Digital research firm eMarketer keeps a keen eye on emerging trends in the online world (around the world), so their predictions of what will happen, and won't happen, in 2016 are worth noting.
What Will Happen
- Consumers will make more use of voice-activated search and digital personal assistants. They'll expect, in return, that information from companies will be available in speech-based forms.
- Messaging apps will grow in importance, with a significant push by Facebook's Messenger and Whats App applications.
- Mobile payments will flourish as such apps become standard on smartphones and broadly accepted by retailers.
- Mobile shopping will continue to expand as consumers become more comfortable with mobile buying.
- Younger consumers will increasingly share personal data with marketers.
- Facebook will become almost entirely a mobile channel.
Read more about what will happen here.
What Won't Happen
- A broad, permanent solution to "ad blocking" is not likely to emerge in 2016.
- A "viewable impression" will continue to be debated, hampered by the complex issues raised by desktop vs. mobile.
- Facebook will grow in its video component, but it won't put YouTube out of business.
- Facebook penetration will hold steady among younger users, despite predictions to the contrary.
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