5 E-commerce trends to keep your eye on in 2022
In the past two years, we have seen a massive shift in the e-commerce sector to meet the demands of a post Covid-19 world. The pandemic saw a meteoric rise in online shopping. As we celebrate a new year, it is vital for online sellers to look ahead and plan for what is to come.
According to data from e-commerce experts Optiseller - an e-commerce data platform with over 50,000 users in 160 countries - there are five new e-commerce trends which will affect all online sellers in 2022. Their researchers say it doesn't matter what platform or marketplace you sell on, these trends can and will affect every aspect of selling online in the year ahead.
So what are the five e-commerce trends to look out for? We list them all below:
1 | Mobile shopping is growing rapidly
If your site isn't optimised for mobile transactions, you need to step into the 21st century now or you're going to lose out. By the end of 2021 mobile transactions made up 72.9% of total worldwide e-commerce sales according to data from Statista.
Sometimes known as ‘m-commerce’, mobile commerce is the process of buying and selling products or services through a mobile, tablet or another hand-held device. And with today's society being mobile obsessed there has never been a better time to be ‘mobile-friendly’. According to Ofcom people in the UK check their smart phones every 12 minutes daily, so just think of all the traffic and potential customers you could miss out on if you’re shopping platform isn’t optimised for mobile.
Richard Falconer, COO at Optiseller, explained, "Mobile shopping has the very real potential to become the top channel for online purchasing and could change consumer shopping habits forever. According to Insider Intelligence mobile will inch closer to becoming consumers' preferred channel for online shopping within the next five years. Get ahead of the game and set yourself up for success by being mobile-friendly."
2 | Online sales are continuing to increase
It's no surprise that the first trend we look at is that online sales are continuing to increase at a rapid rate. According to a survey conducted by personal finance start-up Credit Karma, about 70% of Brits admit buying online has become their preferred shopping method, up from under 50% prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the decline of the high street, more and more people are shopping from the comfort of their own homes. Global research from Optimizely, which surveyed more than 4,500 shoppers, found that 38% of UK consumers buy online at least once a week, more than any other region surveyed. This was closely followed by 26% in the US and 21% in Australia.
"Sellers need to stand out from their competition as marketplaces are only going to become even more competitive. eBay alone has identified that there were over 100,000 new ‘pandemic start-ups' formed in 2020 during the height of the UK lockdown,” says Falconer.
3 | Social media impacts consumer buying decisions more than ever before
Similar to m-commerce, with the growth of social media platforms and the influencer culture of today's society, social media is pivotal in the consumer buyer journey. According to GlobalWebIndex, 71% are more likely to purchase products and services based on social media referral alone.
Deloitte’s annual report also noted that consumers who use social media during their shopping process are four times more likely to spend more on purchases than those who do not. This figure really demonstrates the importance of staying abreast of social media trends and influencers to ensure that you're reaching your customers and ultimately selling more online.
The Deloitte report provided some insight into which product categories work best on social media. According to their data, 56% of consumers buying baby products are influenced by social media, compared to 40% for home furnishings, 33% for health and wellness and 32% for car parts and accessories.
4 | Environmentalism will influence e-commerce
With COP-26 recently held in Glasgow, the Earth's future is truly at the forefront of the world's minds. It's no surprise that a research report by LiveArea, ‘Selling Sustainability: Adapting to the New Conscious Consumer', found that consumer attention in the UK and Ireland have turned to the sustainability of the buying cycle and the environmental impact associated with their changing shopping habits.
For many consumers, the temporary closure of physical shops has provided the opportunity to reassess and re-evaluate their shopping habits. More than 37% of shoppers now say that they are more conscious of the environmental impact their online shopping habits have than before the pandemic. Meanwhile, nearly 73% of consumers expect online retailers and brands to use recyclable packaging or minimise their use of packaging. And according to another study by Deloitte called ‘Sustainability & Consumer Behaviour 2021’ nearly 1 in 3 customers claim to have stopped purchasing certain products because they had ethical or sustainability-related concerns about them.
Sustainability is clearly going to become increasingly important to consumers and how every online seller should seriously consider their environmental impact whether that is choosing recycled packaging or using a low emission courier to keep their customers on board.
5 | Supporting local business will be on the up
The pandemic saw nearly 50 chain shops close per day in the first half of 2021 on the British high streets, retail parks and shopping centres, research showed. This scary reality has promoted the UK to shop local.
According to Shopify, 57% of consumers expressed a willingness to purchase from new and independent businesses for the first time. Whether you are new to selling online or have been selling online for years using multiple marketplaces, this gives you the confidence to know that if you are an independent business that consumers will purchase from. Gone are the days of people only purchasing from big brands that are well known, everyone has a chance to sell online in today's market.