Digital marketing trends and
predictions for 2022

2022 brings a desire for escapism, personalisation, interactivity, and immersion as we move from pandemic to endemic. Ahead of our New Year celebrations, we sat down, scoured the internet, and read over 50 articles with predictions for 2022 from business journals and magazines to newspapers and specialist blogs across a number of fields. We’ve then distilled those 55,000 or so words into 10 key takeaways.

“Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.”

— Karl Lagerfeld

Top 10 for 2022

5 data driven takeaways

AI will guide content personalisation and chatbot responses through better natural language selection
Data regulation: First party data is making a comeback
Sustainable web design: The web goes green
API integrations: From hyper-automation to security improvements
Greater need and importance in real-time data insights

5 design centric takeaways

Gamified and intuitive visuals are changing content
Designs will let people travel and breathe in a post-pandemic world
Visual identity will again extend into tailored maps and video players
Symmetry and clean lines: Sleek and geometric designs continue in popularity
Search journeys and shorter conversion funnels are more relevant than ever

AI will guide content personalisation and chatbot responses through better natural language selection

“The rise of AI has meant that chatbots, voice search, and other forms of artificial intelligence are everyday experiences.”

— Di Mace, Tiny Blueprint

Robots will not take over the world in 2022, but AI is levelling up. We believe this technology can help us create better online experiences, especially when AI increasingly understands our intent when we ask questions through voice search or chatbots. This year, the enormous technological efforts to programmatically better understand natural language in context of search queries will extend to produce more personalised responses for users across the globe. For early adaptors, 2022 offers the opportunity for increased sophistication in seamless digital experiences.

Data regulation: First party data is making a comeback

“Looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, marketers should approach measuring media performance by going back to basics.”

— Catherine Smith, Half Dome

2022 is bound to become a year of moves towards cookie-less-ness and reviewing data gathering strategies. With Google intending on phasing out third-party cookies in 2023, a strategic move for marketers in 2022 would be to move back to first-party data. Increasing regulations about online privacy, especially in the European Union, are also driving businesses to find innovative ways to figure out how to best get to their desired customers, while managing privacy and data-protection concerns.

Sustainable web design: The web goes green

“The Internet’s annual CO2 output is equal to 31 million cars driving around the world all at once. ”

— Allan Jay, Finance Online

While we think of the internet and everything digital as virtual, it carries with it a physical cost. From infrastructure, to image and data files right through to the efficiency of website and application coding — each impacts electricity use and subsequent carbon emissions. That’s why in 2022 we predict that marketers are going to go green, create more optimised sites and even clear out their email archives in order to reduce their carbon footprints!

API integrations: From hyper-automation to security improvements

“If software is eating the world, APIs are its teeth.”

— Marc Andreesen

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are connectors which allow applications to connect to other applications and information services. They allow developers to integrate platforms, share data and automate tasks. They are an ever increasingly important part of the software world. 2022 will continue an API-first approach to development. This will drive an increase in usage and AI enabled low-code and no-code solutions. Integrations will offer enormous opportunities as long as security, standards and management are well managed.

Real-time data insights are growing in importance

“Real-time monitoring and insights reveal changes that could impact your SEO in the moment.”

— Andy Betts, Search Engine Journal

We’re all used to having KPIs. Some are forward indicators but many are lag indicators. With enormous amounts of data points already being captured, the challenge is to shorten the timeframe between data capture and data analysis that can produce an insight. With the cost of computing power decreasing and more AI services being developed, 2022 may be the year where analytics systems finally switch on near real-time anomaly detection and recommendations. That is, insights can drive business decisions and provide a basis for further automation.

The Katanya team are design and technology enthusiasts who have translated designs from some of the world’s best agencies — from Huge to SapientNitro and Interbrand to Wolff Olins — into digital visual identities and brought them into life online. If a design refresh or roll-out or migration to a new design is on the cards for 2022 we’d love to hear from you.

Gamified and intuitive visuals are changing content

“Websites’ structures actually lend themselves to puzzles and scavenger hunts incredibly well.”

— Mischa Vaughn, Webflow

With much of the world still working remotely, 2022 could see more gamification at digital events and everything from onboarding and training to VR meeting activities. Playfulness and optimism will also feature in the form of fun and bright micro-interactions and transitions in sites. This might be in the form of more ‘sparkle’ in reaction to a visitor’s actions, logos changing based on special days (or even the weather) or even easter eggs and sprite-based games being hidden in websites.

Designs will let people travel and breathe in a post-pandemic world

2020 and 2021 had us re-discovering the cosy world of our homes and local areas. 2022 marks a change in that aspect, as designs aim to inspire people around the world to travel with or without leaving their home. From natural imagery, helping you visualize yourself by the beach or on top of a mountain whilst you are shopping for clothes, to less copy-busy pages online to ensure that you can breathe and enjoy moments of calm. We cannot wait to travel through (in real life and) these more breathable designs.

“Maybe we are all just compensating for missing travel, but some websites seem to be gaining more sense of place. ”

— Mischa Vaughn, Webflow

Visual identity will again extend into tailored maps and video players

“Both B2C and B2B marketers have learned that getting to the point with short-form videos can actually be much more effective. ”

— Hubspot

In 2022 marketers will be looking for opportunities to extend their brand experience and visual identity deeper into elements across their digital channels. Two examples of this will be maps and video players where designers can integrate brand fonts, colours and imagery while maintaining elements that make these interactive elements engaging and intuitive.

Symmetry and clean lines: sleek and geometric designs continuing their growth trajectory

Symmetry will continue to be en vogue. Our research showed that minimalistic, sleek and geometric designs continue to be on the rise. A clean growing line to the top of design trends if you will! Simplicity is the word and joyful, more optimistic colors are coming back to provide users with a more positive outlook on this new year. Expect some retro, art deco, memphis, unexpected colours and daydream doodles with hand-drawn art.

“One thing’s for sure—a good website needs a harmonious composition.”

— Jenna Romano & Adi Huri, Wix Blog

Search journeys and shorter conversion funnels are more relevant than ever

Source: https://blog.google/products/search/introducing-mum/

“Eventually, you might be able to take a photo of your hiking boots and ask, ‘Can I use these to hike Mt Fuji’. MUM would understand the image and connect it with your question to let you know your boots would work just fine. It could then point you to a blog with a list of recommended gear.”

— Pandu Nayak, Google’s VP of Search

Google is about to get a lot more insightful with their multitask united model (MUM) launching in 2022. This will be 1000 times more powerful than Google’s current algorithms at understanding complex questions and needs. That is, we’ll need to do less searches to find our answers. Thus the capacity to map out customer journeys from search queries to completing a transaction will become even more important in 2022. As will ensuring that every page is treated as a marketing funnel with a clear purpose and call to action.

How do these trends align with you and your organisation’s priorities for 2022? For Katanya, we’ll be focusing a lot on AI and automation but we’ll also be looking for opportunities to bring more pops of colour, pieces of optimism, and surprise and delight into the work we do. We’re also looking at our sustainability with the aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2023.

Digital marketing trends and predictions for 2022