What are the biggest eCommerce trends of 2022?
The rapid growth in the eCommerce industry over recent years has been compared to a gold rush. As an increasing number of customers opt to shop online, businesses have quickly learned the importance of having a fast, high-quality eComm store that offers an amazing customer experience.
And of course, the start of the pandemic fueled this growth. (We know, everyone is tired of hearing about it, but it’s an undeniable fact.)
Since then, we’ve been able to track eCommerce trends to analyze what is working best, even as the industry evolves.
Although it’s alluring to know there’s always something new and exciting around the corner — that also makes trend forecasting a little less predictable.
But we’ll share what eCommerce trends we see continuing in 2022.
First: What trends were popular last year (2021)?
Before diving into this year, we’ll take a look at what’s been working and what trends were hot at the end of 2021.
Online sales up, and mobile leads the way.
As online sales climb, the number of mobile shoppers increases each year — and last year that number took off. Halfway through 2021, US-based mobile purchases averaged $134 per sale, its highest value yet, according to Statista. Therefore, it’s paramount that merchants focus on the mobile experience of their sites and optimize for conversion.
Increasing Customer Experience (CX) is a top priority.
Faster site speed, clear navigation, intuitive search results, and other user-friendly experiences are key parts of maintaining excellent CX. At Shero, we approach CX with a data-driven approach by carefully analyzing user behavior in Google Analytics, using a heat mapping solution like Hotjar or Lucky Orange, and then take a gradual improvement approach by doing A/B testing with Google Optimize.
Voice Commerce joins the chat.
Voice Commerce allows shoppers to make purchases or interact with brands via a home assistant like Alexa. Slow adoption by customers has left this innovative marketing and sales tool mostly behind the curtain, but it’s still seen noticeable growth as top names like Adobe invest in the value of Voice as a Service.
Subscriptions bring recurring revenue.
For those selling consumables, groceries, or items that need regular replacement, subscription options at checkout have become a way to provide convenience to the customer and recurring revenue for the merchant.
Simpler, faster checkout.
The easier it is to make a purchase, the more likely it is that a shopper will become a customer. Having a streamlined checkout in place reduces the number of clicks it takes to get from product to order confirmation, reduces cart abandonment, and increases the conversion rate.
2022 eCommerce Trends
Which of last year’s trends can you expect to carry over into 2022?
To start, you can bet that online sales will continue to rise.
After more than two years of adapting to online shopping, eCommerce has become a retail industry standard. Shoppers expect businesses to have an online store — and, with very few exceptions, there’s really no good reason why a business wouldn’t want to offer an online sales channel.
A study by Episerver (now Optimizely) showed that among more than 4,000 shoppers surveyed, about 26% buy online at least once a week.
And of course, shoppers continue purchasing mostly via mobile devices.
By now, your eCommerce store should be optimized for mobile (phone, tablets, etc.). If not, it’s likely you’re on a custom-build site or something very outdated, and either way, you’re in serious need of an upgrade.
It’s estimated that mobile purchases make up almost 75% of all eCommerce transactions. Don’t confine your shoppers to a desk; allow them the opportunity to shop on the go.
Brands are expanding their audiences by creating hybrid stores that sell B2C and B2B.
Companies that sell direct-to-consumers have realized ways to wholesale their product and sell to other merchants. The same goes the other way; B2B sellers are realizing they can cut out the middleman and offer products directly to shoppers. While these hybrid sellers may bring in more revenue, it does take a fair amount of resources to go hybrid. And sometimes that can mean building a separate eCommerce store, or even a sister-brand.
Interested in learning more about moving to a hybrid model?
We can help. Contact us!
Social commerce is growing thanks to social media ads and influencers.
The average person spends several hours of their day, broken up throughout the day, on various social media platforms.
And the influence of — well, influencers, has become even more dominant. Ads don’t come across as the salesy infomercials we grew up with; today they appear native, and often it’s difficult to tell what’s an ad and what is content.
And social networks recognize these opportunities for both themselves and for merchants, with add and marketplace options. (We’ve even written about how to connect your Shopify page to Facebook and Instagram, check it out.) We expect social to continue taking leaps in the eCommerce world.
But sometimes you take the bad with the good; unfortunately, online fraud has been on the rise.
And scammers have gotten smarter.
False returns, chargebacks, policy loopholes — these are some of the most taken-advantage-of means of committing eCommerce fraud. It’s important to be vigilant, and there are steps you can take to protect your store and data.
For instance, working with an agency like fraud-protection specialists Signifyd can reduce your liability, and teaming up with a company like Rewind for data backups can ensure that if you are faced with a hacker or person with malicious intent, your website data is secure.
What additional trends are you seeing? Let us know in the comments.
Want to learn more about how you can ensure your online store is ahead of the trends? Contact us to develop a strategy for long-term success.
Gentian, CSO and co-founder of Shero Commerce, guides the company and client digital strategies. He's an expert in technical SEO, Inbound Marketing, and eCommerce strategy.
