Today’s rapidly changing world brings about new business challenges, different methods of advertising, the need for newer approaches to stay competitive – making 2023 one very interesting year for marketing. Here are 6 marketing predictions you should be aware of to give your e-commerce business an edge in 2023 and beyond: 

1. Facebook & Instagram Shops will become a mainstream marketplace – competing with Amazon and direct websites. 

If you haven’t been paying attention to Meta’s acquisition strategy to get users to checkout directly on FB&IG Shops – let me catch you up! Over the past year, and more recently during the Q4 holiday 

season, Meta’s been offering 20% discounts when you checkout directly on the platform. The customer pays 80%, Meta pays 20% and the brand gets 100%. Merchant Fees have been waived until June 30, 2023 and one things for sure – IG & FB Shops are a big part of Meta’s strategy moving forward. 

Key takeaway for brands: The good news is that unlike Amazon, you still own your customer data when someone checks out on IG/FB shop (you get their email, address, etc). Brands should be hyper focused on tagging products with their shop, asking permission for UGC content to get tagged in their shop, running Shop ads, and testing shop offers that show up directly in ads. 

2. Google will officially launch Youtube Short Ads and reward early adopters.

Turns out there was still room on the TikTok band-wagon for Youtube to jump on. Although there are some sneaky ways you can advertise youtube short ads right now by targeting mobile only users, there’s no real easy way to currently run this kind of ad. It could be wishful thinking, but I see Youtube rolling out this ad placement in 2023 and rewarding brands and creators designing for this specific platform. 

Key takeaway for brands: I know, I know – one more channel but don’t ignore youtube shorts (or TikTok or Reels for that matter). 

3. The lines between customer service channel and marketing channel will become blurred for SMS (text messaging). 

For brands who are serious about using SMS in a way that actually offers value to their customers, SMS will become a powerful customer experience channel where brand and customers engage in two way conversations. Most brands are using SMS as promotional channel – sending new product updates, welcome offers, discounts and exclusive access. The 2.0 version where this channel will go is similar to a live chat – using a mix of automation and real life human interactions to engage customers, answer questions, provide support and build meaningful relationships. 

Key takeaway for brands: Much like a social media manager position, SMS will become a all hands on deck channel for customer experience. There is a massive opportunity here – don’t be late to the game and use SMS as a one-way promotional channel similar to email newsletters. 

4. More e-commerce brands will add direct mail as a retention strategy 

As CPMs (cost per 1000 visitors) rise across Facebook and Google – and customer’s email and text inboxes become packed to the brims with post purchase messages, e-commerce brands will turn to direct mail to increase touch points with existing customers at a fraction of the cost. 

Key takeaway for brands: This is definitely something to test in 2023. Suprise and delight will always win over intrude and bombard! There’s a huge opportunity to use direct mail as part of a loyalty program. 

5. More influencers will launch their own brands or become equity partners with existing brands 

As building an audience becomes the crown jewel of digital marketing, more influencers will take a stab at launching their own brands, while existing brands will seek influencers as equity partners instead of affiliates. 

Key takeaway for brands: Brands will rarely get a return from influencer marketing with one, two or three off posts, but instead with developing a long term partnership. Similar to a traditional athlete/brand partnership, like Nike, Redbull and the great brands our lifetime do, these partnerships become more successful the more ingrained they become. Kodiak Cakes and Zac Efron is already a great example of this happening. 

6. AI will become an undeniable tool for creatives – saving brands and agencies hundreds of hours of work over the course of a year

As AI tools like Anyword, Pencil and Jasper start to become more normalized in the workplace, and tools with massive user bases like Canva launch their own AI capabilities, creatives will look to optimize their time and lean on these tools to assist the creative process. As rapid ad testing becomes more important, it won’t be a matter of if you’re using a tool, but which one. 

Key takeaway for brands: AI is here to stay. Embrace it. 

There are a few trends that I consider to already be a best practice, but are worth noting such as UGC video content, attribution tracking tools, first party data, surveying customers and prospects, and focusing on your brand experience from first touch point to the first time someone touches your product. Throw these tried and tested strategies into the mix and you’ll have a great advantage over your competitors in the years to come.