As I walked down the busy roads of Mumbai, with horns honking and vendors calling out goods, I felt caught in a rush of new technology. As I walked through a bright market, I saw that India is not just changing but transforming in ways that would greatly affect marketing. The past few years have been big changes in the world of digital technology. Businesses must learn today’s marketing trends to not only survive but to thrive in this changing world.

I want to talk to you about a small café in Bangalore where I met Neha. She is an excited business owner who has just started her special coffee brand. She talked about the fact that the pandemic propelled her digital journey much earlier than any other event can. Because of this, she said businesses like hers have to move from the archaic methods to an even more connected online model. First, the trend she says she noticed was ecommerce. Neha’s sales went overnight off the charts because more people were shopping online. Targeted digital ads that focused on her target customers primarily fuelled this. Online shopping sites have become very important for the majority of businesses and are changing consumer relationships with businesses.

As she went on talking about another truly insightful trend, I sipped the coffee: **social media marketing**.

Of course, it is Instagram and TikTok that have helped brands grow a lot and opened up new ways to reach younger consumers that were invisible before. Neha shared with me some examples of how user-generated content and working with influencers were important for making her brand more noticeable to its audiences. This would give a customer a real experience that creates trust, needed for loyalty in today’s noisy market.

Now, moving to Hyderabad, the city of technology. I attended a seminar there on **data-driven marketing**. Rohan, the market analyst, showed how analytics has changed targeting and personalization in a campaign.

Businesses can hit the mark well even when they are not aimlessly looking since they have so much data. They no longer guess; their strategies are designed to connect with the right customer. Rohan spoke high ROI numbers from campaigns based on consumer behaviour to prove benefits of smart choices, not gut feelings. As the sun set, setting the city aglow with the golden hue of sunset, I relaxed and thought over how crucial **sustainability** is in marketing. Sitting down to dinner with friends, I discovered that brands are no longer selling just products; they are selling values and causes. TOMS and Patanjali companies were gaining support and money by embracing eco-friendly practices and social efforts. It is a trend that shows a shift toward cautious buying in which the buyers are choosing brands that match their values. Aligning itself with those values is now much more than just a marketing plan; it is part of any brand’s identity.

Video content was the last idea that came as we ended the night. What I have seen of YouTube and similar social media apps is embedding short-form videos in telling the story of a brand: something different. Video content will engage better but also spur the action among the consumers in question. Neha mentions she is coming up with some behind-the-scenes video segments, that would show how the art went into her coffee-making-good angle to work upon this trend. Briefly, with the mess of the streets of India, I was all psyched up for the future. The marketing world is not only changing but is doing very well nowadays when new minds meet old brains. These trends are online shopping and interacting with people on social media, using data, sustainability, and video storytelling. These are trends brands can see and embrace. Brands that do just this will not only survive but thrive in this new epoch. The future of Neha and all business people like Neha is bright, and the rhythm of advancement is quicker than ever.