The drastic measures of the COVID 19 pandemic have attracted entrepreneurs to the various opportunities offered by the web, including e-commerce. But in the face of the ever-evolving preferences of their consumers, merchants who dare to invade the net are forced to adjust their marketing strategies over and over again so that they don’t overwhelm. To make these web merchants aware, we present below 10 e-commerce trends of 2022…
Voice Chatbots, 2022 E-Commerce Trend Leaders
First, it should be remembered that a chatbot is an electronic robot whose mission is to answer the most frequently asked questions from customers and prospects. To some extent, he may discuss them with them to collect their concerns before directing them to a natural person. If you are used to interacting with professional pages on Facebook or Telegram, chances are you have already dealt with the messaging chatbots, which are very popular on these two social networks.
But another version of this AI-powered innovation is emerging in e-commerce: voice chatbots. It has become one of the best e-commerce trends of 2022 that streamlines and simplifies the management of customer service for e-merchants.
In fact, voice chatbots perform the same functions as traditional call center professionals. They replace human actions, answer consumer questions, measure their satisfaction through surveys or recommend additional products and items to prospects.
Also, contrary to what one might think, there are voice chatbots capable of making calls to perform specific predefined actions. So they can take care of tasks related to technical support, telemarketing, cross-selling or even day-to-day customer relationship management. To modernize the practice of your e-commerce activity, voice chatbot is undoubtedly one of the e-commerce trends that you have to rely on.
business again
We cannot talk about the e-commerce trends of 2022 without mentioning re-commerce. Purchasing old products is in vogue and some even consider it ideal to compensate for the future shortage of raw materials. For example, for the year 2021, 7 out of 10 people in Europe have purchased goods that have already been used at least once. This nascent revolution is indeed a boon for businesses, as business experts estimate that this “second-hand business” will grow 11 times faster than the sale of new products. The players in the region will then spend less on inputs, ensuring the growth of their business.
In addition, many brands such as Zalando and Laredout have already assimilated this by offering items from vintage collections or branded clothing that has already been used. The 50 lakh unique daily visitors that the Vinted platform receives is the perfect example of the public’s enthusiasm for re-commerce. Backed by Generation Z, it’s an e-commerce trend that still has a bright future ahead, like live shopping.
Whether for presentation of a product or for exchange with prospects, brands are using video as a useful weapon to convince potential customers. In fact, it is no longer limited to producing simple visuals to promote his articles. But webinars and video calls have become an integral part of the digital marketing strategy of e-commerce companies in promoting their products.
A customer can then participate in a live presentation or demonstration of the benefits of the item he is looking for. It reduces or even eliminates the need for prospects to visit a physical location to be able to assess the true value of a product’s properties. Plus, thanks to augmented reality, a “cybershopper” can try on apparel or other similar items without having to travel. The distance constraint therefore has no reason to exist anymore. Everything can be done through the web. And this is one of the great benefits of “live shopping” and also its sidekick in relation to e-commerce trends, teleshopping.
Teleshopping 2.0
Above all, it should be understood that despite the lack of audience for traditional teleshopping programmes, these channels remain the privileged means for discovering new products. But that’s not exactly the element of e-commerce trends we want to highlight.
In fact, in late 2019, NBC introduced a new parameter to these commercials. The latter allowed viewers to purchase items directly on the screen via a “shop application”. The good news is that this feature has been integrated into some “smart TVs” for some time now. Customers will then be able to easily find the products they see in a movie or ad by simply performing an action as simple as “clicking”.
Whether you’re marketing an eco-conscious item or a high-tech product, this deal of new e-commerce trends for 2022 will have a positive impact on your virtual store business.
eco friendly products
Among the many changes taking place in consumer behavior, ecology is gradually becoming an essential factor in commerce. Take, for example, the case of young French people aged 18-34. A survey conducted states that 75% of them prefer to buy goods or services from eco-responsible brands.
Green consumption is therefore one of the main priorities of the potential customer, on which an entrepreneur in the sector should rely in the development of his business strategy. Therefore the manufacture of packaging, the mode of transportation and the choice of raw materials should be based on the promotion of ecological principles.
click and collect
In vogue since 2020, it is a mode of operation that has topped the e-commerce trends of 2022. “Click and collect” is actually a term used to refer to online purchases (clicks) whose items are collected in store. During the pandemic, this is also one of the levers that has allowed traders to survive despite several restrictive measures.
In addition, it is a technology that allows entrepreneurs to avoid distribution costs and maintain a real (physical) relationship with their customers. All e-commerce players (sellers) can easily use it to increase their turnover and build customer loyalty. If you are planning to build a web store, this is an asset that should not be overlooked.
reverse image search
Thanks to the artificial intelligence that guides certain search engines, it is now possible for an Internet user to easily find articles similar to a specific product. For the latter it is enough to combine several resolutions to search from an inverted image. Through a survey, 62% of people under the age of 35 admit that they plan to use this technology for their future purchases. This is a strategy which on the other hand proves to be useful for all e-merchants. It is simply necessary to take the time to optimize your content published on the relevant web.
Yes, only well-calibrated images from a customized page will show up during this type of search. If an entrepreneur therefore wants to be able to take advantage of this opportunity offered by search engines, he has only one option left: digitization. That is, optimize the pages of your e-commerce sites and the publications of your e-commerce blog to comply with the standards of SEO or SEA giving natural context.
CRM-CDP Combination
The main functions of CRM can be summarized in the storage and use of data. But for optimum effectiveness of marketing strategy, e-merchants need to be able to analyze online and offline behavior of customers or prospects. Then they will be able to better understand their personality, their habits and the right time to successfully launch the various phases of their business plans.
And this is where the presence of a CDP (Customer Data Platform) becomes essential. Based on analysis of cybershopper activity, they allow traders to build a virtual picture of their targets. The latter will be able to personalize reminders, emails and other conversion or loyalty channels. Entrepreneurs would then know how to contact a user on a social network, for example, without being blocked or reported as undesirable.
social selling
Still called social commerce, social selling is one of those e-commerce trends that has persisted for years. Formerly reserved for BTOB professionals and other business leaders, used techniques have now invaded the daily lives of all web vendors. The main reason is that customers are now more inclined to make purchases on social networks than before. A survey conducted by FEVAD shows that in France, the majority of the population would be willing to buy goods and services directly on these channels.
Moreover, it is a trend that satisfies the thirst for freedom of e-merchants as compared to middlemen. They can then use Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube or Instagram to easily put their D2C (Direct to Consumer) policies into practice. The platforms already offer suitable alternatives such as the “Instagram Shopify” offer from the Instagram social network.
Virtually a leader in commerce, this social network (Instagram) continues to compete in ingenuity to offer businesses the best options. If an entrepreneur wants to diversify and activate the intervention areas of his marketing plan, here is a detail he has no right to ignore. Why ? Simply because you can’t get a customer to pay for your item until you get their attention. And for this last point, social networks remain the ultimate weapon.
Instant Payment Methods
Despite the rise of “Made in France”, online shoppers prefer companies that offer faster means of payment to complete their purchase transactions. In order to meet consumer requirements, all e-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 an entrepreneur is also targeting the African market, he or she needs to integrate “mobile money” receivers into their payment system. It is actually a popular payment solution on the continent that allows settlement (payments) from mobile wallets installed virtually to phone numbers.
Instant payments is the latest e-commerce trend of 2022 that has the power to fuel your promotional efforts. All your web-marketing strategies can prove to be useless in increasing sales if you do not pay enough attention to it.