Gartner Eyes Declining Mobile Opt-Out Rates

The opt-out rate for mobile app tracking will decline from 85 percent now to 60 percent by 2023 as consumers gain experience with untargeted ads, Gartner predicted in a recent report.

While Apple has added new privacy features in the latest version of its iOS mobile platform for consumers to manage how they are tracked, marketers must demonstrate the benefit to consumers in allowing mobile app tracking, the firm suggests.

"Roughly one-quarter of consumers would allow tracking if they are familiar with the brand or publisher that’s requesting tracking, especially as part of an explicit value exchange, such as in cash rewards, coupons, discounts or loyalty points," said Andrew Frank, vice president and distinguished analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. "Although Apple terms prohibit developers from offering people incentives for granting permission to track on iOS devices, marketers and consumers are finding work-arounds."

Gartner also suggest that marketers looking to increase opt-in rates over time should consider the following:

• Create and communicate benefits that provide compelling reasons for customers to trust companies with personal data. Marketers should ensure that their consented data collection provides tangible value to customers and educate them on exactly how it does so.
• Make changing privacy behaviors and settings easy and seamless with self-service privacy and preference site features.
• Work with publishers to optimize contextual targeting and measurement in the absence of tracking data.

Other marketing predictions from Gartner for 2022 and beyond include the following:

By 2023, the volume of ad impressions that TV and streaming media channels deliver during what are traditionally considered working hours will grow by 60 percent. This comes as working from home is expected to be the norm for many employees well into 2022. As a result, periods that were once considered prime time by advertisers have flattened and video consumption, among other things, has intensified during what were once traditional working hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

By 2023, 90 percent of B2B social media marketing strategies will incorporate scaled employee advocacy programs. B2B social marketing strategies will evolve to elevate the role of employee advocacy as a trusted, scalable channel that will enable organizations to achieve marketing objectives, such as brand building and lead generation, and objectives for other teams beyond marketing, such as sales (for prospecting and social selling) and human resources .

By 2025, one in five B2B companies will use artificial intelligence/machine learning to proactively slow down customers' journeys by connecting customers with sales reps during digital commerce interactions. Today, digital engagement primarily involves course-smoothing digital experiences, making it easier for customers to do what they were already planning to do, rather than seeking to change customers' decisions. However, B2B customers who prefer an exclusively digital buying experience are 23 percent more likely to regret their purchases than those who prefer to interact with sales reps. The next step for B2B companies will involve deeper integration of human-led and digital customer engagement.

By 2026, chief marketing officers will dedicate 30 percent of their influencer and celebrity budgets to virtual influencers. Virtual influencers have been on the rise for a few years now. Although they are currently used more prominently in Asia, use of virtual influencers is gaining traction in the United States They offer companies more control in messaging and are generally less expensive than traditional influencers in the long run. With virtual influencers, companies can avoid the kinds of scandals and controversies common with traditional influencers.

By 2026, 60 percentof Millennial and Gen Z consumers will prefer making purchases on social platforms over traditional digital commerce platforms. Consumers, especially younger ones, are turning to commerce options that emphasize convenience and discovery, both hallmarks of social commerce. The share of consumers who have made purchases through social platforms has increased, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To succeed in this environment, CMOs must grasp the importance of both simplifying and enriching the path to purchase for customers.