Technology continues to be the driving force, says Sameer Tobaccowala of Shobiz

Technology and Sensory Experience

In 2020, technology will continue to drive experiential marketing. Companies will use technology as a tool to enhance customer engagement. From creating the digital twin and robots handing out food samples to mixed reality product simulations, we should expect to see technology being used creatively to draw customers into experiential events. Brands will also focus on multi-sensory experiences to engage customers through smell, sound, and touch to heighten the emotional quotient of experiences. By using tech and engaging the senses brands are creating powerful experiences for consumers that engage emotions and result in impactful impressions that are unforgettable.

 Gamification will continue to inspire and engage audiences

Gamification will continue to drive branded and personalised user experiences in events. Gamified marketing and branded games will focus on engagement, enable personalised experiences, maintain positive brand interactions, are highly shareable and most of all, they’re entertaining. Games can be built to achieve a variety of marketing goals whether that's to increase product sales, boost brand awareness, build brand loyalty, or collect detailed data about existing and potential customers and clients; no matter the objective, games can offer a broad solution to achieve marketing objectives. Gamification is perfect for incentivising and rewarding behaviour, changing perception, improving and refining skills.

 Hyper personalization 

80% of Millennials see value in brands engaging them with personalised advertising and offers (Source: Chief Marketer). By 2020, the customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. Customer experience will still be at the centre of everything and with personalised technology very much on the rise, consumer behaviour will continue to evolve as a result of society, technology or the environment and marketing tactics and strategies will evolve alongside it. Armed with today's knowledge of customer behaviours and decisions, digital experiential campaigns will allow brands to engage and excite customers on a personalised level throughout all stages of their journey, from awareness, to consideration, to purchase, to advocacy.