TOP 3 Trends in Marketing and Business in 2021
What role digital technology plays in marketing and business?
In short
- 01Customer service - think ahead
- 02CRM - one year of cooperation
- 03Automation - everything that goes
Trend 1: Customer service - think ahead
This year, more than ever, it pays to think and look toward the future. Either you do, or your competitors will. If you're prepared to capture all the opportunities that come your way and that a change in buying behaviour brings with it, you've practically won. 2021 is the year of the shift to digital technology and online shopping. People in the digital world are looking for information about products, services, or solutions. Everything must be clear, fast, and smooth. They are also looking to create an emotional connection and relationship with a brand they value.
"Customer service is often neglected on online platforms. Yet it is crucial to customer retention. It is significantly more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. Therefore, the importance of contact centres is growing and the emphasis on service is also growing," says Jana Šilarová, Commercial Marketing Manager at Merkle technologies. For example, Salesforce's multicloud solution offers fast and intelligent customer support services.
Trend 2: CRM - one year of cooperation
Innovative technologies are becoming the new key to customer loyalty. Sales and marketing teams must work together. They need to understand their audience better and know what products and services customers currently want and need. Both parties must align their goals and strive for the same thing - how to best sell them the service or product. If these departments aren’t unified, you risk letting your customers down. And that, of course, will affect sales.
The importance of robust CRM systems is thus growing at a meteoric pacerising astronomically. However, CRM is not just a database. If properly integrated with other systems, it is a powerful tool for business management, managerial decisionsdecisions, and operational activities.
Trend 3: Automation - everything that goes
Several studies have previously shown the benefit automation brings to organizations accelerates, streamlines, and connects your business processes. And in the years to come, the need for automation will be more evident than ever. Thanks to automation, some companies have seen up to a 225% increase in sales volume. Now is the time to automate all the processes and activities you can. Accurate data in CRM, sales forecasting, automation in marketing - it's all the way to success.
"In a post-pandemic world, customer behaviour has changed significantly and without automation, some companies are literally collapsing internally under customer pressure. It's not just about efficiency, but basically about survival," says Jana Šilarová.
On the topic of digital technologies and their irreplaceable role in marketing and business, we recommend that you subscribe for our Merkle DACH newsletter.
