Fast-Growing Field Digital marketing, which Wilson describes as anything that involves an online experience, whether through a website, phone app, virtual reality set, or other electronic device, was a fast-growing industry even before the pandemic hit. Over the past year, the digital marketing space has absolutely exploded, boasting an estimated 2 billion users worldwide. In response, businesses of all sizes, many of which were already shifting resources toward online marketing, were forced to invest in digital marketing if they expected to remain viable. “Given this online behavior, companies are now investing in customer-facing digital interfaces as well as automation, data integration, because this is really the
space where they are able to create superior customer experiences,” Mukherjee said.
She noted that in 2020 the World Economic
Forum and LinkedIn ranked digital marketing as the top skill required for health care and green jobs as well as in consulting and marketing. This demand motivated the creation of the digital marketing minor last fall, which already has more than 100 students enrolled. Mafua, who intends to become a digital marketing specialist, has learned to embrace analytics during her time in the program. “Analytics can be intimidating, but they are a big part of what’s going on in the industry, and you have to understand how they work,” she said. “I have learned what all of these metrics mean, and now I’m learning how to drive those metrics.” Since the measure of success in digital marketing— or any marketing—is creating a customer, there are plenty of opportunities in the field for content creators, artists, innovators, and those interested in the technological side, according to Wilson. The field is wide open. “I tell my students there is a huge space in digital marketing for people who have a passion for something and are creative,” Wilson said. “It’s part art and it's part science.”
Both she and Wilson say the shift in consumer attitudes towards digital commerce provides plenty of job opportunities for students.
“During the pandemic, digital marketing budgets actually increased while overall marketing budgets decreased to support digital transformation. Companies pulled budgets from trade shows and face-to-face events and allocated them into digital marketing to reach customers,” Mukherjee explained. “I just think that right now, without integrating digital technology, it’s very hard for any business to thrive,” she continued. “It’s absolutely critical for our students to understand the digital space, and it has become a basic skill required across a number of different industries and verticals.”
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR HAS GONE DIGITAL
Q More than a quarter of small businesses (28%) have tried targeted advertising on social media or sold products or services online (27%) , according to Visa’s global Back to Business Study .
M According to consumer research commissioned by Visa, social media accounted for one in four online purchases in the United Kingdom during the first six months of the pandemic. Social media purchases, “coined swipe up” shopping, is expected to grow in popularity.
X 82 percent of surveyed small business owners adopted new technologies to meet customers online and in-app, according to Visa’s global Back to Business Study .
r 49 percent of surveyed people now prefer to shop online, according to Visa’s global Back to Business Study . a Global business- to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce sales are expected to reach $4.5 trillion this year.
w 59 percent of shoppers say being able to shop on a mobile device is important when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from. G 49 percent of users say they use Google to discover or find a new item or product.
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