Our top digital engagement research and trends to watch

In 2022, customer acquisition costs have continued to rise, Bytedance’s TikTok has held its position as the most downloaded non-game app worldwide, and hype around Web3 and the metaverse has reached a fever pitch. We covered all of these developments and many more across the digital engagement space to help players in the space make tech-buying decisions.

For example, those focused on market research can discover relevant tech solutions in our market research & consumer insights market map, determine which markets to prioritize with our corresponding MVP framework, and decide which companies are ideal for partnerships or investments using our market-specific ESP Vendor Rankings, like this one covering consumer survey solutions.

Looking ahead to 2023, our predictions include:

• As new social media and virtual platforms emerge, creating digital content that engages and converts — particularly 3D content — will become a greater priority. We anticipate that AI will increasingly be used to automate content creation.
• The fragmentation of the digital advertising space and current macro challenges will compel marketing teams to be more particular about where they spend their money. Amid this shift, we expect that retail media networks and connected TVs will be big winners of marketing spend in 2023.
• Brands and retailers will continue to leverage partnerships as a low-cost method for experimenting with web3 and metaverse tech and identifying the best engagement strategies for the future. 

As 2023 approaches, we brought together our top digital engagement research in the curated list below.

DIGITAL CONTENT

• Expanding on Sequoia’s generative AI market map: The 250 companies driving generative AI forward
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Digital Content for Consumer & Retail
• [Client Research] 171 companies helping brands scale and automate their digital content offerings
• [Client Research] 95+ early-stage companies using AI to create and edit digital content

MARKETING TECH

• Unbundling Meta: How the tech giant’s digital advertising business is being disrupted
• [Client Research] Unbundling TikTok: How influencer marketing and the creator economy are getting disrupted
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Retail Media Networks
• [Client Research] These 14 technologies are helping retailers build out their media networks — here are the ones to prioritize
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Loyalty & Retention Tech in Consumer & Retail
• [Client Research] 10 technologies that strengthen customer loyalty and retention — and the ones retail leaders should prioritize now
• [Client Research] 125 companies using tech to enhance market research & consumer insights
• [Client Research] Prioritizing 11 technologies driving more effective market research & consumer insights
• [Client Research] These 134 companies are transforming how brands & retailers acquire customers
• [Client Research] Prioritizing 11 technologies making customer acquisition easier and faster for retail leaders
• [Client Research] Analyzing 7-Eleven’s growth strategy: How the world’s largest convenience chain is improving customer experience and engagement

CUSTOMER SERVICE TECH

• The Future of the Post-Purchase Experience: How technology is transforming the way we shop
• [Client Research] 54 companies using AI to automate customer service interactions
• [Client Research] Tech Market Map Report: Customer Service in Consumer & Retail
• [Client Research] MVP Technology Framework: Customer Service for Consumer & Retail Leaders
• [Client Research] Analyzing Twilio’s growth strategy: How the cloud giant is shaping the future of business communications
• [Client Research] Why consumer & retail leaders are prioritizing agent support tools
• [Client Research] Why consumer & retail leaders are prioritizing business messaging solutions
• [Client Research] Why consumer & retail leaders are prioritizing communications platform-as-a-service solutions
• [Client Research] Why consumer & retail leaders are prioritizing AI-enabled chatbots
• [Client Research] Why consumer & retail leaders are prioritizing customer feedback management

MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT

• What L’Oréal, Nike, and LVMH are doing in Web3
• 100+ Web3 companies building the future of the internet
• The metaverse could be tech’s next trillion-dollar opportunity: These are the companies making it a reality
• The Big Tech in Metaverse Report: How Meta, Qualcomm, and Microsoft are building the metaverse
• These 95+ AR/VR companies hint at what the metaverse has in store
• Metaverse of madness: 13 big industries the rise of virtual worlds could disrupt
• Analyzing the NBA’s business growth strategy: How the basketball league is investing in technology to better engage with fans
• [Client Research] The Future of Human-Machine Interactions: How technology is becoming more immersive, accessible, and empathetic
• [Client Research] Analyzing Microsoft’s metaverse strategy: How the tech giant is building a gaming empire
• [Client Research] 70+ early-stage startups shaping the future of consumer wearable technology
• [Client Research] Analyzing Qualcomm’s growth strategy: How the semiconductor giant is building for the metaverse and next-gen digital technologies