Are you looking for ways to improve your eCommerce website? Want to learn the key trends that will affect your online shop over the coming year?
The eCommerce industry has grown exponentially over the past decade. As online retail continues to grow, it’s essential that online shop owners keep up with the trends, or else they risk falling behind in profit and sales.
Here are 10 eCommerce trends all online shop owners need to know in 2022 in order to stay relevant and competitive in their industry.
One-Time Buyers Are the Challenge
The vast majority of online purchases are made by people who purchase something online only once. This means that one-time buyers are your number one challenge when it comes to growing your eCommerce business.
Whether you’re starting an eCommerce website or simply want to grow your current brand, keeping one-time buyers engaged is vital. These consumers decide whether they like and trust a particular brand before becoming repeat customers.
Their perceptions about you and your company will determine whether they return to buy again.
And if they don’t come back? They could tell their friends and family about their experience—good or bad—on social media, review sites, and other online channels such as blogs and forums.
Online Selling Will Get Bigger
With over half of all shopping already taking place online, it’s easy to assume that growth will slow. But with eCommerce now accounting for 11 percent of total retail sales—and growing steadily—the market is nowhere near saturation.
By 2022, online sales are expected to represent 14 percent of total retail. In other words, there’s a lot more room to grow before we start seeing a slowdown.
And as more people continue buying their groceries and other goods online, traditional brick-and-mortar shops should expect to see a major hit on their profits as online retailers attract shoppers looking for better deals.
Customized Packaging
Consumers are always looking for a reason to pick one item over another. If you want your customers to choose you, provide a unique, eye-catching experience that will stick with them long after their purchase.
A clear packaging option, such as custom boxes or bags with branded designs can give your company an advantage over competitors and establish your brand as innovative and ahead of the curve.
Rise of Mobile Shopping
Consumers are increasingly buying online via their smartphones. That trend is only going to increase as mobile shopping becomes easier, more intuitive, and safer than ever before.
Mobile payments are now available on nearly all websites, and they’re getting more secure by the day; it’s not difficult for e-tailers to offer convenient payment options like Apple Pay, Android Pay, or Samsung Pay.
Multichannel Personalisation
Online shoppers, especially millennial consumers, don’t want to shop on just one site. They want choice and flexibility—and your store needs to accommodate them.
Multichannel personalization gives users a consistent experience across all touchpoints while ensuring that each channel adds value for both customer and brand.
Once multichannel is set up correctly, you can engage with customers where they are most comfortable at every step of their purchase journey.
By using data from multiple channels to personalize each step of an interaction or purchase process, you can minimize cart abandonment and maximize conversion rates at every stage.
Better Payment Checkout Process
By now, we’re all aware of just how complicated and painful shopping online can be.
As eCommerce continues to grow at a rapid pace, developers and entrepreneurs are searching for new ways to make shopping as simple as possible, all while mitigating fraud and protecting consumers’ privacy.
The best way to do that is by utilizing cutting-edge security technologies designed specifically for digital transactions.
By incorporating these technologies into your checkout process, you’ll not only increase sales but also enhance customer satisfaction with your brand—which will translate into repeat business.
Voice Shopping to Take Centre Stage
As consumers become more comfortable with speaking about their purchases instead of typing them, voice shopping will continue to soar. Voice assistants have been a major boon for e-tailers, and they’ll play an even bigger role going forward.
As a result, online shops need a conversational web experience that’s just as seamless as what you can get in stores today. Traditional retailers—like grocery stores—will ramp up the competition by putting AI bots on their apps and letting shoppers order things en route home from work.
Expect your checkout process to get faster, smoother, and more frictionless over time. And make sure your prices are transparent so shoppers always know exactly how much they’re paying for each item.
Focus on Green Consumerism
Surveys have shown that 30% of consumers are more likely to purchase an item if they know that it’s environmentally friendly, compared with 20% who indicate that they are less likely to buy eco-friendly products.
This means you should make your green consumerism practices clear on your website and emphasize what makes your brand more eco-friendly than others!
Don’t forget to use keywords related to your niche when including terms like eco-friendly or green shopping! You can also incorporate brands whose products are earth-friendlier by writing reviews about them—people trust other people, not marketing.
Remember: If shoppers can do their part for a better planet while also receiving great deals, everyone wins!
Social Media Enters Online Shopping
In recent years, social media has taken a vital part in people’s lives. In general, people from all over the world spend hundreds of hours every month on social media.
There are over 1 billion users online, and there is a strong belief that social media will play an important role in e-commerce also.
For instance, Facebook and Instagram take care of more than 2 billion users every month, while Snapchat and WhatsApp cover approximately 1 billion users.
As you can see, it’s not so easy for any retailer to avoid communicating with its customers through these networks. And if companies want to stand out among their competitors, they need to reach out to customers using multiple channels at once.
As for today, it’s worth saying that retailers no longer ask whether their business should use social media or not—they simply don’t have another option but adapt quickly and become experts in managing different channels.
Increased AI Use in Ecommerce
In an industry where margins are razor-thin, and stiff competition is commonplace, it only makes sense that e-tailers will use artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies to stay competitive.
It is predicted that by 2022, 55% of online shops will include AI or machine learning capabilities. The easiest way for online retailers to benefit from AI is through chatbots.
Chatbots allow customers to communicate with a virtual sales representative using natural language interfaces such as Facebook Messenger and Alexa.
Source: Mark Walker-Ford
