22 trends that will define e-commerce in 2022
E-commerce is an ever-changing industry that requires business owners to adapt to new circumstances and follow the latest trends. That’s why I invite you to see what has changed for the last year and what the key business trends are for 2022.
What are business trends for 2022?
- Voice technologies
- AI-powered product recommendations
- Flexible payment options
- Usage of AR and VR technologies
- Mobile commerce
- Sustainability
- Omnichannel strategy
- Personalization
- Fast delivery
- Metaverse and other new selling platforms
- Visual search
- Forward deploy fulfillment center (FDFC)
- Growth of B2B market
- Zero-party data
- Video marketing
- Social commerce
- Blockchain
- Live Streaming Commerce
- Personalized packaging
- Google Local Inventory Ads (LIA)
- Customizable products
- Trust
#1. Voice technologies
One of the most popular trends right now is voice search. Customers adopt new technologies and start using voice search much more often. For example, over 33% of US citizens used a voice assistant at least once a month. So if you haven’t optimized your store for voice search, you should do it in 2022.
#2. AI-powered product recommendations
AI-based tools allow you to improve the shopping experience and make it more personalized. Moreover, such tools help you increase revenue. According to online shopping statistics, AI-powered product recommendations have a 14% higher order value on average. And the Netflix recommendations engine is worth $1 billion a year.
#3. Flexible payment options
If you consider adding new payment methods to your small online shop, here is what users will expect in 2022:
- Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL). In the US, the number of BNPL users is growing and, according to forecasts, can reach 76.6 million by 2025. This payment model lets your customer split the payment into several regular installments over some time.
- Mobile payment method. According to a LearnBond forecast, the mobile payment market will reach $6.7 trillion by 2023. Shoppers enjoy the convenience and security of Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay.
#4. Usage of AR and VR technologies
Big brands moving this trend forward by using AR and VR technologies in the shopping process:
- Sephora allows customers to try make-up looks.
- Zara provides clients with holograms of models wearing their purchases.
- The Amazon AR View app lets customers put desired products in their homes virtually and see if it fits before making a purchase.
And a new generation of customers is ready to use these technologies. Researchers expect that the number of Gen-Z buyers who use such tools before purchase will increase by 57% during the next 5 years.
#5. Mobile commerce
Mobile Commerce (a.k.a. mCommerce) isn’t a new trend, but it definitely will keep gaining popularity in the future. According to statistics, over 10% of all retail sales in the US will be accounted for by mCommerce.
#6. Sustainability
Millennials and Gen-Z require brands to be ethical, responsible, and sustainable. According to a Stifel and Morning Consult survey, 71% of US adults ages 18 to 55 care about product sustainability. Sustainability probably is one of the most important current market trends, and following eco-friendly and socially responsible practices will help your business grow.
#7. Omnichannel strategy
The popularity of omnichannel marketing is another recent trend that shows us the importance of customer experience. This approach sticks to the thought that any interaction with your brand should be equally easy and smooth no matter what channel is used: social media, mobile app, online store, call center, offline store, or email.
#8. Personalization
The trend for personalization has been around for more than a decade, but as technology advances, a higher level of personalization is required to satisfy user needs. According to Salesforce research, over 65% of customers expect businesses to understand their preferences.
#9. Fast delivery
Two-day delivery by Amazon Prime is spoiling customers and makes it hard to meet such high expectations. Shoppers of online stores expect delivery in between 3–5 days. And almost 50% of European consumers abandon their cart if the delivery time is unknown or too slow.
#10. Metaverse and other new selling platforms
Facebook is going to launch Metaverse quite soon. This VR world with games and chats will be a new powerful marketing channel for online stores. But this is not the only opportunity to use a gaming platform for sales. Balenciaga partnered with Epic Games to launch their Fortnight clothing line. Nike launched Nikeland on the Roblox gaming platform with virtual Nike gear.
#11. Visual search
55%-72% of users are interested in using visual search. And the new Google Multitask Unified Model (MUM) algorithm integrated with Google Lens makes product search by images even easier. If you want to catch this audience, you need to optimize your store to meet MUM requirements.
#12. Forward deploy fulfillment center (FDFC)
FDFC is a small fulfillment center located near customers, for example, a set of automated lockers with some popular products. With their help, customers may get a notification that the order is ready for pickup as soon as they complete the order.
#13. Growth of B2B market
During the last 2 years, e-commerce was focused on the B2C market, but the B2B sector got a significant boost as well. Over 95% of B2B shoppers said they would continue to purchase online even after getting back to normal. So we won’t see a lot less online shopping in this market in the future.
#14. Zero-party data
Gathering, storing, and using personal data is becoming more complicated. In 2021, Apple released iOS 14.5, which allows users to opt out of data tracking. That led to a decrease in the effectiveness of Facebook ads because this app lost access to valuable user behavior data. Moreover, 2022 is a year when we need to prepare for the end of third-party cookie support in Google Chrome. And the only way you can keep getting information about your clients is by collecting data directly from them (zero-party data).
#15. Video marketing
Moz reports that over 65% of customers are influenced by video reviews. Videos allow users to see the item they never bought before in action and understand how it works.
#16. Social commerce
Sales via social media (social commerce) have accounted for $30 billion in sales in the US in 2021. And social networks contribute to this trend by launching new features. For example, Instagram released a new shopping tab with paid ads.
#17. Blockchain
Blockchain is a technology that makes information storage and transfers transparent and secure. And we already see how it was implemented in the food industry. So maybe it’s time to think about how you can use it in your store.
#18. Live Streaming Commerce
McKinsey experts predict that live commerce will be responsible for 10–20% of all e-commerce sales by 2026. Live Streaming Commerce is a new trend that is similar to a TV shop. Brands or influencers do live streams presenting commercial products that users can buy by the link in the description or directly from a live stream.
#19. Personalized packaging
Сustomers want to receive their orders in beautiful and personalized packages, as well. However, you shall not forget about sustainability.
#20. Google Local Inventory Ads (LIA)
Another retail industry trend appeared after the Google LIA release. This is a new tool that analyzes the location of potential customers and shows them the nearest store where the product they are looking for is available. Thus, customers can try the product before the purchase. This feature is popular among users, especially in Europe.
#21. Customizable products
In terms of personalization, top businesses like Nike and Vans went even further. They offer the opportunity to create fully customized products online using the latest technologies. So, 2022 is a year when you need to think seriously about engaging with your customers more and making their shopping experience personalized.
#22. Trust
Over 80% of online buyers worry when shopping on an unfamiliar website. They are afraid to entrust you with their personal data and order a wrong/unsuitable product that they will be stuck with. 59% of customers think that their data is vulnerable. So with all these changes in the data protection mechanisms, it’s extremely important to build trust between the brand and customers. And here is a little hint on how you can do it. 3 main reasons to trust a brand are:
- Price — 65%
- Reviews — 53%
- Brand values — 43%
To sum up, here are the main tips for you to follow based on the different trends we discussed in this article:
- Optimize your store for image and voice searches by following the latest Google recommendations
- Make use of new technologies
- Keep the focus on customers and their needs. Most of the trends require businesses to provide the best shopping experience possible
- Take care of customers’ personal information
- And don’t forget about sustainability.
