6 eCommerce Trends That Will Impact Your Data Strategy in 2022
It’s a great time to be an eCommerce business. In 2021, there were 900 million more digital buyers than there was the year before. By 2022, eCommerce is expected to account for $5.42 trillion in sales with volume continuing to grow by 15% through 2023. In fact, by 2040, 95% of all purchases are projected to be made online.Shoppers love eCommerce for its convenience, personalization, purchase options, and customer experiences.
Online shopping has leveled the business playing field and allowed even smaller companies to compete confidently with larger competitors. Of course, this doesn't mean that eCommerce success is easy. To succeed, online businesses must be aware of the trends that will drive the channel in the coming years.
1. Zero-Party Data Will Drive Personalization in eCommerce
In April 2021, Apple allowed users to opt out of data tracking on its iOS 14.5 with a new App Tracking Transparency feature. Following this launch, Facebook lost access to lots of valuable user behavior data. Consequently, many eCommerce brands saw a massive decrease in the effectiveness, reach, and profitability of targeted Facebook ads.
In 2022, eCommerce brands that want to continue advertising on Facebook will adapt to these changes. They will collect "zero-party data," i.e., data directly from customers, and then use it for personalized marketing and ad targeting.
To collect zero-party data, brands will:
Entice customers with quizzes
Add conversational pop-ups in email and SMS marketing
Do more to attract new people to their website
Send product recommendations via email marketing
As more customers become more privacy-conscious, eCommerce firms that respect these developments will succeed.
2. Chatbots Will Make Online Shopping Easier
In the coming years, more brands will add chatbots to their shopping pages to communicate with shoppers via a live chat interface. Chatbots will also help businesses to reduce costs by over $8 billion per year by 2022.
Well-designed, well-trained, on-brand chatbots will converse with shoppers in a human-like manner to:
Provide 24/7 instantaneous customer service
Lead shoppers to the right pages
Seamlessly guide customers during the shopping process
Self-learning chatbots and chatbots based upon Natural Language Processing (NLP) will play an increasingly important role in how customers communicate with eCommerce businesses and how these businesses ultimately retain their customers.
Chatbot technology will also empower eCommerce companies to deliver personalized service and experiences, which 80% of customers are already expecting. To enable this, eCommerce companies will need to have a strong product data strategy.
3. Voice Shopping Will Become More Prevalent
In 2023, voice eCommerce sales are expected to reach $19.4 billion, and 50% of searches will be voice-driven by 2022. That's why many eCommerce brands will offer voice-based shopping. Voice search and conversational shopping will enable customers to find what they need and complete their purchases with minimal hassle.
These features will enable eCommerce companies to help customers in real time by:
Providing personalized recommendations
Supporting them throughout their buying journey
Delivering frictionless experiences every time they shop online
Chatbots and voice bots will enable eCommerce firms to provide omnichannel customer experiences, another trend that will continue in 2022 and beyond.
4. Augmented Reality Will Attract Both New and Repeat Buyers
Augmented Reality (AR) is fast evolving into a competitive differentiator in eCommerce. With AR features like product builders, product visualizers, and 3D mapping, shoppers can use their smartphones or other digital devices to "see" a product in their own environment for a more immersive and engaging product experience.
These experiences can create an emotional connection between a shopper and a product and ultimately help companies “win” sales with new customers and then keep them coming back for that same rewarding shopping experience.
For instance, they can see what a piece of furniture will look like in their own living room. Or they can virtually "try on" new clothes or jewelry before making a purchase. These product merchandising methods will help eCommerce businesses attract and retain more customers and grow their sales and profits in 2022.
5. Mobile and Social Commerce Will Drive eCommerce Growth
In 2020, mobile commerce sales in the U.S. grew by 41.4%. Between 2021 and 2025, annual sales are projected to double. As a result, many eCommerce brands are placing mobile commerce at the center of their strategies.
To build a stronger relationship with mobile shoppers, eCommerce brands will:
Engage more with mobile-first platforms like social media
Leverage more influencer platforms
Build mobile customer experiences to increase engagement
Create mobile-optimized websites and eCommerce apps
Include features like push notifications, SMS marketing, and mobile-ready email content to guide shoppers throughout their buying journey
Offer GPS-enabled mobile shopping experiences to augment in-store experiences
Social Commerce will also be a big trend. Millions of shoppers already use social media to shop for new products, check reviews, and ask online communities for purchase suggestions. As a result, eCommerce brands will be actively selling through social media, which is why social commerce sales are expected to reach $79.6 billion by 2025.
In addition to spending advertising dollars on social media branding campaigns, eCommerce brands will:
Encourage and share user-generated content to engage followers and build customer communities
Partner with influencers to expand their reach to new customers
Use Livestream shopping to showcase new products
Leverage targeted advertising for sales events and to incent repeat purchases
6. Omnichannel Customer Experiences Will Become a Strategic Priority
Omnichannel customer experiences, a key priority for many businesses in 2022, will help eCommerce brands to deliver more personalized and coordinated shopping experiences for their customers. Focusing on omnichannel experiences should:
Push marketers to create and deliver coordinated content across channels
Drive measurement of online and offline marketing and sales efforts across various devices and channels
Highlight the need to integrate data from across multiple channels to improve overall conversion rates and sales volume
Enable companies to provide personalized recommendations and tailored customer service to improve both sales and customer loyalty
The world is now shopping online. In the coming years, customers will continue to demand seamless online shopping experiences, digital features, and personalized service. If you are an eCommerce company, there are some key trends that will shape the future of your business. Preparing your company to capitalize on those trends and customers' changing expectations will help your business succeed in the future.
EnFuse Solutions offers numerous eCommerce services to help clients achieve higher conversion rates by delivering engaging digital experiences and reducing friction in the online shopping and buying process. Contact us to learn how we can help you succeed.
