Technology has overhauled the way we live our lives, from our cars, kitchen equipment or pretty much anything with a screen. The tech industry is a forever dynamic environment, continuously evolving as the world spins around. Sometimes, it can feel difficult to keep up with the latest trends and innovations available in the market to help to grow your business and make it stand out in an ever-increasingly competitive marketplace. But don’t worry, we’ve been hunting in the digital space and have wrapped up all the need-to-know news for you down below.
So, let’s dive in.
TikTok is waking up to the power of apps in its latest feature
If UK user Matt Navarra is right, TikTok could be rolling out a feature to directly drive app downloads so that users will be able to download business’ apps directly from the source. The new rumoured functionality will allow businesses to link apps from their profiles, with compatibility across the Apple Appstore and Google Play store.
Already an avid feature to business owners in Asia, Spain and Canada, expanding this functionality to the UK could allow tech businesses with UK audiences to use TikTok as a key platform to grow. It will also mean that profiles can utilise multiple links on their page instead of linking through to external services like Link Tree, streamlining the audience journey.
Looks like our home screens are going to become very crowded very soon…
Amazon Pay is giving customers total ease when it comes to shopping
We recently attended the Smart Retail Tech Show where Nicki Rogers, Head of UK Amazon Pay Sales Team, explained what’s new with Amazon Pay and the benefits for businesses.
Amazon Pay is the latest widget that will allow customers to use their amazon payment and delivery information across multiple external websites. 24% of basket holders leave their shopping when asked to create an account, so what better than to allow them to auto-fill their info straight away? Accessible to businesses as a widget you add onto your e-commerce website, users will have the same login and protection as their normal amazon account. Conversion rates have already been seen to improve by 35%.
Abandoning baskets no more!
Microsoft has launched its new ‘Accessibility Assistant’, making accessibility for business, well, more…accessible
Announced at the Microsoft Ability Summit, Microsoft is launching a new version of their Accessibility Assistant that will let you know when you are making content less accessible in real-time. This is in contrast to their previous tool, which would only check for legibility issues after you ask it too. Similar to checking grammar, the person-shaped tool will flag the location of the error, as well as the issues present, such as low contrast between text and backgrounds. Making content accessible for everyone will also aid businesses in boosting their chances of ranking high in search.
With accessibility and SEO both being very important aspects of your marketing mix, it’s a tool you simply don’t want to miss out on.
Meta is working on a decentralised social media app
Reported by MoneyControl, the new app with codename P92 is still currently in the works. The app is rumoured to use the branding of Instagram, allowing users to log in with their Instagram details. However, the accompanying concern is that P92 will use the data of all Instagram users regardless if they sign up to the new platform or not. This new decentralised app follows the recent development of the Notes feature on Instagram, allowing users to up to 60 characters of text and emojis to share text content across the app.
If we do see P92 roll out to public view, it raises the subject of if people will want to share their details with another Meta app. With the public already worried about the issues with privacy and Meta, this provides opportunities for other apps to take advantage of users not wanting to share chunky details, and invite them in with a more appealing privacy offer.
As Meta asks for more data, and more consumers ask for more privacy, could this roll-out cause users to choose alternative applications?
Learnings from the Smart Retail Tech Show – Is TikTok Live the new Amazon?
This month, some of our Arkenauts attended The Smart Retail Tech Show, in which they were able to digest some really great discussions. One that particularly grabbed our attention was ‘The Rise of Community Commerce’ by TikTok’s Senior Director, eCommerce Operations, Patrick Nommensen.
TikTok Live is a feature that allows users to live stream themselves anywhere, at any time. It is a great tool for driving brand awareness, but it also is effective at driving sales, too. 50% of TikTok users have bought something after watching TikTok Live.
Recently, TikTok has introduced the TikTok shopping function to their live stream service. It provides a great opportunity for businesses to reach and sell to the app’s core audience, Gen Z. With 60% of users labelled Gen Z, and 80% aged 16-34, businesses can really take advantage of the functionality, even going as far as using influencers to sell their products directly to their audience.
You can only use it to sell products right now, but there is a big opportunity for services and or ticket sales from the app. It’s time to grab the tripod and start selling!
That’s just a small round-up of marketing trends that those in the technology world need to know right now. To never miss out on upcoming news and innovations, follow us on Linkedin, or browse our website here.
