Martech Trends 2022: 48 industry experts share their insights

The last couple of years has been at least challenging for most industries around the world. The pandemic’s impact has caused fundamental shifts in consumers’ behavior and brands’ strategy, decision-making, and mentality. For sure this forced companies across all industries and sizes, to adapt or even pivot, in order to survive the market changes but also the cybersecurity challenges the pandemic brought. But although Google recorded a +30% YoY growth in eCommerce sales in 2021, the World Bank predicts global growth to “decelerate markedly” from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.1% in 2022, due to factors such as the rise in inflation, debt, and income inequality.

“The World Bank predicts global growth to “decelerate markedly” from 5.5% in 2021 to 4.1% in 2022.”

So the future is far from bright and with 54% of decision-makers claiming that they spend more than one hour per week reading thought leadership according to Edelman, this data proves that the pandemic has raised the bar so high that every CEO, CMO, director, and the business organization overall, has no time to fall behind. The necessity to continuously monitor and evaluate the key industry trends, both about retail in general and omnichannel retail, and also for MarTech, 365/24/7 is here to stay.

At ContactPigeon we decided to contact 48 marketing industry experts and professionals to share their insights and predictions, in order to spot the top MarTech trends of 2023.

Here is a table of contents to help you quickly navigate through this mini-MarTech report.

Key insights: The top MarTech trends of 2022

The Top 5 Martech Trends of 2022 will be:

• Top MarTech Trend #1: AI/Machine Learning
• Top MarTech Trend #2: AR/VR
• Top MarTech Trend #3: Personalization
• Top MarTech Trend #4: User Generated Content (UGC)
• Top MarTech Trend #5: Voice Search

Other emerging technology marketing trends

• Chatbots
• Blockchain/Cryptocurrency
• Video
• Cookieless Marketing
• Metaverse
• First-Party Data Strategy
• Omnichannel
• NFTs

Other key observations:

• 29% of the experts agreed that AI and Machine Learning technologies will undoubtfully play a significant role this year.
• 31% predicted that VR/AR technologies, Metaverse, NFTs and the Blockchain technology will play a major role in the years to come
• 9% claimed that AI Chatbots will become a vital mix of brands’ marketing strategy.

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Marketing Expert #1: Dr. Saksham Sharda, Chief Information Officer, Outgrow

Since there’s a lot of digital fatigue that’s happened because of the pandemic, one of the biggest trends in 2022 would be the move away from static content like blogs and eBooks, to interactive content like quizzes, calculators, and recommendations. People won’t be willing to spend time on your website to read your tiresome descriptions, instead, they’d expect the value they expect from your website to be served immediately through a piece of interactive content that is able to give them exactly what they are looking for.

Marketing Expert #2: Gosia Hytry, Head of Content, Spacelift

2021 has been a year of NFTs, and 2022 will be the year marketing leaders are going to realize the potential of NFT in marketing. A Non Fungible Token connects all the users via blockchain – it’s a digital bond we all were looking for.

NFTs are very similar to swags the companies have already sent to their loyal customers – but NFTs are digital, making them easier to send and receive. However, the digital assets now have an identification number that can tell whether it’s the original one.

The marketing strategy where companies send digital thank you cards or ‘favorite customer stickers’ when someone consistently buys from the store – now that digital gratitude means something. The customer can actually own that sticker and display it like pride if he likes to.

Using NFTs as community-building is going to be huge in technology marketing in 2022.

Marketing Expert #3: George Mirotsos, CEO, ContactPigeon

Through all these radical changes, the Omnichannel experience has reached a point where it exceeds traditional channels and methods. The benefits of personalization are immense and according to McKinsey studies, it has the ability to generate $1.7 trillion to $3 trillion in new value. This value is achieved with new technologies that have given us the tools to access every piece of information from our phones and as consumers, we have to take advantage of that opportunity. 

Imagine being in the queue, waiting for your turn outside a brick-and-mortar store due to COVID-19 safety policies. Now, imagine that instead of just waiting idly you scan the QR code placed on the storefront and an AR-enabled experience begins. As you browse, an AI-powered chatbot extends your original product search (the main reason you visited the store in the first place) with similar, targeted recommendations. This was made possible via a chatbot that gathered information on past interactions from all the brand’s channels and suggested similar products, tailor-made especially for you and your taste. 

Since even payments can be done through our phones, the only step left is to just pay with your e-wallet and pick up your order. At this point, the consumer made an informed decision, chose an item according to their needs, and bought it on the spot, with no hassle. 

Marketing and technology go hand in hand, therefore every business should align its strategy with the new status quo and adapt to the new trends. Marketers and retailers have to finetune their means and implement them elegantly, consulting data-driven outcomes for increased conversions and brand loyalty. 

Marketing Expert #4: Chelsea Cohen, Co-founder, SoStocked

More businesses will transition to using CRM software that links marketing to sales. Since customer conversions only surface in sales reports, marketing teams often struggle to gauge their campaign performance. The advent of CRM software that integrates both of these departments helps connect inbound strategy to lead generation in a single platform. So it’s likely that Saas companies like HubSpot and EngageBay will see expansions in their client bases next year.

Virtual reality will lead to customer-centric e-Commerce. Online retail comes with its limits – the main one being that we only have digital product showcases. Customers want to see and know about as many features as possible before signing off on a sale. Interactive graphics and customizable online features help buyers engage with your product and feel more secure about their purchase.

e-Commerce platforms will leverage online communities to promote their products. There are hundreds of online social networking groups tailored to varying niches. When we launched new products this year, we posted our announcements in Facebook groups for people seeking discounts and sales incentives; and that boosted our sales.

More businesses might take advantage of these social groups to increase their conversions in 2022.

Marketing Expert #5: Leslie Gilmour, Owner, ServisBOT

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP): are going to be an even bigger trend in 2022. Many sites still fail to offer a seamless experience to mobile users. This is because these sites have many videos, images, and other content that affects the loading speed.

Accelerated Mobile Pages will help them solve such issues. These pages are specially optimized to load at lightning speed. They offer great results without the need to integrate any complex code.

Single Page Applications (SPAs): Users of a multi-page website have to keep interacting with servers to load multiple pages. So, on such websites, reloading is common.

Single Page Applications eliminate the need for reloading, so they will become one of the biggest trends in web development in 2022.

AI-powered tools and AI-content: Content writing tools like SurferSEO and RankMath have started incorporating AI features.

Tools that offer AI-generated content, like Jarvis, will become ubiquitous. What is more, some clients will even start requesting these AI writing tools, especially the ones working in eCommerce where a lot of time goes into writing product descriptions.

But, like everything else, spammers will abuse these AI-powered SEO tools. Because of that, search engines will focus a lot of attention on managing AI-driven posts and pages and they will likely request sites to identify AI-generated content with a new schema.

Marketing Expert #6: Scott Steward, CEO & Founder, Hi Collectors

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Technology is always advancing, and as marketers, it’s important that we keep up with the latest trends. That can be difficult, but it’s worth it to stay ahead of the competition. So, what are the top emerging trends in technology marketing for 2022?

Virtual Reality (VR) is one of the biggest trends right now. It has already been used in gaming and entertainment, but is starting to be used more in other industries, such as education and training. Marketers can use VR to create immersive experiences for customers, which can help them learn or experience products or services before they buy them.

Another big trend is artificial intelligence (AI). AI can be used to personalize customer experiences and recommendations, as well as to automate tasks. Marketers can use AI to gather data about customers and target them with relevant content or offers.

Augmented Reality (AR) is another trend that is growing in popularity. AR allows customers to interact with digital content overlaid on the real world. This can be used for things like product demonstrations, education, or entertainment. AR can also be used to provide a more personalized experience for customers.

Blockchain technology is another trend that marketers should be watching. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that allows for secure, transparent transactions. It has the potential to revolutionize many industries, including marketing.

Marketing Expert #7: Hilda Wong, Founder, Content Dog

Quantum computing. Quantum computing is a form of computing that takes advantage of quantum phenomena like superposition, etc. This was also involved in the prevention of covid-19 and to development of vaccines. It can monitor, analyze and act on data.

Virtual reality and augmented reality. These are the next emerging trends. Virtual reality and augmented reality have provided a comfortable life to individuals. These technologies have the potential in training, entertainment, education, marketing, etc. These trends are also expected to grow in the future.

BlockChain. Many people confuse blockchain with cryptocurrency like bitcoin, etc. but the blockchain is completely different from cryptocurrency. It can be described as data you can only add to, not change or take away.

Marketing Expert #8: Selle Evans, CEO, Masterly

I think the top trends that will emerge in 2022 are:

It’s not new that analytics are one of the most important parts of marketing. But the way we use these platforms to collect information about your prospects and create segments of our audience based on their behavior is an evolving trend.

Information collected is now used to create a personalized journey for each segment. This has proven to be a great way to engage your audience and nurture relationships.

By creating a personalized journey for each segment of your audience, you’re able to increase the engagement level and offer them relevant information.

By implementing automation into your marketing campaign, you’re able to gain better results – as long as you include personalization within the automation

That brings me to the final and most important point – personalized marketing. Use personalized elements within your marketing to ensure your efforts reach their maximum ROI.

Marketing Expert #9: Paige Arnof-Fenn, Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls

The biggest trend is the Metaverse and the investment in virtual and augmented reality technology, it is here to stay and only getting bigger. It will be a completely new vision for interacting with the online world with Meta, Apple and Microsoft leading the way with internet access expanding. Between the new infrastructure bill that passed and SpaceX’s Starlink and other private communications satellite technology, everyone everywhere will have fast internet speeds including rural and developing areas. It will be a game-changer for developing countries and emerging markets too.

Other trends include leveraging AI and automation for increased efficiency focusing on the value created to build strong relationships and communities. There will be a bigger emphasis on Customer Journey Mapping with all the smart technology and data being captured today with a greater understanding of customers, their behaviors, and needs once the product/service is bought and getting their feedback to improve service. With the increase in AI and automation businesses are looking for ways to automate simple and repetitive processes so that teams have more time to focus on complex tasks.

Marketing Expert #10: Roy Morejon, President & Co-Founder, Enventys Partners

A first-party data strategy is a trend to prioritize in 2022.
The future is looking cookieless, and with more restrictions on gathering third-party data, marketers have to shift strategies and prioritize the responsible collection of first-party data. Customer Data Platforms can help identify customers, but only if marketers offer content valuable enough for visitors to accept cookies – instead of looking at this as a restriction, marketers should see it as a challenge to create amazing, personalized content in 2022 and beyond.

Marketing Expert #11: David Sweet, VP of Marketing, Eterneva Inc

Personalization has become a mainstay in marketing as studies have shown that promotions that utilize this technique have higher conversion rates and customer engagement. However, as more companies use personalization, other companies have decided to separate themselves from the pack through hyper-personalization.

Traditional personalization uses info from previous purchases, location, or search engine queries for promotion. Hyper personalization takes it further by taking data collected from business websites, chatbot interaction, or even internal searches, to create a customer profile. This allows for highly detailed marketing in which individualized customer needs are addressed. With high conversion rates and better customer retention, it will continue to trend in 2022.

Marketing Expert #12: Sean Kelly, Co-Founder, BookRetreats

Voice search

In 2021, voice search shows no sign of slowing down. Some households talk to Alexa, Siri or Cortana more than they speak to family members. The popularity of voice search both at home and on our phones has led to one of the most significant shifts in using keywords. I believe that in 2022, this digital trend will become even more popular.

Chatbot

Chatbots leverage AI technology to provide automated human-like messages to web visitors in real time. The benefits that our prospect love is 24/7 customer service, instant responses to inquiries, and answers to simple questions. As more consumers become accustomed to chatbots, they will become increasingly crucial for a positive customer experience.

Marketing Expert #13: Aanchal Padmavat, Marketing Associate and SEO Specialist, WriteCream

I believe that the next few years are going to be very exciting with digital marketing, as so many new technology marketing trends are emerging. Some of these trends include the speed of innovation, the new tech-savvy consumer, the shift to a more data-driven marketing process, and the rise of social/influencer marketing. So, here are some technology trends suggestions that I think are going to be crucial in 2022.

Business and Support Technology Powered by Artificial Intelligence

I think that AI systems have been extending just what is imaginable in the world of digital marketing for quite a while, but over the next few seasons, we may witness exponential jumps about what this technology can do.

As machine learning systems get more advanced and can mimic humankind with almost eerie precision.

Chatbots certainly take favor of this trend without putting unnecessary strain on our workforce and facilities. Marketing is becoming more communicative and individualized, and chatbots offer us to enjoy the benefits of this trend without putting an extra burden on our staff and equipment.

Artificial intelligence is also being employed in advertisements.. While it hasn’t yet reached human creativeness, Google is already using AI to improve campaigns by recognizing the most effective ad styles and language and automatically changing based on user interaction.

Everything is powered by voice

As we’ve seen, voice assistants have been out for a while, but they blew off in 2017 and 2018, as people mastered their fears of speaking to their smartphones and a slew of new consumer gadgets, such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, reached the mainstream.

I don’t think there’s a reason to believe that the portable trend will slow down, people will increasingly want to connect with their gadgets via hands-free technologies. Voice search is thought to fuel more than half of all search inquiries.

Marketing Expert #14: Steven Walker, CEO, Spylix