Getting up-to-date with the latest ecommerce trends and optimizing your website for the Black Friday sales is one of the best ways to boost revenue in today’s digital landscape. According to eMarketer, worldwide ecommerce sales are set to exceed $5 trillion for the first time this year, representing a rapid increase in the number of online shoppers.Though demand for online shopping has been increasing for some time, the challenges of the pandemic have launched a new era for digital transactions. Taking advantage of this new landscape means being fully prepared for some of the biggest sale periods in the year – including Black Friday.While Black Friday sales at brick and mortar retailers have been dropping in recent years, due to the pandemic, 56% of consumers said they planned to shop the sales online in 2021. These statistics correspond with the finding that ecommerce sales accounted for around 18.1% of all global sales in 2021. Now’s the perfect time to start investing in your ecommerce store before Black Friday arrives.
Exploring the Trends of 2020 and 2021
2020 and 2021 showed us that a shift to digital and hybrid shopping landscapes is here to stay. Online shopping during 2020 clocked in at a 21.6% increase compared to previous years. What’s more, even with fewer restrictions in place to prevent in-person shopping in 2021, the number of people who preferred to shop online was staggering, with $8.9 billion in sales registered online. Though it’s difficult to say for certain which ecommerce trends will continue into the years ahead, many experts in the ecommerce industry believe online shopping will continue to thrive. After all, online and mobile commerce allows shoppers to access a more versatile, convenient, and efficient environment for transactions. Even B2B buyers are beginning to shop more frequently online, demanding the same convenience from online sales for their business as they get in the consumer landscape.With a Conversation Rate Optimization company like Ampry, you can ensure you’re making the most of Black Friday traffic. Here are just some of the trends you’ll need to prepare for in 2022, and how you can optimize your site accordingly.
Trend 1: The Blurring Lines of Physical and Digital
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen an increase in online shoppers being forced into the digital environment by the restrictions of the pandemic. However, the experience of COVID-19 also showed many customers just how much they appreciate the in-store experience of retail sales. Many people are eager to return to in-store shopping for memorable experiences; however, they want the same efficient experiences in the real world as they get online.Ecommerce companies with offline environments can use apps and augmented reality tools to help combine the digital and physical spaces. Applications that improve the shopping experience by showing the consumer where to find a product in real-time or allowing them to scan a product code and search for stock are becoming increasingly popular. If a retailer with an online store can allow customers to check store stock, pay and order ahead, and pick up their purchases in person, they can provide their customers with the best of both worlds.
Trend 2: The Rising Power of Voice
An increase in online and mobile shopping has also led to an increase in the number of tools consumers use to interact with brands. Today’s customers are growing increasingly comfortable with the idea of using artificial intelligence in the ecommerce experience. For instance, your consumer might use voice shopping with their smart speaker to find a retailer offering the product they need.Upgrading your online store with access to voice search before the Black Friday period could be the perfect way to make sure customers can easily find the items they need during sales. Retailers can add voice recognition features into their ecommerce search function, and even optimize their content marketing strategy with long-term keywords chosen for voice search.Allowing for a wider focus on voice in your online shopping strategy also means you can make the shopping experience more comfortable for your customer. No matter how ecommerce trends might change, ease-of-use and convenience will always be crucial to most consumers.
Trend 3: Increasing Focus on Visuals
Voice is just one trend in the ecommerce industry retailers need to think about in 2022. If you want to deliver the best possible shopping experience for Black Friday, your brand also needs a stronger focus on visuals. After all, we’re living in a world defined by visual content since the pandemic.Visual commerce solutions involve using a range of ways to capture your audience’s attention and deliver valuable information without relying exclusively on text. Depending on the nature of your ecommerce brand, you might focus more of your ad spend on the display network, or experiment with 360-degree videos and augmented reality on your product pages.Social media marketing strategies with a heavier focus on visuals will be essential too. Reels, short videos, and TikTok-style content with a greater focus on authenticity and speed are becoming more valuable as we move into the new age of ecommerce.
Trend 4: More Customizations for Customers
As expectations of the modern shopping experience continue to evolve, certain existing concepts are becoming more important for ecommerce retailers. For instance, customers both in the B2C and B2B world have always wanted a wide range of customizations and options from their shopping experience.Your target audience undoubtedly appreciates having access to multiple payment options, as well as a variety of tools they can use to reach out to your customer service team if they have any problems. Before Black Friday rolls around this year, it’s worth making sure you’re offering your customers the right selection of options.As a new payment method, why not consider Buy-Now-Pay-Later? It’s one of the fastest-growing tools in digital commerce and gives your customers more opportunities to spend more than they usually would during each purchase.Allowing your customers more freedom to customize their purchase, with access to a range of shipping options, gift-wrap, and even the ability to add names or personal touches to a product, can help to make your brand stand out.
Trend 5: Omnichannel Marketing for Traffic
Upgrading your ecommerce store to meet with the latest ecommerce trends isn’t just about creating a more streamlined and engaging experience for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Every ecommerce business should also be thinking about how they can drive the most traffic to their stores and marketplaces. For most companies, this will mean leveraging a range of channels to bring more of their ideal customers to their store from different locations. For instance, rather than focusing exclusively on ecommerce SEO with content marketing, PPC with Google analytics, or social media marketing, you would create a comprehensive all-in-one strategy for optimizing your traffic. Omnichannel marketing methods should help you to optimize your chances of sales, by collecting more customers for online shopping from social commerce environments, forums, search engines, and other partnered marketplaces.
Trend 6: Social Media Influence
Though part of your broader approach to omnichannel marketing, social media marketing is strong enough at the moment that it deserves a mention on its own. Social commerce is one of the ecommerce trends which has been growing in the ecommerce industry for several years.Social commerce has grown in value for a number of reasons, including the rising use of smartphones among the average consumer, and the increasing demand for social media. According to studies, the global market for social commerce will reach around $2.9 trillion by 2026. A comprehensive social media strategy should be a critical part of your marketing strategy as we approach Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Take the time to find out which social media platform options for your customers use, then invest in a range of solutions like:
- Influencer marketing: To increase your brand credibility.
- Social media shopping: To improve the consumer shopper experience by allowing customers to buy from social media marketplaces.
- Conversational commerce: Using chatbots and live chat functionality to support your customers during their online shopping experience.
Trend 7: Mobile eCommerce
Just like social media and omnichannel marketing, mobile ecommerce has been gaining a lot of attention for a number of years. As one of the most significant ecommerce trends, mobile sales allow businesses to serve their customers more effectively on the applications and devices they’re already using. You don’t necessarily need your own mobile app to get involved.Both B2B ecommerce and B2C companies can leverage the power of mobile commerce to increase their sales, by simply optimizing their websites for mobile functionality. Examine the customer experience on your website and ask yourself whether it’s suitable for mobile users. Remember, during Black Friday 2020, mobile sales were 24% higher than desktop sales, and experts believe these numbers will continue to grow. Implementing mobile features into your shopping experience could even help to create loyalty among your customer base. For instance, you could experiment with augmented reality apps or one-click checkouts.
Trend 8: Holistic and Optimized Ecommerce Experiences
At any time of year, an excellent customer experience will automatically improve your ecommerce sales. When you’re taking advantage of ecommerce trends like social media marketing, headless commerce, and voice search for 2022, it’s important to ensure your updates don’t get in the way of UX. You still need to ensure you’re optimizing your site to support the traffic you get. Think about how you can make the online experience as streamlined and effective as possible for your customers, while implementing tools that improve your chances of conversions, like pop-ups showcasing social proof to develop trust among consumers.Think about how you can simplify the checkout page or offer links directly to product pages from social media and other marketing strategies. Don’t forget the basics of a great customer experience either. For instance, every ecommerce platform should include:
- Seamless navigation throughout the website and checkout process
- Comprehensive and transparent pricing information and details on products
- Ultra-quick page loading times (less than 3 seconds is crucial)
- A range of digital payment options, including BNPL (“buy now, pay later”).
Optimize Your Site for the Latest Ecommerce Trends
Black Friday 2022 is likely to be an extremely lucrative period for ecommerce companies, as customers refocus their attention on the digital environment for tracking down great deals and getting the products they need fast. However, if you want to take advantage of the increase in online sales for 2022, you need more than just the right supply chain.Leveraging the latest ecommerce trends means knowing how to capture your customer with the right range of website updates, and marketing strategies. First, you need to know how to attract your customer to your store through social media, voice search, and omnichannel marketing.Once your customers arrive on your website, whether they’re using it to supplement the in-person experience, or they’re shopping via mobile, you need to ensure the experience is as smooth and streamlined as possible. Find ways to engage your audience through new tools like visual content, AR, and chatbots for customer service. Finally, think about how you can improve your chances of conversions when your customer starts adding essential products to their basket. Working with a Conversation Rate Optimization company like Ampry can help with this.
Make the Most of Ecommerce Trends
Learning how to make the most of the latest ecommerce trends now will ensure you’re not only prepared for Black Friday 2022, but you also have the skills required to make better decisions about your ecommerce strategies in the future. As shopper trends continue to change, staying ahead of the curve will ensure you can continue to get the most out of your online sales for years to come. Ampry can work with you to optimize your website, so you can make the most of Black Friday Traffic. Organize your strategy call today.