The fast adoption of digital applied sciences during the last two years has made the Web an indispensable a part of our lives.
It’s additionally led to elevated innovation that’s now blurring the traces between digital and bodily experiences in methods we’ve by no means seen.
Whereas pre-pandemic life was nonetheless at arm’s size from the digital world, that hole continues to shut, and with new improvements just like the metaverse, Internet 3.0, and NFTs all transferring into the mainstream, the web and bodily worlds have gotten extra related than ever earlier than.
This rising connection between digital and real-world experiences is on the middle of The Webby Awards 2022 Traits Report: Means Too New, which focuses on two areas which have seen fast innovation over the previous couple of years: on-line gaming and livestream commerce.
Maintain studying for a better take a look at the report in addition to key insights you possibly can put to make use of as we dive into 2022! Right here’s what we’ll cowl:
An Unprecedented Explosion of On-line Innovation
The Webby Awards was established in 1996, in the course of the Internet’s infancy, and has been within the entrance row for a lot of the Web’s evolution—from Internet 1.0 to the daybreak of Internet 3.0.
The Webby’s Traits Report, which has been launched yearly since 2016, analyzes digital innovation that’s impacting our world and our on-line work. This yr’s report was knowledgeable by insights from surveys of greater than 3,000 customers ages 18-65 from throughout the U.S., performed by The Webbys’ analysis companion YouGov.
The report was additionally formed by greater than three months of analysis by The Webby Awards workforce, together with a evaluate of rising tendencies from the 13,500 submissions entered into the twenty fifth Annual Webbys.
The top outcome provides a deep dive into the ingenuity and creativity which have come out of the pandemic, and an outline of the explosion in on-line innovation it’s sparked, with examples and insights from main manufacturers which are constructing the digital future.
“The previous two years noticed the barricade between our lives on-line and in-person break down. This resulted in fast modifications; phrases like Web3, the metaverse, and NFTs are actually frequent after they had been barely uttered in early 2021,” mentioned Webby Awards President Claire Graves.
“For our annual report, we zeroed in on innovation in two areas which are shaping the way forward for digital: on-line gaming within the metaverse and livestream commerce. Each these worlds have grown immensely, partially as a result of the pandemic prompted accelerated innovation. What’s sure is the ingenuity and creativity firms are displaying in these areas can carve a brand new and brighter future for the Web.”
On-line Gaming: A Numerous and Rising Viewers
Whereas lots of the digital tendencies which have accelerated in recent times present no indicators of letting up, the stark improve in person adoption of on-line gaming throughout a variety of demographics is maybe some of the drastic.
“The stereotype of the gamer being younger and male is quick disappearing,” this yr’s Webby Report states.
“In the present day, practically each kind of particular person now counts themselves amongst players.”
Not solely are there extra players than ever earlier than (per the report, roughly 181 million U.S. adults now play video video games), 45% of those that sport not less than as soon as per week for greater than half-hour establish as feminine.
Older generations are additionally gaming greater than earlier than—31% of players surveyed had been 35 to 54 years previous.
The reasons behind these numbers are different, and the pandemic is definitely a distinguished one, however with ~70% of U.S. adults figuring out as players, manufacturers ought to take word (in the event that they haven’t already), and put methods in place to satisfy their audiences on the gaming platforms they like.
Enter the Metaverse
One distinct space of the gaming world that’s poised for liftoff in 2022 is the metaverse, with main manufacturers and advertisers (Fb, Epic Video games, and many others.) already focusing their efforts on this rising community of digital worlds.
Because the report notes, there isn’t a universally agreed-upon definition of the metaverse, though Enterprise Capitalist Matthew Ball’s Metaverse Primer provides a poignant abstract of what the metaverse might change into:
“The metaverse is an expansive community of persistent, real-time rendered 3D worlds and simulations that help continuity of id, objects, historical past, funds, and entitlements, and could be skilled synchronously by an successfully limitless variety of customers, every with a person sense of presence.”
Regardless that the metaverse is at present restricted to digital worlds that exist on in style platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and others, this yr’s Webby Report exhibits it’s house to a rising viewers that’s keen and even desperate to spend money and time there.
That is particularly obvious within the profitable model activations that happened within the metaverse during the last yr.
Based on the report, throughout a two-week Gucci metaverse occasion celebrating the enduring vogue model’s one hundredth anniversary, greater than 4.5 million gadgets had been gained on the platform and a virtual-only product, the “Gucci Dionysus Bag with a Bee,” was traded for $4,115—a premium of 21% in comparison with the bodily model of the bag.
What are the important thing takeaways for manufacturers right here? There’s no query that the metaverse provides manufacturers a method to attain massive, engaged audiences which are spending extra money and time throughout the key gaming platforms.
Try the complete 2022 Webbys Traits Report to seek out out what different manufacturers are doing within the metaverse and which activations have seen probably the most success.
The Livestream Procuring Expertise
Whereas early successes within the metaverse level to rising demand for immersive digital procuring experiences, the present momentum behind livestream commerce settles any remaining debate.
This quickly rising market is projected to hit $26 billion by 2023 and combines advances in livestream expertise with new eCommerce capabilities. Per the Webby’s Report:
“No day captures the scope of livestream commerce higher than China’s Single’s Day, or 11.11. This annual occasion pioneered by Alibaba has grown right into a behemoth of a procuring pageant the place customers can store inside livestream movies and play video games to get coupons. Alibaba’s spectacular logistics and achievement expertise imply that many consumers will obtain their purchases in lower than an hour. In November 2021, Alibaba generated $84.5 billion in income throughout their Single’s Day procuring pageant.”
Manufacturers ought to take word right here as effectively, or danger lacking out on one other lively, engaged, and rising viewers.
Based on the report, viewers watch livestream content material for 27% longer than on-demand content material, and survey outcomes present that customers not solely tune in to quite a lot of content material, additionally they stick round and open their wallets.
“The large value-add with livestreaming is that it supplies a method to work together with prospects in real-time, on the similar time producing content material that may be repurposed for weblog posts, podcasts, explainer movies, social campaigns, and different advertising efforts,” mentioned WP Engine VP of Company Advertising and marketing Eric Jones, whose insights are featured on this yr’s Webby’s Report.
“Accomplished proper, livestreaming creates house for dialogue, humanizes a model, and creates helpful content material that may be shared throughout different platforms—creating the very best kind of advocacy for a model.”
Getting livestream commerce proper additionally guarantees to unlock a comparatively untapped viewers that’s arguably nowhere close to its peak.
Based on the report, 70% of respondents already watch entertainment-based content material, not together with sports activities, and 56% watch livestream content material not less than as soon as a month.
Additional, 46% have bought a product they noticed in a livestream or would contemplate it sooner or later, and 37% already watch Influencer or creator livestreams, the place a component of livestream commerce is inherent.
Whereas success on this market isn’t any assure, the report recommends honing in particular components to push the scales in your favor—discover these ideas and extra within the 2022 Webbys Traits Report.
Livestream commerce is about to change into the following frontier of eCommerce, and in the event you want to stay related and meet your audiences throughout the brand new and current channels they’re gravitating in direction of, livestreaming is a powerful space to put your bets.
Adjusting to the New
Livestreaming and on-line gaming each share traits of blended digital and bodily experiences, which is undoubtedly one of many components behind the fast adoption of each.
Over the past two years, our on-line and real-world lives have intertwined like by no means earlier than, and with bigger audiences on-line not solely looking for out however demanding extra immersive experiences, that connection is about to develop exponentially.
With that in thoughts, now could be the time to push the bounds of creativity, and faucet into the digital tendencies which are shaping client conduct and the course of the online as a complete.
Study extra about all the tendencies listed above in The Webby Awards 2022 Traits Report: Means Too New, and go to WP Engine to seek out out how one can energy your creativity on the #1 platform for WordPress.
