Influencers, short video formats, platform connectivity, targeting and testing, creativity and user-generated content, as well as AI and chatbots are the main trends that will characterize marketing and sales in the next year. At least that is what Marijan Palić, the marketing director at Leapwise, claims, who presented trends at the eighth Lider conference ‘Marketing & Sales by Numbers’ that advertisers should consider when creating campaigns.
Although trends change from day to day, Palić asserts that influencers combined with SEO are an absolute ‘must-have‘ because ‘influencers are increasingly restoring people’s trust,’ primarily thanks to TikTok, which attracts young people. Palić also presented data showing that influencer marketing generated $16.4 billion globally last year, while it is projected to reach $21.2 billion in 2023.
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Additionally, thanks to WhatsApp voice messages, Alexa, Google Home, and Siri, audio is continuously growing, and many say that soon even food ordering will be done through voice search. There are also podcasts, which continue to gain importance due to platform connectivity, allowing one podcast to be listened to and watched on a large number of platforms, thus reaching different audiences, says Palić.
– 81 percent of podcast listeners are ready to purchase a product if the host suggests it – data from a study in the USA presented by Palić, who emphasized creativity and user-generated content as an important aspect of marketing today.
Palić also mentioned the new social network from Meta, Threads, which launched in the US market this week, highlighting it as a platform that all clients and companies will want to utilize in the future.
Palić’s lecture was an introduction to a panel focused on artificial intelligence, featuring Robert Ćuzela-Piljac, business development manager for the Adria region at Horváth, Ana Veir, business director at C3 Croatia – 01 Content & Technology, and Dejan Blatnik, director at FrodX Croatia.
Ana Veir confirmed that ChatGPT is the greatest transformation in the past thousand years, stating that we no longer ‘need to ride horses, but we are going faster, with race cars this time,’ and she provided an example of tools that a small startup can use to automate sales and generate content.
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44 percent of companies already use some form of AI based pricing
She emphasized that new tools on the market facilitate the automation of the entire process, allowing those working in sales to focus on higher-quality communication with clients. However, she pointed out that too much technology should not be pushed into sales, as this complicates the entire process for the end customer, and that small steps should be taken, giving technology time.
Blatnik noted that the proper use of ChatGPT can automate 60 percent of requests in the contact center and confirmed that agents can focus on more complex issues.
– We initially started using (ChatGPT) out of curiosity, but we realized it could help us – he said, adding that they have already integrated it into a client’s business and hope to achieve this 60 percent automation data.
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Ćuzela-Piljac presented interesting results from a study conducted by Horváth. The aim of the research conducted in 10 countries was to see how important it is to manage AI based pricing to increase profit, and to understand how mature and ready companies are to adopt AI-based pricing.
– AI based pricing has become a reality; it is no longer a trend – said Ćuzela-Piljac, noting that 56 percent of companies recognize potential financial effects, while 44 percent are still struggling to understand what it could mean for them.
– From the research, we can conclude that companies are becoming increasingly aware that by implementing not only AI based pricing but also AI in general, they can achieve more positive results in other areas, optimize business processes, and improve decision-making processes – he added, stating that AI based pricing, as well as AI in general, generates additional value for companies, and that companies are increasingly recognizing this.
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Ćuzela-Piljac also stated that 44 percent of companies already use some form of AI based pricing in their operations, which actually shows that organizations have recognized the benefits of artificial intelligence.
– On the other hand, this AI is considered somewhat of a black box, and there is a certain degree of skepticism regarding these algorithms, which is to be expected – he claims.
In conclusion, Ćuzela-Piljac emphasized that waiting is not an option and urged that small steps should be taken.
– Invest in companies, build the resources you need, and influence your superiors – he concluded.
