Key Insights: CXO is the new hero of 2020, UK consumer trends, and local SEO strategy

30-second summary:

COVID-19 and world recession eclipse the UK consumer sentiment as McKinsey & Company track a 46% growth in pessimism about their economic recovery
The five most positive shifts and how they are here to stay
Majority of marketing professionals believed that BAU will return in a year
2020 is the year for perfect vision in terms of CXO (customer experience optimization)
How many SEO tools do marketers use? Feed your curiosity and discover more on local SEO and strategies.

The COVID-19 waves have brought upon a unique fashion of ebb and flow in the marketing sea. Our key insights continue to reflect the new developments in the face of marketing as 2020 progresses.
Pessimism continues to eclipse UK consumers
Consumer behavior is a mosaic that has continued to shape up a new abstract in recent months. McKinsey & Company have continually been observing consumer thoughts and trends and their latest UK Pulse survey showed a 46% growth in pessimism about their economic recovery post-COVID-19. As pessimism continues to eclipse in the UK, here are some other crucial findings:

62% of UK consumers are very or extremely concerned about the UK economy 
56% are anxious about the uncertainty of the situation’s longevity
52% are concerned about the safety and healthy of themselves and their loved ones
23% are extremely concerned about the negative impact on their business
33% concerned about the negative impact on their job or income

The futuristic, fantastic five that are here to stay
The McKinsey & Company survey also identified some positive shifts and here are the five most impactful ones that are here for the long haul:

Remote learning – Grew by 44% and showed a 60% intent to continue
Telemedicine (Mental) – Grew by 64% and showed a 43% intent to continue
Buying online for in-store pickup – Grew by 56% and showed a 52% intent to continue
Video content consumption – Grew by 27% and showed a 13% intent to continue
Online streaming – Grew by 5% and showed a 58% intent to continue

The local SEO puzzle has new pieces to fill
Nearly 71% of businesses were quick to think on their feet and these were some new methods and practices that local as well as global brands implemented, the latest Moz survey states:

Ecommerce
Delivery
Curbside pickup
Takeout
Teleservices

In fact, more than half of the businesses intended to continue these offerings post-COVID-19 as well.
Some other key findings from the report were: 

74% of marketing professionals believed that BAU will return in a year
Majority of marketers (81%) agreed that COVID-19 has slashed their marketing budgets
Majority of marketers use two-to-five SEO tools
12% use more than six SEO tools

The Moz research also detected an increasing interest in offline local marketing as it saw a 9% YoY increase in marketers getting involved with offline marketing.
Unusual times call for a hybrid SEO strategy
People have been increasingly resorting to local brands and as this shift has shown an effect, many of these businesses are trying to tighten their grip on local SEO. Sarah Bird, CEO of Moz. said,
“There are new challenges, but there are also new opportunities for success. Brands can synthesize both traditional strategies with new techniques to ensure their businesses stay top-of-mind and accessible.” 
However, one-third of local marketers feel their companies are not prepared with the hybrid set of skills needed for local SEO strategies to succeed. Businesses are increasingly outsourcing for SEO capabilities. There is also an increasing room of opportunity for online SEO resources as 57% of marketers are confident that there’s an abundance of quality SEO resources available. 
Customer experience optimization will be the hero of 2020
Be it local or big label brands, 2020 is becoming the year of “perfect vision” for mastering the customer experience. Businesses are using this time to identify how they can understand their consumers and optimize their methods to deliver happy experiences.

These are a few indicative stats from Moz that reinstate the fact – customer feedback will be driving force:

78% of respondents agree that Google has become the new homepage for local businesses
51% of businesses will continue to invest in the new methods they’ve launched for getting products and services to customers due to COVID-19

Interestingly, marketers aren’t the only ones involved in local SEO efforts and strategic planning. It also includes these departments:

ClickZ readers’ choice for the week
Our readers are keen on uncovering what the new normal holds for their business, while there’s a continued appetite for our key insights articles. As we run AI month, readers have continued to show increasing interest in AI-based content.

Three steps to prepare for the post-COVID-19 business world
Key Insights: Marketers reveal their confidence, fears, and marketing technology inclinations
Five examples that demonstrate the value of AI for B2B marketers
Marketing strategies during – and after – Coronavirus
What leading consultants say about the usage of AI in marketing?

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Source: ClickZ
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