eCommerce Trends To Watch Out For In 2022

January 18, 2022 Marius Platt Business, eCommerce, Insights  

I don’t think I need to tell anyone that eCommerce is a part of everyday life for every consumer group as we come to the end of 2021. The inevitable takeover has only been accelerated by Covid-19 and associated lockdowns, with consumers purchasing online more than ever. In fact, 70% of Britons say buying online is now their preferred shopping method.

 

Looking ahead to 2022, here are 5 key trends I think will shape the world of eCommerce.

 

Predicted eCommerce trends for 2022:

  • Using social media as a sales channel
  • Increased use of voice search
  • Sustainability
  • Returns will become an even more prominent customer touchpoint
  • Subscriptions & Loyalty programmes

 

Using social media as a sales channel 

Social media is an incredibly powerful marketing tool for eCommerce brands to utilise. It not only allows them to send direct traffic to their website, but it also gives them the opportunity to create and foster a community which they can nurture to encourage returning custom. Whether it’s through paid social ads, organic content or influencer marketing, social media is the most important marketing tool currently available to drive sales online. 

Unsurprisingly, as social media grows, so too will the ability to sell to customers on their platforms. We’ve actually already written an entire blog about social commerce which you can read here to get ahead of the trend for 2022.

 

Increased use of voice search

The global increase of voice search has been well documented in recent times. The majority of new devices now come with voice functionality, from your new smart watch to the TV remote. 

Not only are these devices becoming more popular, but they are actually being integrated more into consumers’ day to day lives: “65% of 25-49-year-olds speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once per day.” It’s important to note, however, that it isn’t just the 25-49 year old category that is using this functionality. Both those older and younger are using these devices.

Voice is expected to be a $40 billion channel in 2022, although it only accounts for $2 billion currently. This section of the market is still relatively small and a very viable channel going forward into 2022 and further, which provides an interesting opportunity for D2C businesses to get ahead of the competition by adding focus to voice search in 2022. 

 

Sustainability

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword reserved for eco-friendly businesses. It’s the reality that modern consumers expect now and will expect in the future. Simply put, if your business isn’t looking to improve on sustainability, but your main competitor is, then you will lose customers. 

Customers are increasingly buying from purpose-driven brands and brands that align with their values, and this isn’t just a trend for 2022. In order to connect with these eco-aware consumers, you need to ensure your business values align with your target audience’s.

An excellent example of a successful sustainable business would be Pangaia. They are by their own admission “a materials science company on a mission to save our environment”, but from any consumer’s perspective, they’re a clothing brand who sell quality recycled/organic clothes. 

Shopify states that within 1 year, they were able to generate $75m in revenue while staying profitable, grow their staff size by 12x and increase their Instagram following by 14x. These statistics clearly showcase that when sustainability is at the forefront of a business, and the consumer aligns with this mission, growth and success are inevitable. 

 

Returns will become an even more prominent customer touchpoint

We already know that how businesses deal with eCommerce returns can create a competitive advantage. It’s a significant part of the customer experience which can be easily overlooked due to not being particularly glamorous. However, with increased online sales comes increased returns. 

When done correctly, the returns process can massively improve customer return rates. In fact, 92% of customers said they will buy again if the returns process is easy. However, on the flip side, a quarter of shoppers attribute a delay in processing their return to a negative customer experience.

This simply cannot be overlooked, and it needs to be a priority touchpoint for eCommerce brands in 2022. If you have the ability to improve future purchase decisions and increase a customer’s lifetime value, why would you overlook it?

 

Subscriptions and loyalty programmes

Subscriptions are a great way to increase customer retention rates, which is ultimately at the forefront of any eCommerce brands’ thoughts.

This can be a great tradeoff. Customers get the products they want, regularly and for less. They don’t have to spend time purchasing the product/service regularly or making decisions. Businesses keep the customers they want, for longer and for less cost. It can help with business forecasting and planning for the future – something every business would love to be able to do accurately. However, your business needs to be thinking long term and needs to have the technology in place to implement this. 

As eCommerce continues to grow in 2022, you’ll need to find new ways to differentiate yourself from the competition. Subscription and loyalty services should be in your conversations going forward if they haven’t been already. 

 

 

If you’re looking for help moving your eCommerce business forward in 2022, please get in touch with me at [email protected]!

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In Other News: YouTube Introduces Live-Stream Shopping, Snapchat announces new deal with Sony Music, and Linkedin shares insights into Gen Zers

November 18, 2021 Marius Platt Snapchat, Social Media  

Another weekly digital round-up is here with the latest social media news! This week we’re diving into Youtube shopping live streams, Snapchat and Sony Music’s new deal and LinkedIn’s insights into Gen Zers!

 

Youtube Introduces Live-Stream Shopping

With Live Stream shopping becoming a key focus for social apps, it’s no surprise that YouTube is getting involved with shopping live streams before the holiday season. After all, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest have already been running these live streams with high profile creators. 

These streams will allow viewers to interact live with influencers/celebrities and then purchase products in the app. Think TV shopping channels but the viewers are tuned in because they are interested in the influencer/celebrity. It’ll be very interesting to see how successful these are and what effect it’ll have on the industry moving forward. Is Twitch next?

 

Snapchat Announces New Deal with Sony Music to Expand Sound Options

Snapchat is continuing to expand its audio options with this new deal with Sony Music. This agreement will allow users to incorporate more songs into their snapchats. 

As time goes on and TikTok has more influence over the world of music, it’s no surprise other apps will look to compete in this highly lucrative space. TikTok changed how we all consume music and how artists think about releasing singles. This proved that social media is more powerful than ever when it comes to influencing the music industry. 

Will the ability to use certain songs attract more users to Snapchat? Only time will tell.

 

LinkedIn Shares New Insights into key Trends and Traits Among Gen Zers

For those who don’t know, Gen Zer is the term for those born between 1997 and 2012. They’ll soon be the largest consumer group, accounting for over $140billion* in direct spending in the US alone. Unsurprising really when you consider that Gen Z is the first generation to be digitally intertwined since birth. As LinkedIn notes: “That helps explain their affinity for social media, including LinkedIn. Gen Z members are joining LinkedIn right after graduating high school, and today more than 78 million global Gen Z professionals are LinkedIn members. Most (71%) of Gen Zers spend more than an hour on social media every day; 63% visit LinkedIn more than once a week.”

Key points to take from the insights and traits are:

  • Forbes research shows that by 2025, Gen Z workers will make up 27% of the workforce and will soon be the pivotal generation to the future of B2B;
  • Approximately 78 million Gen Zers are on LinkedIn;
  • Most Gen Z members join LinkedIn after leaving high school;
  • Almost 20% of Gen Z members in North America study in a business-related field;
  • Gen Z is leading the ‘Great Reshuffle’ with 54% of Gen Z workers considering quitting their jobs and 41% of the global workforce considering resignation;
  • Gen Z has a +80% year-on-year increase in job transition on LinkedIn;
  • Only 23% of Millenials think they were similar to Gen Zers at the same age.

The above are some key insights from LinkedIn that apply specifically to their platform but they can also be applied to how we all think about marketing to Gen Zers going forward. 

 

For more information on capitalise on these LinkedIn insights, pop us an email at [email protected]!

 

Sources

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/linkedin-shares-new-insights-into-key-trends-and-traits-among-gen-z-infogr/610080/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BpPqzmL7EI&t=18s

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eCommerce and Social Media: A Look to the Future of Social Shopping

November 1, 2021 Marius Platt eCommerce, Insights, Paid Media, Small business, Social Media  

Hello everyone, my name is Marius and I’m the paid media manager here at Pilot Fish Media. Having worked on marketing campaigns around the world, I’ve found that my passion lies in eCommerce and driving sales through the use of paid ads. eCommerce brands and social media platforms are inherently intertwined. You’d be hard pushed to find any, new or old, who aren’t on social media in some capacity. I’m going to break down why this is the case, and why social media platforms are all moving towards an eCommerce approach.

 

What is an eCommerce brand?

An eCommerce brand is any company that is involved in the buying or selling of products, services, or experiences over the internet. Whenever individuals or companies are buying/selling products, services, or experiences online, they’re engaging in e-commerce. 

 

Why do eCommerce brands use social media?

Social media is an incredibly powerful marketing tool for eCommerce brands to utilise. It not only allows them to send direct traffic to their website, but it also gives them the opportunity to create and foster a community, which they can nurture in order to encourage returning custom. Whether it’s through paid social ads, organic content or influencer marketing, social media is the most important marketing tool currently available to drive sales online.

 

What is social shopping?

Social shopping or social eCommerce is when social media platforms and eCommerce platforms become one. Certain social media platforms have direct integrations with eCommerce sites such as Shopify, which allows a customer to buy products directly from their feed/shopping section. Essentially, social shopping enables social media users to shop for and purchase products on social media.

 

Which social media platforms currently have shopping tools?

Social Shopping is already a popular feature on a range of social platforms and is expected to grow rapidly. But why?

Simply put, it reduces the purchase journey for a customer to 2 steps. They engage with the product on your social media feed and then begin the checkout process. This is now possible on the below platforms who all currently use social shopping in some capacity:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Whatsapp
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • TikTok
  • WeChat

 

What does the future hold for social commerce?

Social commerce is the future and we expect it to be adopted by more platforms going forward. There will be a time in the not-so-distant future when customers in the UK can click on a product on Instagram and purchase directly within the platform. This feature currently only exists in the USA.

If you assume social media is where your target audience spends the majority of their time, then it only makes sense to sell products to them then and there. They’re already engaging actively with your brand, so there will be a sense of trust and you won’t have to move them off the platform onto a separate website. Furthermore, with all of the privacy changes (iOS14.5/death of the cookie) and the shift to ‘walled gardens’ it makes sense for platforms to keep users on the platform. They are unable to track them effectively when they leave and go to a website, and as such, if they keep users on the platform, they can collect first-party data and information.  With one of the main struggles for eCommerce brands being the streamlining of the shopping process, social media and eCommerce integration should help combat that.

China has been the country at the forefront of social commerce through WeChat. WeChat originated as a messaging app and has developed into a unique hybrid platform. Users can do everything from calling a client, or their family group chat, to paying for their taxi or weekly shop. In China where services like Facebook are banned, WeChat is the standard platform for all business and communication. When we look at how important WeChat is, it’s no surprise that such a high percentage of products purchased in China are sold through social media. In fact, in 2019, 11.6% of eCommerce sales came through social commerce.

While China is a very different market to the UK, we can clearly see some similar patterns. There’s a history of copying what works in China: FB Messenger and Whatsapp have already adopted plenty of the features as seen in the chart below on WeChat.

*

It’s clear to see then why the UK and other countries in the West would adopt social commerce going forward. It allows for a streamlined shopping experience, which is beneficial to both the customer and seller. In addition, social platforms keep users on their app and try to keep their attention there, which is every platform’s ultimate aim. They’re trading in attention. Customers will expect to be able to purchase your products on social media with a couple of clicks very soon. So get ahead of the curve and prepare your platforms for social commerce now!  

 

If you’re looking for help moving forward with social commerce, please get in touch with me at [email protected]!

 

Sources:

* https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/blog/social-commerce/#what-does-the-future-hold-for-social-commerce

 

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