based on each individual video’s performance, so it needs to facilitate eCommerce and branded partnerships as much as possible, in order to maximize its earnings potential.
It’s already working on this, with various eCommerce tests and its Creator Marketplace to facilitate sponsored content, and you can expect to see even more of these options arriving in the app through 2022.
TikTok Walmart live-stream
This is a fairly safe prediction, given that this is already how TikTok’s parent company ByteDance monetizes Douyin, the China-specific version of TikTok. These types of eCommerce listings are now the biggest driver of revenue on Douyin, and this is exactly where TikTok is also headed, with more in-stream buying and revenue share options, facilitating more opportunity for creators and brands alike.
Trendjacking
Understanding TikTok is key to marketing success in the app, which is also the most significant barrier of entry for brands. On other social apps, marketers can generally re-jig their promotions from broader campaigns, and fit them into each offering. But that doesn’t work on TikTok, which requires a dedicated, platform-specific, minimally disruptive approach.
Because of this, TikTok is working to provide marketers with more ways to tap into the latest trends, and you can expect to see even more options on this front in 2022.
This will most likely come via updates to its ‘Top Ads’ and ‘Creative Center’ showcase platforms, which highlight rising trends and examples, while you can also expect to see more simplified brand tools to help marketers more easily latch into the latest viral memes.
That won’t necessarily make it foolproof, as it all, essentially, comes down to your creative, but TikTok will look to facilitate trend jacking as much as it can via automated means, and/or through creator partnerships.
Expect to also see TikTok providing enhanced options for custom branded hashtag trends and structured ways to build video challenges into campaigns.
Live-streaming for the win
This will come as little surprise, seeing as though I’ve noted it in every other eCommerce element, but TikTok too is looking to facilitate more live-stream commerce in the app, and more live-streaming in general to expand user behaviors.
You’ve likely already noticed this, with a steadily increasing flow of live-stream broadcasts coming into your ‘For You’ feed, and soon, more of these will be from brands, about products aligned with your interests, and featuring the creators you engage with most to lure you in.
TikTok’s feed algorithm is very good at showing you more of what you like. Does that extend to products too? You’ll find out over the next 12 months.
Also, TikTok shops are coming, building on its brand profiles (which are already present in Douyin).
Original article written by Andrew Hutchinson
Content and Social Media Manager
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/26-predictions-for-social-media-marketing-in-2022/608443/
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