Top eCommerce Trends in 2022.
eCommerce is a fast-paced, ever-changing industry. Reshaping business thought year after year. As a result of Covid-19, companies were forced to rethink eCommerce marketing strategies. Resulting in digital solutions, which spanned from artificial intelligence to VR/AR breakthroughs. These digital solutions were a driving force for shifting consumer habits.
In today’s market, it’s critical to keep up with current eCommerce trends. To give you a competitive edge, our blog offers tips and insight into the Top eCommerce trends in 2022. Helping your business build a structured, organised, and in-depth eCommerce marketing strategy…
Do you remember when Apple released Siri in 2011? People were astonished. 7 years later, Apple announced there were 500 million devices in the world using Siri. A staggering growth period. Subsequently, voice-search assistants took flight, giving birth to rivals such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.
Voice search is undoubtedly redefining online shopping experiences. It’s faster than typing and can be used hands-free. As a result, it makes daily tasks such as driving safer. It provides a tailored experience by taking user preferences into account. For example, it remembers previous purchase history. You can simply say, “Alexa, order shampoo,” and it will order the same one as before.
Additionally, it makes leaving reviews more convenient. Consumers don’t want to waste time typing long evaluations on the internet. Therefore, a voice assistant is their new best friend. Asking them questions like, “How was your new tent?” or “How many stars would you give it?” With this trend proving to be incredibly useful to users, we have no doubt it will continue to develop year after year. Statista predicts that by 2024, there will be 8.4 billion voice-operated devices in use.
Top Tip: This opens up the opportunity for businesses to employ voice-search optimization. Employing keyword and keyphrase strategies. Furthermore, I’d concentrate on local search optimization as best practice. Voice searches are 3X more likely to be local due to instant shopping needs. For more information on how to enhance your ranking, read our blog on How to Improve SEO 2021.
In today’s market, it’s no secret that giving a more personalised buying experience yields better results. According to a recent survey by Deloitte, 1 in 5 consumers who expressed an interest in personalised products or services are willing to pay a 20% premium.
Now in 2022, mass personalization is taking over. Customer expectations will have skyrocketed and now they are dictating what they want and where. Demanding individual personalisation rather than as a mass audience. Indicating that businesses should embrace differentiation, investing in compelling customised experiences. For instance, how do you interact with your audience? What channels do they use? How often do they use these channels? What time of the day is best to communicate with them? How can you personalise physical products to each individual?
The businesses that embrace personalisation have the opportunity to create a differentiated proposition that could command a price premium, improve conversions and drive traffic. Particularly, through feeling more valued and recognised as a customer businesses can benefit from enhanced customer loyalty. For businesses that fail to personalise, consumers will simply switch brands to one that does and could lose out on customer loyalty. On the other hand, developing a strong personalisation strategy will increase sales in the long run.
Personalisation will become more apparent in email, social media, campaigns, geographic location, online personal accounts, internet protocol address customisation and related content (e.g. recommendations). Brands need to allow their users to have the opportunity to shape the products and services they consume.
The first chatbot, named ELIZA, was developed at MIT in 1966. Chatbots have come a long way since ELIZA. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic chatbots advanced at an abnormal rate. Advancing quickly to combat the fact more people were shopping online. In addition, businesses were receiving an unprecedented amount of calls and conversations.
Moreover, Chatbots allow businesses to communicate with customers and create trust. Without having to spend money on human personnel. In order to reap the benefits of intelligent chatbots, businesses of all sizes, large and small, are incorporating them into their operations. Businesses are expected to save $8 billion by 2022 courtesy of chatbots.
It is expected to trend and develop further in 2022 in a variety of ways…
Firstly, you’re probably wondering what the difference is? To put it simply, VR uses a virtual world setting and requires a headset. Whereas AR projects virtual images in a real-world setting, requiring a smartphone. Over the years, the popularity of AR has soared through the likes of Snapchat and Pokemon Go, both of which generated a mass buzz at the time. Now it’s being incorporated in retail to create a more interesting customer experience, but how?
AR technology is revolutionising the fashion industry. Allowing shoppers to try on clothing before purchasing them. A virtual try-before-you-buy experience that saves consumers time and effort. A convenient tool, letting consumers try on clothes in the comfort of their own homes. Virtual Try-Ons also have a social aspect to them. Consumers share with friends what they’ve tried on and seek feedback. Take ASOS’s ‘See My Fit’, for example.
How would that table look in my kitchen? Is that chair going to fit in that spot? When looking at a physical item on a small screen or even at a physical store, it’s difficult to know how it might look or fit at home. The decor industry is benefitting from AR/VR technology, customers can view a physical object in a real-world setting. IKEA, for example, introduced its AR app IKEA Place in 2017. It renders to scale 3D pictures of furniture. Consumers simply select any item from their catalogue, point their camera and place it in real life. It’s been a great success in providing an interactive dynamic user experience.
A virtual walk-through of how to use a product is another application of AR technology. It reduces customer support time and boosts engagement. According to Statista, the global AR/VR and mixed reality (MR) industry are expected to reach $30.7 billion in 2021. Moreover, it’s forecasted to reach $300 billion by 2024. Making it one of our fastest-growing top eCommerce trends in 2022. AR/VR technology gives businesses the opportunity to create a more interactive customer experience. Undoubtedly, effective use will improve user engagement.
Social media continues to adapt and evolve to changing consumer behaviours. In 2020, Instagram released a shopping feature for users to explore new products. This enables businesses to share product images with a clickable link to purchase or get a closer look. Customers don’t even have to leave the app to make a purchase, making it a straightforward process.
Additionally, Facebook added features that allow businesses to use a built-in storefront also. In 2022, it’ll become common that most businesses are taking advantage of these features.
According to a Forbes study, two-thirds of today’s customers use social media as part of their shopping strategy. This data emphasises the necessity of social media marketing. As a business, your eCommerce marketing strategy needs to be embedded with frequent high-quality shareable content. Ensuring it’s shared across all of your social media platforms, with clickable links to purchase.
Top Tip: Focus on visually aesthetic lower-priced items. Most people use social media to interact with other people, not to make expensive purchases. So, concentrate on popular, low-cost items. Making them appear visually aesthetic on social media will increase your chances of a purchase.
eCommerce is a tricky profession to master, especially when the market changes year on year. Evidently, the eCommerce trends in 2022 bring exciting opportunities for businesses to capture. If you need help with building your businesses online, our team at gloversure are here to help. We have a team of web designers and web developers who are experts in their field. Start your project today.
Find out how we can help kickstart your project.
