eCommerce Trends & Predictions For 2022

Prepare Your eCommerce Business For Success

‍
Consumer behaviour has shifted dramatically since the world went remote due to the pandemic, and it hasn't stopped evolving. In fact, the eCommerce sector experienced such tremendous accelerated growth, that trends that were projected to occur in five years took a mere few months.
‍
With heightened competition, this shift has not come without its challenges for eCommerce brands-- they are trying to make up for five years of organic growth in a fraction of the time.

These brands have had to revisit their full-service offering, re-inventing everything from their check-out process to how quickly they can ship products to how well they can meet consumer demand. At the same time, they are placing an even bigger focus on personalisation and customer experience.  

It’s not an easy task. 

Some eCommerce players have adapted to this exceptionally well, while others are still actively playing catch-up, and can't seem to pull ahead of the curve. And while some of the trends we witnessed over the year are likely to continue into 2022, we are also strongly predicting some pivotal new ones. 

Prepare your eCommerce business for success in the coming year with a look at real insights from leading eCommerce players. Join us as we reveal some of the upcoming trends we have uncovered so you can stay ahead of the curve and find success in this rapidly changing market.

Chat Is The Future

A study by 99 Firms showed that by 2022, 85% of businesses are expected to have live chat support. With technology becoming more and more accessible to all age groups, more and more customers are familiar with messaging platforms and chat, and research shows that 79% prefer live chat because of its speed and convenience.

Demand for Chat is Increasing

In the same report, we see that nearly 69% of shoppers in the US demand live chat features-- it is a make-or-break for a majority of customers. Research also shows that live chat was the preferred service choice for shoppers between the ages of 18 and 49 years old, with 73% of customers calling live chat their “most satisfactory form of communication with a company.” Finally, customers who use live chat spend up to 60% more per purchase than those who don’t.

Customer Convenience Means Scalability

More than ever, customers want a rapid, seamless sales journey. Companies that can improve the customer experience at the top of the sales funnel and increase the speed of ordering, fulfilment, and problem solving will come out on top. Those who have clunky, older systems will lose customers to companies using conversation to streamline-- which leads to cost reduction and scalability.
‍

Sustainability

Consumers will continue to opt for sustainable goods/ packaging and services, in recent years as eco issues are pushed to the forefront of consumers minds - the consumer need and regulatory demand for transparency about products, their origins and the ingredients they are made from has become even more urgent and complex and brands need to cater to this.

Omni-channel - The new norm

We know this is a current trend, but expect it to continue even further. As the lines between physical stores and online become blurred, the term eCommerce is likely to be used less as it will be part of the experience of omni-channel. You may be purchasing in the retail store or via website or mobile app, this is likely to merge not solely on the customer side but also from a fulfilment perspective - with logistics ready to ship to a retail store or customers home.

Ethically Housing Your Own Customer Data

A recent report made the statement that customer data is more valuable than oil right now, and it’s hard to argue with that logic from an eCommerce perspective. We always want to value our customer’s privacy, but even with their permission, some software is making it more difficult to re-market to them. Housing your own customer data will give you a direct pathway to build better relationships with your customers, present personalised offers, and offer similar products or services to things you know they like.

Conversational Commerce are you ready to start the journey?

As shoppers become more familiar with this growing function of their virtual lives, businesses that deliver seamless, data-driven experiences have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

‍
The bottom line is that eCommerce as a whole is headed toward a conversation-driven, customer-focused model. You can start the journey toward building a strategy now on your own terms, or you can wait and be forced into adapting in a saturated market, fighting to stay relevant. Stay ahead of the curve. Begin building your conversation-based strategy now so you’re not playing catch-up later.

‍

Let us prove it to you in real time, have a conversation with us about how we can convert more of your online sales. Chat to a live agent now!