NEW YORK: Customer-engagement platform Emplifi has released its 2024 Social Media Outlook, detailing top predictions for the coming year, including more social commerce and use of social media for customer service.
Based on an analysis of millions of social media insights, the platform predicted that social commerce efforts will expand next year. Marketing and customer experience teams will work more closely together to collaborate on marketing, commerce and support.
Emplifi predicted that social shopping will increase in significance, providing a more streamlined way for brands to bring customers along from product discovery to purchase. The company said it sees promise in combining product reviews and purchase links in a social post to drive sales.
Consumers are also increasingly turning to social channels for customer support. This means brands need not only to use their social media presence for marketing and commerce, but also for support and care — a fact that should be integrated into their social strategies.
The company also said that generative artificial intelligence or AI-powered tools will be leveraged to assist customer-support efforts and broader adoption of these tools will lead to greater productivity for customer-service teams.
Customers will also more often engage with support via messaging apps and chatbots, Emplifi predicted. The tools will make it easier for customer-support teams to promptly respond to inquiries or complaints or disseminate product updates and discount offers, regardless of the day or time.
Other predictions include an increased diversification of video content, with brands carefully selecting shorter or longer videos based on channel and intended audience, and an increasing reliance on social intelligence for deeper consumer insights.