The e-commerce industry is constantly developing, adopting new technology, and adapting to changes in user behavior. Consumers have become more demanding than ever, seeking beautiful, informative, fast, and convenient e-commerce websites. There’s no time to relax. Staying up to date with the trends is vital for establishing a solid digital presence and competitive advantage.

We’ve gathered 11 e-commerce trends to follow in 2022 to provide outstanding customer experience and increase conversion rates. 

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a powerful conversion-generating tool for e-commerce. This technology enables users to see items online as if they were shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. Augmented reality can be utilized in numerous industries, including fashion, makeup, and home décor.

Businesses can utilize different types of technology to meet their needs.

Marker-based augmented reality is also known as image recognition-based augmented reality. It detects and analyzes an object in front of the camera, replacing it with a 3D model on the screen. The user can then view the object from any angle and alter it.

In contrast, markerless augmented reality doesn’t need an object from the real world. Instead, it uses pre-uploaded 3D models, allowing users to move and alter them as they wish. Lastly, location-based augmented reality displays 3D models in certain locations – just like the Pokemon GO mobile game.

The Rise of Voice Assistants  

Smart home devices have spiked the popularity of alternative data input methods, including voice search. More and more users rely on voice assistants to complete tasks and search for products and answers to their queries.

The benefits of voice recognition technology for e-commerce aren’t limited to convenience. Not only can users shop hands-free, but also businesses can better learn their customers’ needs and preferences. Suppose a user regularly orders food via AmazonFresh using Alexa. The voice assistant can then provide the user with food recommendations based on their preferences.

Voice cognition technology also makes the product review process easier, so users are more willing to share feedback. Typing a long review is time-consuming, so most users prefer leaving short and uninformative feedback. With voice assistant, users can share more genuine and detailed reviews.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the future of e-commerce personalization. The term is broad and encompasses natural language processing, machine learning, and data mining. In simple terms, artificial intelligence gathers current and historical user data, analyzes human-computer interactions to enhance query understanding, and implements algorithms to improve user experience.

What does this mean for e-commerce businesses?

Firstly, it means better targeting and more effective advertising. Companies can offer users more relevant to their preferences and shopping behavior content, thus increasing lead conversion and customer retention. Personalization is possible without artificial intelligence, but the technology streamlines the processes and eliminates the need for intense labor. Furthermore, artificial intelligence provides detailed insights into the store’s key metrics for reporting and optimization.

Artificial intelligence facilitates dynamic pricing strategy implementation, instantly changing the prices based on supply and demand. Virtual customer service assistants are also powered by artificial intelligence, learning to communicate better with every customer interaction. Lastly, the technology helps optimize logistics, helping to forecast transit times, costs, and shipment delays.

Chatbots

While chatbots are a part of the broader artificial intelligence e-commerce trend, they deserve extra attention. Nowadays, users seek quick answers to their queries. Customer service agents are often overwhelmed and can’t answer dozens of e-mails simultaneously.

Chatbots eliminate the need for human assistants, providing instant help to every user in need. According to Forrester, over 50% of users abandon their shopping carts if they don’t receive rapid answers to their queries. Furthermore, they’re available 24/7 – it’s the best chatbot feature according to 64% of internet users.

Chatbots are helpful not solely in customer service. They can also provide users with personalized offers, thus boosting the website engagement rate. Note that chatbot implementation doesn’t mean that real customer service assistants aren’t necessary. However, they can focus on resolving more complex queries instead of answering simple questions.

Mobile Optimization

Mobile optimization is one of the leading digital trends of the decade. In 2021, mobile sales accounted for 54% of the total e-commerce sales. Marketers have even come up with an individual name for mobile e-commerce, m-commerce. Despite such rapidly growing interest in mobile shopping, many online businesses still haven’t optimized their websites for smartphones.

Mobile optimization is a broad term. Businesses need to consider catalog loading times, text visibility, user interface design, navigation, pop-up banners, and much more. Mobile responsiveness is also a critical aspect of search engine optimization, allowing a website to rank higher in search results.

E-commerce businesses can’t rely on automatic page layout scaling. Thankfully, Magento facilitates straightforward online store optimization for mobile devices.

Mobile Apps

Businesses willing to level up their m-commerce game may consider mobile apps. One may argue that every business nowadays has an app, and it starts to get annoying – why not use a website instead? However, a mobile app isn’t a replacement for a website but rather an addition.

Data shows that 78% of users prefer mobile apps for shopping over websites. Sure, first-time visitors are unlikely to download an app to shop in your store. However, it’s an excellent solution for loyal customers.

Mobile apps are faster and more functional than websites. It enables businesses to gain a competitive advantage and higher conversion rates. Users spend less time waiting for the catalog page to load and more time actually viewing the products.

Mobile apps also offer enhanced customer service. Companies can add a clearly visible chatbot window directly in the app rather than make the user navigate between browser pages or search for the business contacts in Google.

More Payment Methods

Customers love to have freedom of payment methods. Many abandon their carts if they don’t find a preferred payment option or if the checkout is too slow. Offering a wide array of checkout options is a simple way to increase online store conversion. Apart from popular checkouts like Apple Pay and PayPal, many businesses add installment payment options powered by Klarna, Afterpay, and similar merchants.

Video Content

Product images aren’t compelling and informative because everyone knows about the wonders of editing and good lighting. Users want to see the product in person, and video is the closest an online product can get to reality (apart from augmented reality technology). Videos showcasing a product in action are highly effective at converting leads into buying customers. Furthermore, customers informed about the product’s look and features are less likely to return it. 

Video content can also serve an educational purpose. For instance, e-commerce businesses can add interviews with product inventors or documentaries about the manufacturing process. Apart from benefits for users, video content also benefits business owners, helping the website rank higher in search results and granting a competitive advantage.

Subscriptions

Before you say that subscriptions are getting out of hand and you’ve lost count of services you’re subscribed to, hear us out. Subscriptions are an excellent way to increase customer retention and provide a better user experience. E-commerce businesses can utilize subscriptions to streamline inventory planning and ensure a constant profit flow. From the customer’s perspective, subscriptions are an easy way to get the desired product on time without the hassle of recording it repeatedly.

Of course, such a business model isn’t suitable for all e-commerce businesses. No one would buy clothes or tech by subscription. However, it’s an ideal model for companies selling meds, food, supplements, coffee, and similar products that needs regular refilling.

The Growth of B2B

E-commerce was once reserved for business-to-customer interactions, but now we see a rise in the business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce model. Data shows that e-commerce accounts for 18% of B2B company revenue, more than e-mail, phone, or video sales.

Page Speed Prioritization

Few things can be more irritating than a slowly loading online store. Customers seek a convenient and fast shopping experience, so poorly optimized websites inevitably lose sales to stores offering a better user experience. Many businesses forget about page speed when implementing new technology such as augmented reality or uploading high-resolution pictures and videos.

Meanwhile, nearly 70% of consumers admit that page loading speed affects their willingness to purchase from a website. Furthermore, about 50% of users are ready to give up video and animations for faster page loading times. An e-commerce website’s speed depends on a multitude of factors, including the platform, hosting, and scalability. Regular testing and optimization are vital for increasing online store conversion rates.

No Time to Relax

It’s one thing to be informed about industry trends and another thing to implement them in your business. Regardless of the trend you want to adopt, focus on providing an excellent customer experience and don’t neglect website performance. The Interactivated team specializes in e-commerce website and application development and optimization. Get in touch to learn more about incorporating modern technology into your e-commerce website to drive your business success.