What does “trending” really mean, and why is it important? Well, according to Merriam-Webster, “trending” is defined as “to generate or attract a lot of interest or attention, especially online and in social media.” Whether you’re an up-and-coming startup or a Fortune 500 company, keeping up with current trends is necessary to gain a prize-winning edge over the competition.

With a flurry of constantly changing industry trends, how can a brand possibly know which ones are most relevant? We’ve scoured the internet and rounded up the top 15 digital marketing trends (in no particular order) that have made the biggest impact this year. Here’s what we discovered:

The phrase “retail apocalypse” gets thrown around a lot, with a sense of breathless intensity and finality—like the doors are shut and the tumbleweeds are already rolling at local malls and outdoor shopping districts around the country. While store-based retail has definitely seen brighter days, we're not quite ready to put the final nail in brick-and-mortar’s coffin.