The year 2021 has proven to be the most successful in the history of the ecommerce industry. The unpredicted epidemic outbreak led the traditional business models to shift online, which accelerated the digital transformation in the retail sector.
The pandemic prompted retailers to explore new opportunities in the ecommerce industry, thus making the shift towards online the new normal. Currently, ecommerce sales have hit $4.2 trillion globally, increasing the popularity of technology-infused automated software and the need for ecommerce managed services among retailers.
More than 150 million consumers made online purchases for the first time in 2020. The rise in the number of online shoppers led to new brands, technologies, and retailers in the market.
So, what should the ecommerce industry expect in 2022? Let us look at some of the vital stats on emerging ecommerce trends for a clear understanding.
Transformation and trends in the ecommerce industry
Where does e-commerce stand in 2021?
The day covid-19 was declared a pandemic; people started working from home and preferred purchasing online rather than buying products in-store. The situation resulted in the growth of the online ecommerce industry due to the sudden increase in sales.
However, even before the pandemic, ecommerce was popular among people, meaning retailers and brands had already started implementing intelligent technologies, analyzing online industry trends, and working on customer acquisitions to meet their growing expectations every year.
In 2021, nearly 73% of ecommerce sales happened through mobile shopping, of which 63% less likely made purchases from the brand that did not provide a better mobile experience.
2022 holds a better scope for the ecommerce industry with emerging technologies, business ideas, and trends.
Top Ground-breaking Ecommerce trends in 2022
Voice search-based shopping to take the spotlight
| Voice shopping continues to attract consumers in the US market In 2022 The number of voice search-based products shoppers will increase by 55% Smart owners will engage in voice shopping |
Ecommerce and the internet have changed the way customers purchase goods and services. Voice assistants help to a great extent. From providing hands-free control of your home devices to reduced finger taps on mobile screens, digital assistants have proved to be quite helpful.
No wonder voice assistants like Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google assistant have gained popularity. With the voice assistant speaker market ready to hit $4 billion in 2022, voice shopping can hit $40 billion in 2022.
Therefore, it is crucial for ecommerce businesses to integrate voice search into their website and mobile application.
To keep up with this trend, retailers can opt for professional support to optimize their online store data for the keywords and search queries that fit the basic voice search queries.
Personalized marketing and products will drive conversions
| About 83% of customers are willing to share their data for a personalized shopping experience 80% of consumers are likely to purchase products or services with brands providing personalized content and promotions 40% of consumers are likely to view items recommended for them based on the data they shared with the brand |
A personalized shopping experience can help in increasing sales and customer loyalty. Customers need to be navigated to the desired product instead of skimming through multiple categories of products.
To boost sales opportunities, retailers must customize their websites using AI-powered personalization tools or software to send personalized pop-ups, emails, marketing offers, and discounts.
Retailers who integrate their online store with intelligent website features and online tracking technologies can recommend personalized products based on the customer’s historical data.
Multichannel customer support for improved brand loyalty
| 33% of Americans consider switching to other companies after they dealt with poor customer support American companies lost an average of $62 billion annually due to poor customer support A $1 billion annual revenue company can yield $823 million over three years through moderate customer service |
For a small and medium-sized ecommerce business, on-time customer support is essential to keep the business moving forward. An effectively functioning customer support service can solve queries quickly, facilitate customer retention, and improve services based on customer feedback.
While automated customer support services are beginning to take over traditional means of solving customer problems, the trends lie in switching the support services towards automation combined with manual involvement.
Adding automated live chat support, call, and email support services can reduce the ticket resolution time, service workload and deliver a satisfactory personalized experience.
M-Commerce will always be the first choice
| Mobile ecommerce sales increased by 15% in 2021 Nearly 73% of total ecommerce sales come through mobile shopping Mobile Commerce tend to grow 68% by 2022 |
The stats highlight the positive impact of mobile shopping in the coming year. The increase in usage of smartphones for shopping is a noteworthy trend for 2022.
According to Business Insider Intelligence, the e-commerce volume will rise from 25.5% CAGR in 2019 to $488 billion, 44% of all ecommerce in 2024.
Therefore, the year 2022 makes it fundamental for all ecommerce marketplaces and online stores to be mobile optimized for a better user experience. Customers use mobile shopping to purchase from any ecommerce website or investigate the prices of the products before making their purchases either through online or in-store shopping.
AR technology for product visualization
| About 83.1 million US consumers are using AR technology AR users expected to grow 17% by 2022 AR and VR market size expected to raise $209 billion by 2022 Statista |
Recently, the demand for customized and virtual shopping experiences has increased. Customer behavioral patterns and expectations towards the ecommerce industry have changed immensely.
With AR/VR technology into play, online shoppers do not have to think and imagine how the product looks or fits anymore. Virtual reality has it covered for you. With Augmented Reality support, an online shopper can visualize the product’s dimension, color, and appearance in the virtual world. AR technology in ecommerce can deliver an in-store shopping-like experience to shoppers.
With the vast space of AR technology applications in ecommerce to explore, ecommerce businesses should actively incorporate the technology for their customers to virtually try on the product before purchase.
Expanding your business with omnichannel selling
| 37% of consumers use social media to research products and brands 51% of Amazon products purchase came from third-party sellers 46.7% of online searches start from marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, and Etsy |
Targeting customers on a single channel limits the chance of connecting with new customers and business growth. Expanding the sales channel across multiple marketplaces should be on the cards for every brand and retailer in the following year.
According to Sprout Social, about 84.9% of customers don’t initiate their purchasing process until they encounter the products multiple times. Moreover, online shoppers use social media channels to research product details, customer reviews, and brand reputation.
In 2022, omnichannel shopping will play an essential part in the development of ecommerce businesses. Expanding the business to various social media platforms, marketplaces, and other retail websites can earn potential customers for your brand.
Conclusion
The ecommerce industry is rapidly evolving to cater to the growing customer needs and expectations. At the same time, retailers look for the support of emerging technologies to simplify business operations, analyze potential market opportunities, and start implementing strategies to reach their broader audience.
If you are interested in optimizing your ecommerce store for future growth, feel free to reach out to us. No matter your business needs, we are always happy to help.
