The strict measures of the Covid-19 pandemic have strengthened the attraction of entrepreneurs to the various opportunities offered by the web, including e-commerce. But in the face of the continuous development of consumer preferences, merchants who dare to invade the network are forced to adjust their marketing strategies frequently so as not to be overwhelmed. In order to make these online merchants aware, we are presenting below 10 Ecommerce Trends for 2022…
Voice chatbots, pioneers of 2022 e-commerce trends
First of all, we must remember that A Chat bot It is an electronic bot whose task is to answer the most frequently asked questions from customers and prospects. To some extent, he can discuss with them to collect their concerns before directing them to a normal person. If you are used to communicating with professional pages on Facebook or Telegram, then you have probably already dealt with messenger chat programs, which are very popular on these two social networks.
But another version of this AI-driven innovation is emerging in e-commerce: the voice chatbot. It has also become one of the top e-commerce trends of 2022 that simplifies and streamlines customer service management for e-merchants.
In fact, voice chatbots perform the same tasks as traditional call center professionals. They replace human jobs, answer consumers’ questions, and measure their satisfaction through surveys or recommend additional products and items to prospects.
In addition, contrary to what one might think, there are voice chatbots that are capable of making calls to perform predetermined tasks. So they can take care of operations related to technical assistance, telemarketing, cross selling or even day to day customer relationship management. To modernize your e-commerce business practice, voice chatbot is undoubtedly one of the e-commerce trends that you will have to rely on.
Re-trade
We can’t talk about it Ecommerce trends for 2022 Not to mention re-trade. Buying used products is popular and some even take it as a benchmark to make up for future shortages of raw materials. For 2021, for example, 7 out of 10 people in Europe have purchased items that have already been used at least once. This emerging revolution is actually a boon for businesses, as trade experts predict that this “second hand trade” will grow 11 times faster than the sale of new goods. Players in this field will spend less on inputs while ensuring their sales grow.
Moreover, many brands such as Zalando and LaRedoute have already caught up to it by offering items from vintage collections or branded clothing that has already been used. The 5 million unique visitors per day that Vinted receives is a perfect example of the public’s enthusiasm for re-commerce. He called for Generation Z, an e-commerce trend that still has a bright future ahead, like direct shopping.
Whether it is to showcase a product or to exchange with potential customers, brands are increasingly using videos as a useful weapon to impress potential customers. In fact, they are no longer limited to producing simple images to promote their articles. But webinars and video calls have become an integral part of the digital marketing strategy of e-commerce companies in promoting their products.
The customer can then attend a live presentation or demonstration of the merits of an item they are looking for. This reduces or even eliminates the need for potential customers to necessarily go to a physical location to be able to gauge the true value of a product’s qualities. In addition, thanks to augmented reality, the “e-shopper” can try on clothes or other similar goods without having to travel. So there was no longer any reason for the distance barrier to exist. Everything can be done over the web. Rather, it is one of the great advantages of “live shopping” and its owner in relation to e-commerce trends, distance shopping.
Telemarketing 2.0
Above all, it must be understood that, despite the decline in the audience of traditional tele-shopping programs, these channels remain a privileged way to discover new products. But this is not exactly the element of e-commerce trends that we want to highlight.
In fact, at the end of 2019, NBC introduced a new parameter for these ads. The latter allowed viewers to directly purchase on-screen play items via a Store App. The good news is that for some time this feature has been integrated into some Smart TVs. Customers will then be able to easily find the products featured in a movie or advertisement by simply performing an action as simple as a ‘click’.
Whether you are marketing an eco-friendly item or a high-tech product, the new 2022 ecommerce trends deal will have a positive impact on the turnover of your virtual store.
Environmentally friendly products
Among the many changes that consumer behavior undergoes, the environment is gradually becoming an essential factor in commerce. For illustration, take the case of French youth between the ages of 18 and 34. A study conducted states that 75% of them prefer to buy goods or services from brands that are responsible for the environment.
Thus, green consumption is one of the main preferences of a potential customer that an entrepreneur in this field should rely on in developing his business strategy. Therefore, packaging manufacturing, transportation method and raw material selection should be based on promoting environmental principles.
Click and collect
Running style has been popular since 2020, and it is topping the e-commerce trends of 2022. The ” Click and collect It is actually a term used to describe purchases made online (click) and whose items are collected in-store (collect). During the pandemic, this is also one of the levers that has allowed merchants to survive despite many restrictive measures.
In addition, it is a technology that allows entrepreneurs to avoid delivery costs and maintain a real (physical) relationship with their clients. All e-commerce players (sellers) can easily use it to increase their turnover and build customer loyalty. If you are planning to set up a web store, this is an asset not to be overlooked.
Reverse image search
Thanks to artificial intelligence that directs specific search engines, it is now possible for an internet user to easily find articles similar to a particular product. It is enough for the latter to search from an upside down image in order to associate several proposals with it. Through a survey, 62% of people under the age of 35 admitted that they plan to use this technology for their future purchases. This is a strategy that, on the other hand, has proven to be beneficial for all e-commerce merchants. It is simply necessary that stakeholders take the time to improve their content posted on the web.
Yes, only well-calibrated images from an optimized page will appear during this type of search. If an entrepreneur thus wishes to take advantage of this opportunity offered by search engines, he is left with only one option: digitization. This means optimizing your ecommerce website pages and ecommerce blog posts to meet SEO or SEA natural referral criteria.
CRM-CDP combination
The main functions of CRM can be summarized in the storage and use of data. But for the optimal effectiveness of a marketing strategy, e-merchants need to be able to analyze the online and offline behavior of customers or potential customers. They will then be able to better understand their personalities, habits and appropriate moments to successfully start the different phases of their business plans.
This is where the CDPs reside (customer data platform) becomes necessary. Based on an analysis of e-shopper activity, they allow merchants to paint a hypothetical picture of their goals. The latter will then be able to customize reminders, emails, and other conversion or loyalty channels. Entrepreneurs will then know how to engage with a user on a social network, for example, without blocking them or reporting them as spam.
social selling
Social selling is still called social commerce, and it is one of the e-commerce trends that have been around for years. Previously reserved for BtoB professionals and other business leaders, the technologies used have now invaded the daily lives of all web sellers. The main reason is that potential customers are now more willing to make purchases on social networks than before. A survey conducted by FEVAD showed that in France, ¼ of the population would be willing to purchase goods and services directly through these channels.
In addition, it is a trend that satisfies e-commerce merchants’ thirst for independence from middlemen. They can then use Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube or Instagram to easily put their D2C (Direct to Consumer) policies into action. The platforms already offer convenient options such as the “Instagram Shopify” offer from the Instagram social network.
This social network (Instagram), as a leader in the field of commerce, continues to compete brilliantly to offer companies the best alternatives. If the entrepreneur wants to diversify and revitalize the sectors of intervention in his marketing plan, here are the details that he has no right to ignore. why ? Simply because you can’t get a customer to pay for your items unless you can get their attention. And for that last point, social networking remains the ultimate weapon.
Instant payment methods
Despite the appearance of Made in France, online buyers prefer companies that offer fast payment methods to carry out their purchase transactions. To meet consumer requirements, all e-commerce merchants must offer internet users the possibility to use instant payment platforms.
These include, for example, PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Play and Payoneer. But if the entrepreneur is also targeting the African market, he will have to integrate “Mobile Money” receivers into his payment systems. It is, in fact, a popular payment solution on the continent that allows settlements (payments) to be made from the mobile wallet installed by default on phone numbers.
Pay as you go is the latest e-commerce trend of 2022 that has the potential to complete your promotion efforts. If you do not pay enough attention to it, all your web marketing strategies for increasing sales may prove useless.