media update’s Talisa Jansen van Rensburg walks you through five trends of content consumption in 2020. Constantly evolving technology not only affects the way consumers engage with content, but it also changes the way that consumers want to consume the content that they are presented with.

Along with technology, generational differences also affect the way that people consume content. For example, younger generations are more likely to embrace new technologies and rely on them for content.

Just take a look at TikTok: It was initially released in 2016 but has only recently become popular in the mainstream. Now, younger generations are searching the app — before anything else — when looking for video content.

That is why it’s important to know these five content consumptions trends you’ll spot in 2020:

1. Augmented reality (AR)

What exactly is augmented reality? “AR is partially immersive — it’s you, the technology and the real world.”
You can read more about AR in our Infographic: What’s the difference between VR and AR?
For example, the filters on Instagram can be viewed as augmented reality. You can view yourself on the screen and then add an overlay effect over your images. More brands will be making use of AR to create engaging content in 2020, so be sure to keep a lookout.

One brand that gives its consumers AR content to engage with is Sephora. The make-up brand gives online consumers the option to download its app, or make use of the online version, where users can upload an image of themselves and then apply different makeup looks to their images in order to see what looks best (without actually having to go to a salon)..

If you don’t want to upload a photo of yourself, you can make use of an image provided by the website.

Consumers enjoy having an AR option to help them understand the content and see it in a more realistic way. Therefore, brands will need to start looking at ways to incorporate AR into their 2020 strategies. This will make them stand out and it will allow consumers to have pleasant online experience with the brand itself.

2. Video content

Video content is high in demand from online users; they want their favorite brands to provide them with interesting content and make it fun to watch. When these consumers receive too much text-based content, they might end up unfollowing your page or just simply scrolling past it.

The following studies prove that customers want to consume video content more than any other content-type:
Therefore, brands need to ensure that they work on creating beautiful video content — along with their other content — for consumers to engage with.

3. Personalised content

A study done by SmarterHQ found that “72% of consumers say they now only engage with marketing messages that are personalised and tailored to their interests.”

Consumers are drawn in by content that includes personal details about themselves, such as their name, birthday or their interests/hobbies.

A company that nailed this approach was Eneco. It created a quiz that asked people a few basic questions, and by the end of the quiz, provide the quiz-taker with a personalised message. This is exactly how consumers want to interact with content in 2020.


4. Faster loading web pages

A study done by Adobe called the 2019 Adobe Brand Content Survey talks about consumers’ lack of patience in the modern age. It reveals that “51% of consumers said they would stop viewing content altogether if it takes too long to load.”

Knowing the importance of having web pages that load quickly, you need to take the following into consideration:
  1. Compress and crop images that you add onto your site. This will make it easier to load.
  2. Look at different options for a hosting plan.
  3. Remove multiple backups on the server. Keep one backup on the server and consider saving the other backups on a hard drive.
Interestingly enough, it was revealed that millennials are the least patience when it comes to waiting for content.

5. Voice content

According to a study by ExecuRead, “the average person in business reads no faster than people did 100 years ago.” And, “the average reading speed is 200 to 250 words a minute in non-technical material — roughly two minutes per page.”

This means that if consumers receive their content in a voice format, they will be able to take in a lot more information because listening is a lot more convenient than reading.

By providing content that contains voiceovers, you will receive higher engagement from your consumers. The consumer can then just listen to your content and decide if their attention has been caught or not.

Do you think that consumers will eventually only want to see their content in video form? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Need some inspiration on how to get South Africans attention with voice content? Then be sure to check out The top five podcasts in South Africa to gain some inspiration.
*Image courtesy of Pixabay