Whilst we are only one month into the year – it’s clear to see there are some rising consumer trends to look out for. The team at Animato has published a series of reports that give us an insight into the year ahead. We’ve put together a list of the most important consumer trends for this year and the figures behind them.

Facebook Reigns Supreme

Facebook will be the number one platform where marketers will invest over the next twelve months. Followed by YouTube and Instagram. From the report, 41% of marketers have said that Instagram stories have become more important over the past year. Facebook can sometimes be overshadowed by Instagram and TikTok when talking about the most influential platforms it has the largest base of monthly active users with 2.34 billion. The second being YouTube at 2 billion active monthly users followed by Instagram with over 1 billion monthly active followers.

Time will only tell how long Facebook will be the number one platform of choice for marketers. The platform is beginning to see a decline in the rate in which it gains new users but platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have a long way to go to catch up.

Understanding your audience’s platform of choice

How are brands connecting with new customers? 64% of businesses have said that a video on Facebook has resulted in a new client. Whereas 79% of brands have said they’ve gained a new customer from Instagram. Instagram stories have also proven to be a success for businesses as in the consumer trends report by Animato, 73% of marketers have said they’ve gained a new customer from using the in-app feature.

Consumer Habits

Did you know that 58% of consumers will visit a brand’s social media platform before visiting their website? This is an 81% increase from last year. Facebook is also top of the list again for consumers who engage with their brands through video, commenting, sharing and liking posts.

Consumers are now warier than ever with their data and privacy controls, so they are conducting more research when looking to make a purchase with a brand for the first time. In fact, 1 in 3 consumers in the UK and U.S. say they’re not sure which organisations offer the best protection of their personal data.

Customer Journey

Video ads were the number one way consumers discovered a brand that they eventually purchased from. 24% of consumers have said they are making more purchases due to ads on social media compared to the year before and 1 in 4 consumers made a purchase after The top three purchase driving platforms are YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Video Marketing

Brands are responding to the way that consumers are connecting with them and video is becoming the most important way to engage with your audience. 93% percent of brands are posting videos to Facebook at least once a week whereas 80% of brands are posting videos to Instagram stories at least once a week. In the consumer trend report by Animato, 93% of businesses have said they gained a new customer through a video on social media.

YouTube

YouTube is becoming the platform where consumers are checking out new brands and making purchases. The platform replaced Facebook as the number one platform that affects consumer behavior in 2019. This is most likely due to the rise of YouTube influencers and the platform entering into the mainstream media. 51% of consumers are spending their time on YouTube with Facebook being a close second with consumers spending 45% of their time on the platform

Have you noticed these consumer trends shaping the way you manage your digital marketing? Join the conversation by tweeting us, sending us a message on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.