Imagine selling your products to customers by going door to door.
This strategy might have worked 20 years back, but now it’s not even in the equation. In the present times, people would either politely shoo you away or shut the door on your face.
Why? Because consumer behavior has changed, and if you want to increase your sales, you have to keep up with the latest sales trends.
These trends will help you plan your short-term and long-term marketing strategies. Not just that, following sales trends, will help you get more customers and ensure the retention of existing customers.
Let’s be honest here: if you are not up-to-date with the trends, you will be left behind and no consumer is going to pay you any attention.
The times are changing and so should you. So, here we are with a list of sales trends that you need to keep in mind in order to keep yourself at the top of the industry. So, let’s dive in!
1. Sustainability
Consumers these days are more informed and conscious of the impact that they can make with their purchases. They want to be sure that what they invest in is good for the environment and ethically made.
In fact, studies show that 66% of consumers are willing to spend more on a product if it came from a sustainable brand.
Savvy customers are also not afraid to call out and boycott products that they know are exploiting people and causing damage to the environment.
With increasing discussions about climate change and global warming in place, sustainability is a responsible step towards making a difference.
Being sustainable is a good way to establish a positive reputation with your customers, employees, and community. It is more than just a sales trend and it is here to stay for good.
2. Selling on Social Media
Social media and businesses already have a strong friendship going on, that’s why selling on social media is no longer a new strategy. However, social media is constantly evolving, and if you want to beat the competition, you need to stay updated with all the social media trends.
Shoppable posts are one of the latest sales trends on social media. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are offering in-app shops which allow you to make purchases and complete your transactions without ever leaving the social media app.
With social media being the center of most people’s life, shoppable posts or in-app shops is a sales trend that is likely to grow in popularity in the coming years.
Read more: 11 Amazing Sales Promotion Examples You Need to Check Out!
3. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is making progress in the sales and marketing world. In fact, AI has been used to perform up to 40% of sales tasks, and this number is expected to rise to 139% in the next three years.
What makes it so special for sales is its ability to predict consumer behavior and future trends. 44 percent of firms using AI report a reduction in business costs in departments where AI is implemented. That’s why it is such a red-hot topic in the sales industry.
AI is expected to have widespread adoption everywhere in the coming years and it is a sales trend that all businesses need to look out for.
4. Influencer Marketing
Influencers are all over the internet and they all have a dedicated fanbase. This is because there is a direct engagement between the audience and the influencer, which establishes a sense of familiarity and trust. That’s why marketing your products and services through influencers has a great impact on businesses and is a popular sales trend now.
In fact, studies show that 63% of consumers trust influencers’ opinions of products more than what brands say about themselves and another 58% of people have bought a new product because of an influencer’s recommendation.
On a track to be worth up to $15 billion by 2022, the influencer marketing industry is definitely one of the hottest sales trends out there.
5. Personalized Customer Experience
Personalizing customer experience is a sales trend that is gaining more and more prominence because consumers love the attention you give them.
They love it so much that research shows 66% of customers are comfortable giving their personal information online to get a personalized experience.
In addition to that, statistics show that 90% of people find personalization appealing while 63% of consumers are highly annoyed with generic advertisements. Whereas, 80% say they are more likely to do business with a company if it offers personalized experiences.
Personalizing customer experience is becoming so popular that even companies like Amazon, Netflix, Zomato, etc. all provide personalized recommendations and suggestions based on their customers’ purchasing history.
It’s definitely a sales trend you have to look out for.
6. Video for Sales
Videos will never go out of trend. It is appealing, engaging, and simply fun! That’s why it is becoming one of the most effective forms of communication in the sales sphere.
Videos are a great way to promote your products as they will have a higher engagement rate. In fact, Cisco’s Visual Networking Index forecasts that by 2022, videos will account for 82% of all internet traffic.
A report from HubSpot illustrates that 65% of adults wanted to see more video content in the near future. Moreover, the increase in click-through rate with videos is at 96%, and they are shared 1200% more times than links and text combined.
Videos are a timeless sales trend and you need to keep an eye out for them!
7. Chatbots
Chatbots have transformed the way businesses communicate with their customers. Surveys show that they will power 85% of customer service in the near future.
Many customers prefer interacting with chatbots because it’s a 24-hour service that gives accurate and prompt answers to your queries. They are known to provide excellent customer service without any confusion or delay, which is why they are becoming more and more popular in the sales industry.
Chatbots will continue to be an important sales trend that will ensure better customer engagement and customer experience.
8. Value-Based Selling
Ironically, value-based selling promotes you to stop selling. Yes, you heard that right!
That’s because people nowadays hate it when you are aggressive and pushy in selling products. So, you need to stop acting like a salesperson and start acting more like an expert who can solve problems.
Instead of bragging about your company, you must try to meet the specific needs of your customers. You don’t sell product features, you sell their value. The key is to really listen to their problems and offer a solution that caters to their needs. It focuses on customer satisfaction over profit.
Since people no longer like the overtly persuasive attitude, value-based selling is a sales trend that is rising to prominence.
9. Live Streaming Video
Live streaming videos are the hottest sales trend in the marketing and sales world right now. It is so incredibly popular that people spend three times longer watching live videos than they watch pre-recorded videos.
According to MediaTrix, the live streaming industry is estimated to reach $124.6 billion by 2025, which is why it is alive and kicking on most major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc.
The ‘live’ element of live videos make it more engaging to the viewers as they feel like they are a part of it. Moreover, live videos feel unscripted and transparent and are therefore the perfect place for sales opportunities.
10. Geo-Fencing
You know how you get a push notification about a restaurant near you when you enter a certain location? That’s geo-fencing. It is taking personalized marketing to the next level.
As of late, geofencing is becoming widely popular in the marketing industry. Although it is nothing new, the market for geo-fencing is set to grow to $2.4 billion by 2023. It is definitely a sales trend that you need to keep an eye out for because it is rising to prominence in the business world.
Read more: 9 Sales Collateral Examples You Should be Using in 2022
11. Voice search
Virtual voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, etc. are changing the online search game by introducing voice search. They are so popular that it is making companies rethink their digital marketing strategies.
According to statistics, AI-powered voice assistants are expected to reach 8 billion by 2023, and voice shopping is set to jump to $40 billion in 2022.
There is no sign of voice searches slowing down, thus making it a very notable sales trend that is going to heavily influence the entire business world.
12. Visual Search
Visual search allows you to search for anything online just by using a picture instead of keywords. This literally means turning your camera into a search bar.
According to a survey, 62% of millennials are more interested in visual search than any other new technology. The 600 million visual searches on Pinterest each month is proof that it is a rising sales trend that businesses cannot ignore.
In fact, studies even show that by 2021, brands that redesign their websites to support visual and voice search will increase digital commerce revenue by 30%
The visual search sales trend is one that you can see for yourself.
Read more: Tripwires: Definition, How to Include them & Examples!
13. Interactive Content
We are going to witness a shift in sales trends from traditional text-based content to a more engaging and immersive type of content.
People like to be involved and want to feel more connected to brands when they are buying products. We are talking quizzes polls, Q&A sessions, This or That feedback session, 360-degree videos, etc. all of which introduce an interactive element to the contents.
Studies show that 91% of buyers are actively searching for more interactive content online and 93% of marketers rated them as highly effective in educating the customers.
Interactive content is becoming more necessary in the present world where people are constantly looking for ways to be engaged and involved in buying processes, so it is a sales trend that you need to look out for.
14. Targeting Gen Z
Generation Z’s are the people who were born between the mid-1990s to mid-2000s. They are the future of marketing because they will be the ones gaining more buying power in the years to come. That’s why targeting Gen Z for business is an upcoming sales trend that you need to focus your attention towards.
Furthermore, Generation Z currently accounts for approximately $29 – $143 billion in direct spending. As Gen Z comes of age, you need to keep in mind to slowly shift your focus to them from millennials.
15. Privacy in Marketing
Privacy is a hot topic in the current world with more people concerned about their data security. According to a survey, 80% of people are willing to spend more time and money to protect their data while 48% indicated they already switched companies because of their data policies.
The controversy surrounding WhatsApp and the rise of Signal as a safer option is proof that these statistics are not merely numbers and that people are serious about their privacy.
This is indicative of the fact that privacy in marketing is becoming a major sales trend that you need to keep an eye out for because data privacy and security are people’s number-one priority.
16. User-Generated Content
User-generated content refers to any content (video, image, blog, etc.) that is created and posted online by the users of a product. This is increasingly becoming a widespread sales trend that is changing the way people are looking at sales because people trust other people more than they trust the companies.
One survey found that 90% of shoppers reported that UGC influenced their decision to purchase more than any other form of advertising, with a whopping 97% of 18-29 year-olds saying that it had an extreme influence. This is true because 64% of consumers check reviews on Google before visiting a business.
This sales trend relies on getting your audience to promote your business for you and it is one that needs to be given utmost priority because also strengthens your brand’s image.
Conclusion
Everyone in sales knows that changes are an integral part of the job.
That’s why sales trends are nothing new to us. They come and they go because they are based on your consumers’ needs which keep changing over time.
What you must focus on is maintaining your customers by understanding their needs and embracing new methods, technology, tools, etc. to achieve them.
Ultimately, sales trends require you to live by the famous quote: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome!
So, be an open book to changes!
Further reads:
11 Awesome Sales Management Tools That Your Business Needs!
12 Sales KPIs Your Sales Department Should Measure!
Social Proof: 8 Ways to Use it to Get More Sales!
Sales Proposal: What is it & How to Create a Perfect One?
15 Sales Tactics to Generate High-Quality Leads!
10+ Powerful Sales Tips Every Sales Rep Should Know!
Sales Pitch: What is it & How to Create a Killer One?
Sales Report: What is it and How to Create One?
10 Best Sales Tools For Prospecting in 2022!
