Have Our Digital Analytics Predictions for 2023 Come True?

At the start of the year, our digital analytics team made some predictions on where they thought the data market was headed in 2023. We make these kinds of predictions every year because they help our team inform clients and candidates on upcoming trends, and also guide our team’s decision-making and where they want to focus their efforts.

To inform these predictions, the team leverages priority data that’s published in Harnham’s salary guide. With 2023 well underway, have our team’s predictions come to fruition? Harnham consultant Shaun Smith shares a breakdown of what we expected for this year, and how things have unfolded (so far).

#1: The increase of personalisation

At the start of the year, a lot of our clients were expressing interest in increasing personalisation for customers, and tailoring web experiences so each customer is served uniquely.

This prediction came true– in fact, it took off even more than we anticipated. We have seen personalisation efforts two-fold this year as clients look to create targeted landing pages and have even started building out focused exclusively on this.

At first, we were surprised at how much our clients were putting towards personalised efforts, especially given the economic situation. However, upon further reflection, it makes sense because when done correctly, personalisation can be a significant revenue driver.

#2: The rise of the product analyst

Off the back of personalisation, we were expecting to see the rise in demand for product analysts.
We figured that a product analyst, which is a hybrid of a marketing analyst, web analyst and CRO analyst, could be a perfect fit for cash strapped businesses.

However, this didn’t come true. Instead, we’ve seen CRO become huge this year. In fact, 50% of our roles this year in the digital team have had some CRO focus. We’ve also seen A/B testing become a lot more of a requirement, with the rise in CRO roles.

Personally, I think it is a great time to get into this field, since a lot of companies are open to people that have no A/B testing experience but can analyse data and tell a story with that data.

#3: A focus on implementation

Implementation has always been big, especially within the contract space. Then, with universal sunsetting and becoming GA4, we were expecting to see companies hiring a lot more tagging specialists or technical web analysts.

This prediction has come true. Implementation has been a focus but many of our clients have opted to work with agencies rather than hire in-house. From speaking to clients, we think this is because a lot of companies need increased implementation expertise for the short term to get the GA4 transformation done, but didn’t want to hire the people full-time, only to have no work for them when the project was completed.

The importance of reflection

Looking at the big picture gives us the opportunity to truly understanding our customers (clients and candidates) that we work with.

By continually reflecting on the state of the market, we’re better able to work with and connect with your network. And, while predictions can be useful, this year has taught us that predictions will only take you so far – you still need to plan for the unknown. It’s interesting to look back at our mindset in January and to see what has and hasn’t panned out the way we expected.

If you’re interested in digital analytics, machine learning, or robotics just to name a few, Harnham may have a role for you. Check out our current digital analytics jobs or contact one of our expert consultants to learn more.