The digital world is growing rapidly, and while 2016 seemed less fast-forward, 2017 is ready to ramp it up again. The new year will bring a new set of challenges for marketers and advertisers. Building better user experiences, developing artificial intelligence, gearing up mobiles and creating engaging real time content. 2017 will be the year that further connects the real world to the digital, read below for our top predictions.
1. SSL / https everywhere
Google chrome have announced in January sites that don’t have an SSL certificate will see ‘not secure’ displayed and in the future, this could become a red warning triangle. This could discourage your visitors, read more to find out how you can prevent this.
2. The growth of the mobile
Mobiles have outgrown desktops this year, 51% of sites were visited via a mobile device. 2017 will be the year of mobile importance. You can expect to see googles new mobile index, accelerated mobile pages, progressive web apps. Find out more
3. Progressive web apps
User experience will change for the better, with progressive web apps becoming more common. These apps allow the user to launch regardless of network strength. They are faster, reliable and engaging. These apps are a merging of desktop and mobile, allowing real time content to load instantly. When creating sites, we are no longer creating the desktop website first, we are merging the two so the experiences are the same regardless of the device.
4. Augmented reality marketing
We’ve all heard of Pokémon Go that was released early this year. The success of the game has opened up all different marketing possibilities. Ikea have already played around with AR with a catalogue that allows users to virtually place furniture in their house. Expect 2017 to be filled with this style of marketing especially in healthcare.
5. The rise of artificial intelligence
We are a generation of robot users, whether it’s Apple's Siri, Microsoft’s Cortina or Amazon’s Alexa. We are using these bots more and more in our daily life and you can expect to communicate with robots online to in the near future. Ecommerce brands will need to keep an eye out for developments to see how these bots could change a consumer’s buying journey. Be prepared for the sales associates that never sleep.
6. Addressable TV goes live
Are television advertisements a waste of money? When was the last time you paid attention to a television advert? With everyone watching what they want, when they want from a variety of different devices how do advertisers know they are creating relevant material. Addressable TV is the ability to show different advertisements to different households that are watching the same program. This new idea of advertisement is set to go live this year.
7. Merge of Loyalty cards and smartphone payments
Starbucks were one of the first companies to trial mobile payments and it triumphed. They now have a streamlined app that allows you to order and pay for your drink before you have even entered the shop. The app collectively holds a loyalty card so the consumer gains as well as benefitting the company. Expect to see more of these conjoined apps this year.
8. Less is more
Give users fewer choices when reaching your website. Simplicity is key, allow visitors to quickly get around your site. This can be achieved by having a primary menu item of “Products” instead of listing them all and confusing the user straight away. Don’t let too much choice bewilder people.
9. Google fonts
Google are making big changes this coming year and designers are happy to see this one. They have revamped their font offering, allowing users to preview and use the latest fonts on desktop and online. Allowing for better looking design on any platform.
10. Confident statements
Keep your brand up to date with bolder statements. The content of your website is arguably the most important part. With the developments in fonts and typography allowing for better looking wording, it’s about time it got to the point. Free of waffle and jargon, allow yourself to stand out from the crowd.
11. White space
Expect to see more white space on the internet, we are a planet of scrollers and thankfully this allows designs to be more luxurious with space and padding. No longer do things have to be tiny or on top of each other. People are able to digest sections of your website without having everything crammed into an impossible space, just so you can see it all at once.
12. Native advertising
Online banner advertisements might be a thing of the past very soon. Native advertising doesn’t disrupt user experience and it hides within the content organically. You might miss this advertising unless you look closely.
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