1.
12 Trends for 2015
What Marketers Should Be
Thinking About in Digital
A Beyond Report

2.
Introduction
What’s in this report?
In this report we will cover 12 trends we think will shape digital in
2015. In 2014 we saw marketing spend big on technology, a sharper
focus on user experience design, and a resulting shortage in good UX
designers. As predicted, 2014 was the year mobile finally became the
primary way people consume digital in the US and UK. In 2015,
successful marketing will become more dependent on the effective use
of technology, but marketing technologists will need to better
understand the human dimension of the experiences they digitise.
They will also need to think more clearly about "little data" - and how
brands can create more user value from the highly personal data they
generate online. Lastly, all of this will be delivered through new user
interfaces on devices we don't even have names for today. These broad
themes are brought to life in the following 12 trends that will shape
2015.
How to use it?
We have divided these trends into timely priorities (Trends to Prepare
for Now) and longer-term priorities (Trends to Start Thinking About).
Trend To
Prepare For
Now
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

3.
Strong image strategies drive
better conversion rates 1
- Hal Varian, Google
Trend To
Prepare For
Now

4.
A plethora of web services with open APIs means there are limitless
opportunities for new innovations through combined data streams
Creation Engagement with brands Sharing
- Hal Varian, Google
Photos taken in 1998:
8 Billion
Photos taken in 2014 (est.):
880 Billion
Images shared per day in 2014:
1.8 Billion - 150%
increase from 2013 and
515%
increase from 2013
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
G+
Engagement Rate
0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6
Trend To
Prepare For
Now
Sources: Kodak, Yahoo, L2,Kleiner Perkins

5.
1. Strong image
strategies drive
better conversion
rates
What’s the trend?
Trend To
Prepare For
Now
In 2015 brands need to think about visual optimisation of their content.
Images communicate ideas at least 20 times faster than text (Potter et al,
Kriegl et al) and consumers are far more inclined to click through to
content which include’s high quality images of their products and services.
Where are we seeing it ?
According to Bing, nearly 10% of all organic searches are for images, and
40% of all search results contain “some kind of visual component”. By
September 2014, image search traffic had a conversion rate 11% higher than
non-image organic search traffic.

6.
- Hal Varian, Google
2 Bare your data, innovate faster
Trend To
Prepare For
Now

7.
Explosive use of web services which
brings plug’n’play innovation based on
combining data streams is key to
driving fast new innovation
- Hal Varian, Google
Combinatorial Innovation:
14000
10500
7000
3500
0
APIs 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013
“Combine and recombine Internet
Components in ways that create
totally new innovations”
Hal Varian, Google
Trend To
Prepare For
Now

8.
2. Bare your data,
innovate faster
Where are we seeing it ?
Trend To
Prepare For
We will see more companies following the example of Uber, which
opened its API and allowed partners like Starbucks, Time Out and
TripAdvisor to build on its functionality. Users can now see pickup
times and fare estimates on these apps, rather than having to open the
Uber app – evidently, shared data has improved functionality and
user convenience.
Now
Open API Build on
Functionality
What’s the trend?
We are seeing brands achieve competitive advantage over their rivals
by opening their data and functionality APIs up to the developer
community. This digital trend counters the traditional closed R&D
approach taken by offline brands for the last 100 years.

9.
Buying on mobile will be
better than on a PC 3
Trend To
Prepare For
Now

10.
3. Buying on
mobile will be
better than on
a PC
What’s the trend?
Trend To
Prepare For
Now
NFC mobile payments are finally here on both Android and IOS. But the biggest
m-commerce breakthrough might come with Apple Pay’s eventual
incorporation into Safari on the iPhone. This would allow people to purchase
items seen on screen with a single fingerprint, removing the hassle of entering
credit card numbers and customer details.
Where are we seeing it ?
Mobile device conversion rates for e-commerce have long lagged those on PCs
with smartphone conversion rates often reported at a 1/3 of that of desktops.
Conversion rates for smartphone on mobile optimised sites are 160% higher
than on non-optimised equivalent. We expect to see UI and payment
integration improvements coming in 2015 to further increase this differential.

11.
User Interfaces will simplify
as everything becomes
connected
4
Trend To
Prepare For
Now

12.
New devices, new UIs:
Micro-interactions Glanceable UI
Hyper personalised moments that
are easy to action with instant
gratification
Providing the minimal required
information to elicit a
meaningful action
Trend To
Prepare For
Now

13.
4. User Interfaces
will simplify as
everything
becomes
connected
What’s the trend?
Trend To
Prepare For
Now
As more things become connected to the Internet featuring a wide range of
non-standard displays and interfaces (from smart watches to Oculus Rift
glasses), brands will need to re-think how they present information and deliver
services to users across these devices.
Where are we seeing it ?
Mobile design has already started moving in the direction of greater
simplicity. Glanceable user interfaces such as bite-size cards lend themselves
to smaller devices and take friction out of user interactions. Both Apple and
Android are redesigning their operating systems around the concept of
notifications – that will let users fully engage with their surroundings without
the need to open an app.

14.
In-store digital experiences
will revolutionise commerce 5
Trend To
Prepare For
Now

15.
5. In-store digital
experiences will
revolutionise
commerce
What’s the trend?
Trend To
Prepare For
Now
With previously online-only brands such as Amazon, E-Bay and FourSquare
starting to expand their offering into brick and mortar high street locations,
the in-store retail experience will become increasingly driven by technology
in 2015.
Where are we seeing it ?
Mirrors that double as massive touch screens can assimilate personal data and
suggest complementary "looks" and accessories to the clothing you try on in
front of them. Stores will recognise users of the brand’s mobile app as they
enter, allowing staff to offer a more tailored service. As omni-channel retailing
enters the mainstream, it will set the standard for more traditional high street
brands who are playing catch-up on building their e-commerce offerings.

16.
6
Sensors will drive super-smart,
proactive products Trend To
Start Thinking
About

17.
The Wireless World
Research organisation
predicts 7 trillion
sensors by 2017.
Types of sensors that
have been used in
smartphones:
at least 14
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

18.
6. Sensors will
drive super-smart,
proactive
products
What’s the trend?
Gartner predicts that by 2017, smartphone sensors will reduce the costs of
diabetic care by 10%, while by 2020, wireless health monitoring
technology is expected to increase life expectancy in the developed world
by six months. Beyond this, we are already seeing non-health related
brands innovate within this space. Microsoft’s Septimu will use heart
rate, temperature, and other biorhythm sensors to work in conjunction
with a pair of earbuds. The associated mobile app called Musical Heart
will select the most appropriate music based on the user’s mood informed
by the Septimu sensors.
The Chinese search-engine Baidu is launching “smart chopsticks” that
can detect oils containing contamination - an appealing prospect to a
country beset with food safety scandals.
What’s the trend?
We can expect to find sensors in everything from smart watches to
patches on our skin, gathering data on heart rate, sweat composition and
body temperature in real time. In 2015, brands will add huge value by
tapping into sensor-gathered data. These sensors will be used far beyond
health and fitness brands to provide experiences that are personalised
through sensors.
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

19.
Brands will still struggle to
embrace digital 7
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

20.
7. Brands will
still struggle to
embrace digital
What’s the trend?
Start Thinking
Without more direct and deep involvement from the C-suite and a
willingness to adopt experimental approaches to digital development,
many companies will fail to adapt.
Where are we seeing it ?
Trend To
About
In established companies, digital is too often a function, department or a
specialty, and therefore removed from core business strategy. It’s rare
that CFOs and CEOs are deeply involved in digital initiatives – in fact,
Gartner has predicted that by 2016, 50% of digital transformation
initiatives will be unmanageable due to internal skills gaps.

21.
Companies will waste money
assimilating big data 8
- Hal Varian, Google
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

22.
- Hal Varian, Google
By 2020 there will be 50 Billion things
exchanging 40,000,000,000 terabytes of data
Will this greatly increase our ability to glean insights or
will the data overwhelm us?
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

23.
8. Companies will
waste money
assimilating big
data
Where are we seeing it ?
As Nate Silver (author of The Signal and The Noise) puts it, “with very
large data sets you start seeing more spurious correlations, more false
positives, and erroneous answers. If the quantity of information is
increasing by 2.5 quintillion bytes per day, the amount of useful
information almost certainly isn’t.” Along the same lines, machine
learning guru Michael Joran has predicted an epidemic of false
positives coming out of big-data projects. In 2014 alone, big data
accounted for nearly $30 billion of investment – it’s likely to cost
companies even more in 2015 with many businesses struggling to
achieve r What’s the trend? eal value from the investment.
In 2015, it’s possible we’ll see disappointing results from big data
initiatives, as companies use the technology in the search for new
insights, but without the right expectations or scientific approach.
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

24.
Consumers are recognising
their ‘data value’ 9
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

25.
9. Consumers
are recognising
their ‘data value’
Where are we seeing it ?
In a recent Beyond study for HP, we found that only 18% of people say they
feel comfortable sharing data with companies in return for a personalised
experience. However, when given insight into how they can improve their own
lives – such as with popular fitness trackers like FitBit - people are more than
happy to supply personal data. There are now hundreds of self-tracking apps
available, many with millions of users - such as Check (10 million users;
personal finance tracking) and Azumio (7 million users; health tracking). This
shows there is huge appetite to share even sensitive personal data as long as
there is a clear value exchange - but with that comes an equally huge
responsibility to not breach trust.
What’s the trend?
Consumers have accepted the adage that “if you don’t pay for a
product, you are a product”, adopting free services like Facebook in
their droves. Nonetheless, new networks like Whisper and Ello
promise not to track users and their success shows that consumers are
increasingly wary of their personal data being misused. Companies
need to promote greater transparency and give consumers more direct
control of their data, or face more backlash.
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

26.
Your phone will become
smarter than you
10
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

27.
4. Your phone
will become
smarter than you
What’s the trend?
Trend To
Start Thinking
About
Context is everything. And your mobile phone is becoming increasingly aware
of context, sensing and reacting to changes in its environment - from weather,
to traffic, to the time of day. Companies are increasingly using contextual
design to create smarter products that understand the full story around the
user in order to bring them exactly what they need, when they need it, possibly
before they even know they need it.
Where are we seeing it ?
Whether its an automatic notification that you’ll be late for a meeting because
of traffic or a notification that you have run out of milk when you enter a
supermarket, your digital devices will anticipate your needs before the needs
are needed. The possibilities are endless.

28.
Customer data will help them
make decisions
11
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

29.
Key forces driving this trend:
• Machine learning
• Collaborative filtering
• Predictive analytics
• Quantified self
• On-demand and cheap(ish)
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

30.
11. Customer data
will help them
make decisions
Where are we seeing it ?
Amazon recommends products you should look at next, OKcupid pairs
you with algorithmically compatible partners, and Google anticipates
what you’re about to search for – so why can’t traditional, brick and
mortar brands start doing the same with their online experiences? By
exposing analytics data intelligently, digital experiences will only
become better, delivering increased value for both brand and customer.
And with new simple, low-cost predictive APIs like BigML and Google
Prediction API it’s easi What’s the trend? er than ever to start experimenting now.
Algorithms - such as predictive analytics - have helped brands guess
what you might buy, based on the traits you share with people like you.
Over the past few years we’ve seen brands using this to target people
with promotional offers based on their shopping patterns and
preferences. But a few companies have pioneered the use of these
algorithms to solve customer needs online by exposing user analytics to
help with decision-making.
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

31.
/
Automated marketing isn't
good enough
12
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

32.
12. Automated
marketing isn't
good enough
Targeting users repeatedly with the same ads - regardless of where the
user is in the buying journey - shows how easy it is for automation to go
wrong. In 2015, more brands will see the value of ensuring automation is
designed and quality-controlled by humans, who can use expert insight
and informed planning to ensure promotional messages fit into the
greater overall customer experience. Otherwise, the benefits of
automation could easily be outweighed by the damage done through
annoying, inappropriate and irrelevant marketing.
Where are we seeing it ?
A recent study by RAPP and InSkin Media shows that over half of
consumers are put off buying products or services if they see the same ad
reappearing multiple times online.
What’s the trend?
In recent years, marketers have invested huge amounts in various forms
of automated marketing – but as with all automation, there’s a danger of
losing the human touch.
Trend To
Start Thinking
About

33.
Thanks for reading.
This trend report was brought to you by the research and strategy team at Beyond as
part of our ongoing work to help create a world without friction.
www.bynd.com