What Lies Ahead for eCommerce Trends in 2022?

The eCommerce sector has seen some radical changes in the past decade, and it will continue to evolve at a rapid pace in the coming years. In fact, some industry experts even predict that eCommerce trends will be very different in 2022 than they are today. To gain an idea of what lies ahead for eCommerce trends in 2022, consider these predictions from those who know best—the eCommerce professionals who have helped the world’s top brands grow their businesses.

E-Commerce Is Still Growing

Despite what you may think, online shopping is still growing, though at a slower rate than it was just a few years ago. In 2017, U.S. shoppers spent around $433 billion on goods and services from various retailers. That's nearly 50% more than they spent in 2012! With an increasing number of customers turning to their phones and laptops to find products and place orders, most major retailers have increased their overall spending on digital advertising to stay competitive. As we move into 2022, don't be surprised if your favorite brands continue to increase their digital marketing budgets.

Mobile Will Continue to Dominate

Mobile sales will continue to dominate over desktops, with more people using smartphones and tablets to shop than computers. In fact, by 2019 it is expected that mobile commerce will make up 69% of all online sales. As more businesses adopt mobile-friendly solutions, consumers are also adapting quickly: 45% of users will only engage with brands through mobile apps or websites. This trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as individuals continue to spend an increasing amount of time on their mobile devices as well as companies investing more into optimizing their presence on these channels. This means we can expect a lot more from m-commerce in 2022 and beyond!

Omnichannel Offerings will be Key

While online sales account for a large portion of total retail sales, omnichannel offerings will be a must-have if you want to compete. Customers who are shopping on their phones prefer self-service options and have come to expect that there will be no friction when making an online purchase. If you aren’t offering everything from click to check out on one page, your business is already behind and, as we can see from other industries like travel and banking (where offering customers mobile access was once optional), it won’t take long for consumers to become accustomed to instantaneous service. With brick-and-mortar locations becoming more digitized than ever, retailers have an opportunity to close that gap between real-life shopping experiences and digital marketplaces.

Personalization Will Become a Must

Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken a huge leap forward, meaning that personalized products and services are closer than ever. Forrester predicted that 80% of US marketers will be using AI by 2020. As our industry continues to grow and evolve, AI is going to play an increasingly important role. It’s already beginning: Major brands like Amazon and Netflix now personalize product recommendations based on your individual history. Next year, I think we’ll start seeing even more firms utilizing advanced technology to personalize their offerings—for example, by tailoring products or services based on their customers’ shopping histories. Personalization has always been an important factor in online retail success; it should only become more crucial over time.

Advertising Strategies Will Change

As more shoppers get their fill of personalized, targeted ads, they’ll turn to ad blockers, which will become so ubiquitous that nearly 40% of Americans will use them. This may spell doom for some digital retail businesses—the analytics firm comScore estimates nearly $16 billion was lost because of ad blocking software last year—but it will prove good news for those operating within a niche. Ultimately, it’s not whether your ads are blocked; it’s whether customers have come to you by word-of-mouth or through branded content that matters most. So make sure you don’t neglect non-paid marketing methods like influencer outreach and social media advertising.

Big Data will Drive Decision Making

Today, big data is used to inform business decisions across various industries. With its continued expansion, it won’t be long before every business will become reliant on insights derived from big data analytics. In particular, as automation becomes more and more commonplace, big data will also play a key role in helping machines understand human actions and feelings. In such a world of fast-paced technological advancements, there will no longer be a shortage of data; rather, businesses will need tools that can help them make sense of it all. Over time these tools will get smarter and better at processing massive amounts of information—ultimately becoming an integral part of many decision-making processes within an organization. So what lies ahead for e-commerce trends in 2022? Big Data analysis!

Improved Usability Will Increase Customer Satisfaction

This goes hand-in-hand with personalization but focuses on how to use technology to simplify online shopping. Improved usability means that consumers can find what they want more quickly and easily—and that shoppers are spending less time on your site, and less money on shipping. Small improvements like an updated search feature or streamlined checkout process could have a big impact on your bottom line and make you more competitive against larger retailers. And even if you don’t update your site yourself, higher customer satisfaction could drive sales through improved word-of-mouth advertising.

Conclusion

The future is bright, but... will it last? Currently, few major retailers have been able to successfully compete against Amazon—not because they can’t keep up with its low prices and convenience, but because of a lack of innovation. Right now, Amazon is moving full steam ahead into online groceries and household goods delivery. As a result, I expect to see more grocery stores follow Kroger’s lead by implementing self-checkout stations and launching their own delivery services. It remains to be seen whether or not these efforts will be successful, but there’s no doubt that we’ll see plenty of them in the coming years. In addition, big players like Walmart are going all out on price matching. This means that if you find an item on Amazon at a lower price than what you pay at Walmart, they'll refund you 110% of your purchase price difference!

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