This excellent overview of how we’re returning to trade show marketing highlights a number of trends and audience behaviors, as well as parsing some of the increased costs we’re seeing around getting to and from a show. Image 4 is in the vanguard of exhibit marketing firms helping to present our clients “face-to-face” as well as through hybrid programs.

This excellent blog post from one of our go-to flooring suppliers hits all the design notes for today’s retail spaces. From connecting with your customer at the “speed of digital” to making the space welcoming and comfortable, retail design trends are reflecting our experiences in our homes over the past 24 months, yet with added excitement as we again interact socially.

In this data-loaded article, one thing jumps out – customers are both willing to pay for, and expect, your institution to deliver personalized advice and product recommendations. And though the branch count may diminish by 20%, the remaining locations will be ever more important in delivering the experience required to prevent customer migration to Fintech and non-bank alternate providers.

Image 4’s Experiential research shows that people will utilize the method that matches their expectation of “friction” in a transaction. Picking up the phone may be more “friction” than a text, but then again, maybe not if you need to have a complex conversation. And Zoom may be higher friction than a simple call. Maybe a new phrase is brewing, “Another Zoom that could have been a call…” 

Ten industry insiders share their predictions on what’s in store for the upcoming year in trade shows and other events. Many attendees are optimistic about the return to face-to-face which hopefully points to a strong recovery in 2022. While some still see “virtual wrap-around” and hybrid events, others see the demand for face-to-face growing. Coming out of the two steps forward, one step back environment that we’ve been in for the past couple of years, all ten contributors are optimistic about 2022 and are looking ahead to a year full of creativity and innovation. Read more.

Standing out in the crowded universe of online retail can be a challenge so many brands are turning to cutting edge customer experiences as a point of differentiation. One possibility is the new augmented reality experience offered by Shopify, which could also have applications in the real world, at events, trade shows, pop-up stores, or other activations where the full inventory of the physical store is not available. Read more.

“Serving specific community niches, better integrating data and striking the right balance between digital and human service are among the strategic routes that take CX from being a synonym for good service to a true competitive differentiator.” If customer experience is not at the top of your list, it should be: Here then is a compilation of five customer experience trends banks and credit unions need to be prepared for in 2022, including more community involvement and personalization, and human connection. Read more.