A few great resources today.
First, a fantastic analysis of how the post-COVID DTC (direct to consumer) landscape is going to look like.
Then a monster of a report on digital (300 pages, with 100+ linked reports for each country separately) and a great list of learnings on how to make your landing page convert, with examples.
And a gallery of ATT prompts, where you can see how apps and websites deal with a new reality of Apple’s privacy measures update.
Enjoy!
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Five Challenges to Ecommerce on the Other Side of COVID [Common Thread]
Amid the joy of COVID’s defeat and coffers of cash, here are five reasons the next phase of ecommerce will be more tempest than tidal wave:
Broken Compasses: When Growth Isn’t Linear
Forecasting in COVID might as well have been the Riemann Hypothesis: an unsolvable riddle with no historical precedent.
In 2020, global ecommerce growth rates hit 27.6% — the largest single-year gain ever.
Replicating or exceeding those numbers without the nation-wide lockdown will prove incredibly difficult.
Many brands still set their revenue and forecasting expectations on YoY growth. Linear models worked until now because the industry itself followed that path.
However, the moment your algebraic growth rate goes parabolic, YoY forecasting might as well be throwing darts blindfolded.
Sirens Calling: When the ‘Real’ World Returns
During COVID, online commerce devoured an unrealistic share of consumers’ wallets. Digital spending increased in virtually every category.
Soon, there will be a major shift away from the objects of lockdown — online socializing, online meetings, online shopping — and back to the IRL experiences of pre-COVID life. The mall outings. The Disneyland vacations. The softball leagues.
The question is how much remains online.
Slacked Sails: When Facebook Loses Its Edge
Facebook loses its edge as an effective acquisition channel. Restrictions on targeting, new Apple iOS update with privacy measures, problems with attribution, crumbling cookies.
Giant Sea Monsters: When Legacies Wake Up
The new DTC landscape:
COVID woke up a nest of sleeping sea monsters that are now lumbering within your pond.
With their shiny new websites and “strategies” also come hundreds of millions in ad dollars. Every one of them competing for social-media feeds, search-engine results, influencers, and wallets.
Oftentimes, ecommerce competition comes down to who can afford to spend the most to acquire a customer.
These monsters can measure payback periods in years, not days.
Hordes of Tiny Piranhas: When Death Comes by a Thousand Bites
The hordes of tiny competitors popping up every 28 seconds in every category that threaten death by small, painful nibbles.
Survival in this world becomes costly. In a sea of sameness, winners will be defined by:
- Intellectual property
- Owned audiences
- Pricing power
- Brand affinity
Digital 2021 – Global Overview Report [Hootsuite] [PDF]
The latest insights into how people around the world use the internet, social media, mobile devices, and ecommerce. Very comprehensive, 300-page report.
Inside, also links to detailed reports for each country.
Wild stats:
- +7.3% internet users in one year (worldwide)
- +13.2% active social media users
17 learnings to help your landing page convert [Twitter]
Blake Emal audited 500+ websites over the past 6 years.
Here are his 17 learnings to help your landing page convert:
- Product GIFs are your best friend
- Make the headline count
- Don’t be clever, be clear
- Inject social proof in your copy
- Only use imagery that moves the story along
- Increase site speed ASAP
- Video social proof wins
- Make it about the user
- 1 CTA only (if possible)
- Make it interactive
- Keep the home page focused (it shouldn’t be your “everything page”)
- Keep the overall design simple
- No buzzwords, just value props
- Create an ideal above the fold (Menu, H1, Subheader, Button, and a tiny bit of social proof should all fit above the fold)
- CTAs should do exactly what they say
- Make your pricing easily accessible
- Delight with micro-interactions
Each point in the thread is illustrated with an example or a gif, plus an explanation.
A gallery of App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompts [ATTprompts]
Before you go ahead with your ATT prompt implementation, check out what others came up with. Loads of examples.
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Until next Thursday!
Radek Sienkiewicz
PS. I don’t track your “activity across other companies’ apps and websites” so you don’t get a pop-up from me. You’re welcome 🎩👌
