Online trends for 2019: from web video to micro-moments

Although the year isn’t over yet, we’d like to take a look into the future. Because the question we’re already grappling with is: what does 2019 have in store for us?

We can’t say for certain yet, but we can make a few predictions. In this article, you’ll read what we think is about to happen and we’ll outline what the ever-changing online marketing landscape might look like in a few months’ time.

The internet is catching up with television

Research by Zenith Media shows that 2019 is the year in which the internet will overtake television in terms of the number of hours spent watching. It is expected that next year, people will spend an average of 170.6 minutes a day on online activities, such as watching videos on YouTube, sharing photos on Facebook and browsing online shops. Slightly less time will be spent watching the telly, namely 170.3 minutes.

There is a possibility that, as a result, companies will spend less on television adverts and that more businesses will focus on web video, social media and online adverts.

Voice search is on the rise

Did you know that today, almost a third of the 3.5 billion searches Google processes every day are voice searches? This figure is set to rise. More and more people are using Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant. The ability to recognise human speech has therefore improved significantly. This makes it increasingly convenient to search for specific information on the web in this way – for example, if you’re busy at home and something pops into your head that you want to know straight away. Speech recognition technology is expected to continue improving and growing. How will businesses adapt to these changes? We’ll have to wait and see!

Live video continues to grow

In 2016, 2017 and 2018, live video services on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram saw a significant surge in popularity. In 2016, more than 80 per cent of internet users watched more live videos than in the previous year, likely as a result of the rise of more modern streaming services. Ensure that your brand capitalises on this trend where possible. For example, people say they are more likely to attend an event or buy tickets for a concert if they have watched a livestream of a similar event online.

Micro-moments are reshaping the customer journey

These days, consumers are bombarded with adverts, offers, push notifications, emails and much more. Every day, all the time. We’ve actually reached the point where we can no longer properly process all that information. Capturing the target audience’s attention is becoming increasingly difficult. This is where micro-moment marketing comes into play.
A micro-moment is a new type of consumer behaviour. It occurs when someone turns to a device – usually a smartphone – to learn something, do something, find something out or make a purchase. There are many different types of micro-moments; according to Google, a user experiences a micro-moment on average 150 times a day.

Why are these moments so important? People generally decide instantly what to buy, where to go or which restaurant to eat at, which gives you just a single second to grab their attention. Micro-moments work because they provide consumers with exactly the right information they need at that precise moment.

These four trends are just the tip of the iceberg. Although it isn’t yet 2019, make sure you stay ahead of the curve and use these tips now to future-proof your business for the ever-changing online marketing landscape.

To be continued...