7 ecommerce predictions for 2015: The ‘do-or-die’ year: Criteo
Even though the ecommerce business battles with challenges – logistically, in structuring growth or in understanding rules – everyday, in the year 2015, the stakes grow higher. The online shopper will become key to the brick and mortar players as well highlighting the need for an ecommerce play for all.
Taking a closer look at what can be expected in the year ahead, Criteo’s ‘2015 Ecommerce Industry Outlook’ highlights key trends that will have a significant impact on marketing strategies and investments in context to consumers’ online shopping behaviours.
The seven predictions include:
#1. Mobile share of online sales grew steadily in 2014. This year we expect mobile devices to account for 40 per cent of ecommerce transactions globally, and more than 50 per cent in the developed markets.
#2. In 2015, the complexities around cross-device advertising will disappear with the availability of more precise exact-match methods. Enhancing cross-device capabilities will be a major focus as 58 percent of retail executives and ad agencies rank the technology as the most important of their 2015 mobile marketing efforts. With cross-device advertising, retailers will be able to differentiate between existing users and new prospects and better understand their shopping behaviour across desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
#3. Programmatic buying will drive rapid growth in native advertising. With programmatic buying, native ads implementation will become a lot easier than it used to be. Also, publishers will be able to charge higher CPMs (cost per millions) as native ads perform better than IAB standard ad units, especially on mobile.
#4. Ecommerce will become ‘do or die’ for brick-and-mortar retailers in 2015 as they experience the increasing impact of shopper ‘webrooming’ and ‘showrooming’ behaviour.
#5. Retailers will put heavy emphasis on app re-engagement as 42 percent of retail executives and ad agencies rank consumer engagement as the primary goal of mobile app strategies.
#6. Automated ad formats will offer even greater flexibility. This technological shift will allow advertisers to effortlessly access a significantly greater part of the inventory available around the world and make it a lot easier to scale campaigns internationally. For publishers, this change is synonymous with more freedom to innovate and offer new ad formats.
#7. Acquisitions and consolidation will continue to intensify in the ad tech industry. This consolidation will make it simpler for ecommerce marketers to identify marketing solutions that meet their objectives.
“2015 will be a dynamic year for the ecommerce industry as consumer online shopping behaviour continues to evolve at a rapid pace. The growth in time spent across multiple screens means marketers need to manage more complexity when targeting consumers. Advertisers who stay ahead of the curve by making sound investments in solutions like cross-device targeting and mobile-optimised websites and apps will be best positioned to meet consumer demand and generate sales,” said ,” said Eric Eichmann, President and COO, Criteo.
