The ecommerce industry is constantly changing and 2022 is no exception. Entrepreneurs build more and more web applications to reach more customers.
Let’s figure out the major trends in the ecommerce market that will affect businesses in the coming months and years and see where it all goes.
1. Customers will shop on marketplaces, not online stores
Companies that didn’t even have a website before 2020 suddenly went online. However, consumers prefer convenience. Many new online stores lack the technical capabilities to cope with growing traffic and today’s shipping requirements.
Companies like Amazon and Walmart have the experience and infrastructure to meet the needs of today’s customers. Other niche marketplaces like Etsy continue to grow as well.
Nick Hayes of RANDYS Worldwide, an online auto parts retailer, explains: “Customers find shopping on marketplaces easier and more convenient than multiple online stores. They expect 2-3 days shipping and free returns from all online retailers. A high bar has been set. Large online retailers offer the best for both parties: they provide value for consumers and a low entry barrier for brands.”
If you are just starting, then become a seller on the leading marketplaces in your industry. This way you can use the advantages of large companies: large coverage, fast delivery, and experience.
However, be careful and rely not only on marketplaces. You don’t own customer data when you sell your products on sites like Amazon, which can be a limit to your business growth. The solution could be to drive visitors to your site through limited edition products, creating urgency and scarcity.
Related: The Benefits of Online Businesses
2. Augmented Reality enhances online shopping
Augmented Reality (AR) has completely changed the rules of the e-commerce game. With this technology, shoppers can experience the product as they would in a physical store, helping them to make a purchasing decision. AR is changing the shopping experience in industries like fashion and home decor because the shopper can feel the product without seeing it.
IKEA has released an augmented reality app containing more than 2,000 products from the catalogue and allowing you to experiment with interiors and exteriors using 3D models.
Tessa Wurz, director of marketing and partnerships at a web design studio, sees the potential of this technology even for small and medium businesses: “We hope that many more companies will use AR for their products – so much so that it becomes a standard for ecommerce platforms and social networks”.
3. Voice search is on the rise
More and more people are not only buying smart speakers but also resorting to voice assistants such as Siri or Alexa to perform daily tasks.
It is predicted that by 2023 there will be 8 billion devices with voice assistants (including smartphones). Consumers will increasingly use voice search to shop online, order food, and organize their lives.
Using voice assistants is very convenient:
- you can place an order without using your hands, mouse or keyboard;
- communication is intuitive;
- voice assistants work in multitasking mode.
Voice technology still needs improvement and adding more languages and accents. But now online businesses can integrate voice search and voice assistants into their customer journey maps.
4. AI will become less artificial and more useful
Artificial intelligence and machine learning remain the hottest trends in ecommerce. Unsurprisingly, they give online marketers a powerful weapon — the ability to automate and personalize purchases has never been so real!
AI constantly collects data on how and when a customer makes purchases, what they expect from products or services, when they last made a purchase, and what products they usually buy, and then recommends the next steps. Artificial Intelligence can use customer purchase history to recommend products that are most interesting to them and match their preferences based on product colour, gender, budget, brand and other factors.
You can start using AI now: make recommendations based on the customer’s purchase history, predict stocks in the warehouse, optimize marketing, and improve the quality of customer service.
5. Personalization at all stages of interaction with the client
Customers prefer that the process of communication with the company is tailored to their unique needs. This is exactly what 50% of shoppers want to see when visiting any online store.
Personalization aims to create long-term relationships with customers. For example, Enfamil, an American infant formula brand, asks expectant mothers for their due date by asking them to sign up for a mailing list. This allows them to provide up-to-date information throughout pregnancy and as the baby develops.
Smarter HQ found that 72% of customers are only interested in personalized messages. And according to Smart Insights, 74% of users feel frustrated when they can’t interact with content.
You can use such sections as “You might also be interested in…” or “Bought with this product…”. Another example of personalization is an offer to immediately sort the product by some indicator, for example, size or price. This immediately sets the right direction of thought for the user, saves time and facilitates the search.
Related: The Future of eCommerce: Marketing Trends Every Business Should Know In 2022
