Since the beginning of the pandemic, 25% of brick-and-mortar businesses have built e-commerce sites, and by 2040, it is expected that 95% of all sales will be made via e-commerce.

In conclusion? Since e-commerce isn't going away any time soon, it's crucial for companies to keep up with the latest developments in this field if they want to succeed. So, what do modern fashions entail? Keep reading to get the scoop on this year's most popular e-commerce website features and marketing strategies.

Future of online shopping in 2022

In light of the data on online shopping shown above, it's clear that companies with an eye on expanding their customer base in this way should give careful consideration to building a solid e-commerce platform. In 2022, firms will have found success with certain techniques and features for their e-commerce websites.

1. Get it now. Pay later

According to Adobe's Digital Economy Index for 2021 (March 2021), the availability of "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) alternatives grew by 166% year over year. Commercials for companies like Klarna and Square can now be found all over the video-sharing platform YouTube. This CNBC report claims that young consumers have been the primary force behind the rise of BNPL alternatives.

2. Improved conversion rates

This is one of those fads that never goes out of style. In many cases, increasing traffic isn't the key to success; rather, it's increasing conversions. This is what CRO is all about, and as UX technology becomes more readily available to us, so do customers' expectations of what they should find on our sites.

While search engine optimization for online stores is still crucial, some companies would be wise to redirect funds originally earmarked for advertising toward improving the site's ability to convert visitors into buyers. This could be done through measures like increasing the number of calls to action, conducting split tests, or making the site load faster. There will be a general uptick in 2022 SEO practices centered around page speed, which will positively affect your Core Web Vitals.

3. Design without servers

In order to keep up with the expanding e-commerce industry, websites must find strategies to handle increased traffic. Serverless architecture (like AWS Lambda) allows for elastic scalability without the need to install or operate servers by offloading these responsibilities to the cloud provider.

The technology has already been used by other sectors, so it only makes sense for e-commerce businesses to do the same. There will be no outages due to scalability problems, expenses will be cut drastically (because there will be no need for more servers), and developers will have an easier time debugging from a central location.

4. Content Management System Without a Head

By doing away with page layouts and backend code, along with another bloat, headless technology speeds up websites. The headless approach allows businesses to quickly improve their platform's performance to better handle traffic spikes or increases in sales volume without having to create new pages or otherwise employ unnecessary resources for delivering an optimized experience, which is particularly important as consumer expectations are constantly rising.

5. Dealing in Conversation

Better client interaction, more tailored service and quicker responses are all possible thanks to chatbots. You may use them to direct leads, reveal new information, promote items, and answer frequently asked questions. There has been an increase in the use of chatbots for direct sales, with estimates showing that 60% of millennials have purchased food and clothing through such programs.

The Future of Online Store Promotion in 2022

Although new approaches develop year, many of the e-commerce marketing trends from one year to the next are similar. In the list below, you'll find a variety of recent and up-and-coming fashions that you may try out.

6. Marketable Real-Time Streaming

There has been a recent uptick in the demand for product videos rather than still images. More effort will be put into making customized films for your products and services in 2022.

Do you long for the days of classic home shopping networks? Well, they've made somewhat of a resurgence, especially in the realm of streaming services. Consider Platforms Such as YouTube, Facebook Live, and Switch. Constants aside, your presenter now has more sway since they are an influencer. It's live and uncut, with viewers able to ask questions and engage with the presenter at the moment. It grew rapidly during the epidemic because it provided a more secure shopping environment for consumers, and it seems to be here to stay. In fact, Moriarty's live stream broadcast earned the company $30,000 in November 2021 alone.\

7. Shop Online, Pick Up In Store

This pattern, also referred to as "click and collect," increased by 208% at the height of the epidemic, but it will continue to be significant because of its convenience.

• 75% of BOPIS users plan to keep using the program even after the epidemic is over.

• 85% of BOPIS users report making an impulsive purchase while picking up an online order.

• According to research published in HBR, the introduction of a rival business's BOPIS service led to a decline in sales of more than 5 percent for the targeted firm.

8. Online means of exchange

Over the past year, cryptocurrency's popularity has skyrocketed, and we see this trend continuing - but only if cryptocurrency owners get over several obstacles.

Though cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum lack the brand awareness required for widespread adoption at the moment, this will change as more and more people learn about their features and benefits. While not all businesses should consider adopting cryptocurrency, the ones who do stand to benefit from lower transaction costs and quicker payment processing times.

Another rapidly expanding industry is mobile payment systems: By 2020, Statista predicts that there will be over 65 million additional iPhone users throughout the world who will have enabled Apple Pay and that the number of individuals using Android Pay will also rise. One-third of all online transactions are now paid for with a mobile device, and this share is only projected to grow as payment alternatives like Bitcoin gain popularity.

9. Business-to-business electronic commerce

The worldwide business-to-business e-commerce industry is projected to reach $256 trillion by 2028, as the distinctions between B2C and B2B marketing continue to blur. This is due to both the declining costs of doing business in the digital realm and the increasing popularity of this strategy among businesses that are under pressure to maintain or increase their market share.

More business-to-business companies, both big and small, will move online or establish an e-commerce income stream as e-commerce technologies for small and local firms become more readily available.

10. Using augmented reality

It is expected that AR and VR will have a breakout year, and not just in the retail sector. Indeed, industry forecasts estimate that by 2025, the augmented reality market will be worth $198 billion. How much is that?

Augmented reality is ideal for online shopping since it can make the buying process more fun and interesting for customers. They may virtually try on clothing or accessories without visiting a store, or they can visualize how furniture will appear in their own space before buying it. There's a lot of potential in capitalizing on this current trend.

11. Cross-channel interactivity

A lot of focus is going into providing a seamless omnichannel experience in 2022. When making a purchase, consumers demand unhindered access across all of their preferred devices and operating systems. In today's mobile-first world, consumers want to be able to complete a transaction they began on their phone on their desktop computer.

Customers like the option of using many channels when making purchases online. When you think about how people use technology today, it makes logical sense that we would want our shopping experience to be adaptable to the many devices we use throughout the day.

Furthermore, one research found that clients who shopped via four or more channels compared to just one shop for an average of 9% more.

Follow these current strategies for online advertising.

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Salty Red Dog Marketing, LLC is a marketing agency in Red Bank, NJ, Westport, CT, and everywhere in between. We service businesses with marketing strategies, digital marketing, social media, and consultations.

Contact: info@saltyreddogmarketing.com

Phone: NJ: (732) 802-6205 // CT: (203) 429-9671