E-commerce is an ever-expanding industry, with new entrants and new players emerging regularly. Consumers now prefer to go to an e-commerce site rather than do their shopping in person. Digital is more convenient for all of us, so it’s important to pay attention to your online business in 2022. If you have some kind of online business, website, or app, it will be reflected in an increase in conversion rates.
Trends in e-commerce are also constantly changing. It was completely different in 2012 than it is now in 2022, and it will be different in 2025. This is because consumer expectations and needs are constantly changing. It’s important to always adapt and try to meet the needs of your customers, within the limits of course. If your website is user-friendly, fast, and responsive, your customers will appreciate it by becoming loyal and returning customers. To know what your customers want, and what their expectations are, it’s important to have some kind of analytics tool, be it a heatmap or a session replay. Feel free to use them, as they can provide you with important information.
Now let’s move on to the 5 e-commerce trends you should be paying attention to in 2022.
1.Product visualisation
This is the first and one of the best trends that can improve the user experience as much as possible. A few years ago, it was not easy to imagine viewing a product in 3D in the digital world. The many tiny images didn’t reflect reality, so there were fewer conversions. Web developers aim to create virtual reality through product visualization. Easily showcase the structural elements of the products in a detailed manner using 3D Product Viewer extension.
You may be familiar with the situation when you didn’t buy something online because you were afraid of what it would look like in real life. So have others, not just you, which is why the conversion rate of a website has not increased as much. Conversions would increase if you had the opportunity to try a product before you buy it, but in the digital world, you don’t. However, a 3D image already provides more security for consumers.
But 3D images are not enough to make someone buy a product or use a service. Consumers also want relevant and reliable information. If you have all these things, it will also lead to a big jump in conversions.
2. Relationship management
Today it is no longer enough to have one-way communication. Customers like to ask questions, to make sure about things they are not sure about. That’s why it’s important to create opportunities for them to easily get answers to their questions, whether it’s online, 0-24 customer service, AI chatbots, live chat.
This can build a trusting relationship between your customers and your website, which will generate conversions and satisfied users.
Of course, chatbots or live chat facilities cannot answer complex questions, they are only responsible for answering simple questions. For more complex, complicated questions, pass them on to your human staff, who can answer those questions too. It is good if some members of your human staff are available at night, so you don’t lose customers because of unanswered questions. Of course, this will cost extra, but it will pay off and pay for itself in the long run.
One more extra tip. Don’t email customers, they are not looked at as often as some messaging apps. Provide customer service on tools that your customers use in their everyday communication, so you can reach them more easily and develop a friendly but trusting relationship.
3. E-commerce in B2B
In the B2B field, customers often place their orders by home phone or email. This can sometimes be time-consuming. However, if companies were to offer online shopping to their B2B partners, there would be fewer misunderstandings, and communication and ordering would go more smoothly. This would also be reflected in the number of conversions and in the UX, which is a key priority in e-commerce trends. Visuality could also play a role here, as it can be a decisive factor when buying a product. Decisions could be made more easily than in a telephone consultation.
Moreover, the inconvenience would be eliminated if online shopping were also available in the B2B area. Who likes to talk to unknown people on the phone all the time? Not many people, I think. However, if you provide all your customers with the opportunity to shop online, they will be comfortable and will not be lost, they will remain loyal customers.
4. Delivering abroad
Online purchases are not only made domestically, but consumers are also happy to order from abroad, of course, if they have the option. The reason for this is that consumers are looking for unique products, or they want to buy a product that is not available in their home country, so they are forced to buy from abroad. You can be more and better than your competitors if you offer global delivery. However, it can be difficult and costly to reach all countries at once, so I recommend that you keep expanding your country’s coverage little by little. Start selling in your own country, then target your neighboring countries, then the entire continent where you live, and finally the whole world.
For delivery, you’ll need a reliable company to do all these tasks for you. Make sure that your customers receive the products they order from you on time and in the quality they need.
5. Responsiveness
Why is it important that your website is mobile-friendly? In the US, 62% of users regularly shop on a mobile device. This number is only going to grow, which is why responsiveness is needed. The reason consumers prefer to shop on their mobile phones over their computers is that it’s faster, easier, and simpler to shop on mobile. The mobile device is always in your pocket, unlike a big computer. That doesn’t mean there’s no longer a demand for PCs, because there is, so your website must be optimized for both mobile and PC if you want to drive conversions.
This also translates into payment. When purchasing on mobile, people no longer need to enter their credit card details, they just need to add their details once and then the next purchase only requires fingerprint or facial recognition. It’s that simple and fast. Reliability is also a priority, so if you provide a mobile wallet function for your customers, the conversion rate will also be favorable.
Summary
As I mentioned before, trends are constantly changing, adapting to the needs of the market. You need to keep track of them if you want to stay competitive in the market. Analyze the needs of your customers and see which trends in e-commerce your users are demanding. If your users are satisfied, your site’s conversion rate will also be positive, just take advantage of the opportunities mentioned above.
