Amanda’s Top Stats for December

Maybe the less we say about 2020, the better. However, some interesting data trends are coming out of this year, which we can use to inform our marketing strategy for 2021. It is no surprise that the use of mobile devices, time spent online, and time spent on social media all rocketed in 2020. Well, let’s face it, there wasn’t much else to do for a lot of it!

For marketers, this represents a golden opportunity next year… if you use it wisely.

• Unsurprisingly, online shopping has experienced a boom this year. Supermarkets are gearing up for a record online Christmas, and online food shopping has increased by 57% year on year, a trend that’s likely to stay
• Facebook is still the biggest social media platform by far, but some notable others are gaining ground
• Instagram and WhatsApp have seen significant growth with older generations like Gen X and Baby Boomers. Boomers showed a whopping 98% increase in Instagram use between 2016 and 2019, and a healthy 65% increase in WhatsApp usage
• More than 60% of businesses plan on increasing investment with Instagram in 2021
• Think about content in 2021; it takes a coherent plan rather than just churning out sales messages. 68% of people don’t think brands share interesting content – make sure you don’t fall into this category!
• The average Facebook user shares just one piece of content per month. Even though we spend more time on social, it’s very passive. Don’t force engagement; this goes against the grain of people’s behaviour.

In 2021, the smartest marketers and brands will sit back and listen, then find a way of fitting into the conversation by developing an interesting, engaging strategy.

Data Sources: Hootsuite, econsultancy, Global Web Index