Ecommerce
The e-commerce industry is booming. It’s one of the fewest industries that kept growing even in the pandemic. While people are resorting to online shopping during lockdown restrictions, investors are keen to invest in building online stores.
Today, there are over 12 million e-commerce stores online. And they are making billions of dollars in revenue because of online shopping habits. According to Forbes, 70% of searches drive action within an hour.
As a result, the competition is getting bigger than ever before. And new trends are being introduced to stand out in the industry. By following the norms, you rarely get any attention.
In this post, I’m going to share some of the emerging e-commerce trends to watch out for in 2022. So, are you excited to have glimpses of the e-commerce future?
Ecommerce Trends To Watch out For in 2022
1- Voice Search
Voice search has become a trend in the e-commerce industry. As people have become dependent on Alexa, they are expecting the same experience while shopping.
What a luxury it is to say something and have it right on your screen. This is the kind of experience top e-commerce websites will be rendering in the future.
This feature will promote conversion. People often shop online on the go, and when they have the luxury to access a product with a simple voice search, they are likely to return for more.
2- Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is prevalent today. Ecommerce websites are likely to include this technology in the future to enhance customer experience. Not only people would be able to see the product, but analyze its size and look with 3D models.
This way, users will have an idea of how they will look wearing a certain shirt, using a device or any tool, and so forth. This will further improve the customer satisfaction rate and people will enjoy shopping from stores that incorporate this technology.
If you are in the process of building your e-commerce store, consider this feature. It might take some investment but it’s worth the money.
3- Chatbots
In the end, it all comes down to the customer experience. And to enhance that, AI is introducing exciting trends in the e-commerce market. Chatbots are high in demand these days. And we are further going to see some innovations in this area in 2022.
They let store owners respond to customer queries in a rapid manner with automated replies and solve their issues as soon as possible. Further, they lead visitors to the relevant pages and they get instant access to the desired content or product.
4- Multiple Ways to Pay
Though this is something we are witnessing today, it’s still not common. Ecommerce stores in certain countries are still struggling to expand their business because of the unavailability of PayPal, Payoneer, and other means of payment.
And in the future, we are going to see stores accepting digital payments. For example, instead of attaching cards, there will be options for wallet-to-wallet transactions.
One would pick his desired product and select the preferred digital currency for payment — most likely Bitcoin. And according to its present-day value, he will be asked to submit XYZ coins.
5- Mobile Optimization
It may sound weird but today, when people have nothing to do, they indulge themselves in mobile shopping. Your e-commerce website must be optimized for mobile because more than 50% of traffic will come from mobile devices.
Not optimizing for mobile means missing out on an opportunity to attract thousands of new customers on a daily basis. And most importantly, a poor mobile experience can turn off even your oldest customers on the web. To ensure your e-commerce website is mobile-friendly and provides a seamless shopping experience, consider using Shopify development services that specialize in creating responsive and user-friendly websites.
In 2022, websites not optimized for mobile will have no place in top results. And driving conversions without working on this area would be a mere dream.
6- Video Marketing
In the future, product images won’t suffice. You will need to have a video to promote your product as well as demonstrate how to use your product. According to Hubspot, more than 80% of businesses are using videos for promoting their products.
According to Wyzowl, 90% of marketers say video marketing has helped them to up their game. More than 70% of YouTube users say they learn about the new brands through video ads.
Video marketing is the future and e-commerce stores will have to add product videos to drive sales.
7- Personalized Experience
AI has made it possible to gather data about every user landing on your site. If you manage to store this data and offer a personalized user experience the next time he lands on your website, it will be a huge bonus for your store.
People are more likely to convert when they get a personalized experience. One study found a 25% revenue lift for retailers scaling advanced personalization capabilities.
8- Loyalty Programs
Customer retention is the key. It’s not just about getting new traffic or referrals but retaining the old customers. With loyalty programs and subscription offers, you can make the old customers keep coming back.
Come up with new, exciting offers to lure your customers to subscribe to your store and get regular updates. When executed after proper research and planning, loyalty programs can do wonders for your business.
