The E-commerce industry is a fast-growing industry with new developments occurring every day. If done right, e-commerce can be very profitable. The e-commerce industry has drastically changed the way people shop. It is evident that online sales have overtaken physical store sales which are not just limited to digital purchases, but also physical products that are shipped to customer homes.
According to statista.com, last year was the first time that retail e-commerce sales surpassed $400 billion in one year. E-commerce has become so popular because of its convenience and low prices; it even dominates many traditional brick-and-mortar stores now.
The last decade has seen a steep rise in the e-commerce industry. However, despite all of its growth and advancements, there is more to come. In 2022, the trends that currently dominate the e-commerce industry will be further developed and new ones will take over.
Let us look at some of these future trends:
Top 7 Trends to Watch out in E-commerce Industry
1) Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI is rapidly finding its way into many aspects of life, including e-commerce sales. Consumers expect the same level of personalization on websites as they receive through social media platforms like Facebook and Amazon. The use of AI and machine learning allows retailers to provide this personalization by analyzing shopping data automatically and continuously comparing it with other customers’ preferences to generate personalized recommendations or advertisements that are more likely to be well received by the consumer.
Though artificial intelligence has been advancing rapidly, only now have companies begun using AI technologies in their core services. You can use your smartphone to check out instead of waiting in line. It also keeps track of items you bought so you wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of paying before leaving. This technology has already become widespread because many companies are beginning to move onto AI implementation into their business processes due to the benefit provided.
Machine Learning (ML) is also an important trend – data scientists can use ML tools with large data sets to extract patterns, predict outcomes or simply automate some time-consuming processes. The combination of these two technologies results in products using more customer feedbacks which leads to better product quality/personalization on the market’s side, as well as improved efficiency for businesses.
2) Voice Search for Online Browsing
Firstly, there are significant changes in the way consumers will access information through voice search functions on their smartphones or computers within five years due to an increasing preference for voice interaction over text input on devices able to handle multiple forms of input. Voice-powered digital assistants are gaining popularity not only with consumers but also among businesses. This trend is expected to grow as developers create new services that will be powered by voice-based search capabilities.
Voice search and voice recognition technology are becoming more common as smartphones advance. A majority of people now rely on voice assistants such as Siri or Google Now to access information almost instantaneously. This trend is expected to continue as companies invest in automatic speech recognition software and developers create new services customers can use through the help of these technologies.
3) Augmented Reality to Visualize Purchases
In 2022, virtual reality (VR) technology will be at its peak, but augmented reality (AR) can make it much better. Instore AR displays are seen on top of the regular shelves instead of you needing a headset or glasses to interact with them. Even if AR isn’t used, VR headsets would become cheap enough for people to buy.
Augmented reality will allow customers to visualize how their products would look like before they buy the product using 3D rendering services. It’s not only useful for clothes, but also for furniture, cars, and even homes. The visual is created with a combination of 3D modeling and image processing techniques allowing users to see the size of the product, how it fits in their home, and more.
4) Voice User Interface (VUI)
Another big industry-wide change will be a voice user interface (VUI) becoming common practice in e-commerce sites because there isn’t much work you have to put into communicating your message vocally. In regards to this, it’s best not to use your natural voice because people might find it difficult to understand if they aren’t used to the way you speak or there is a lot of ambient noise in the background. A clear voice with little-to-no background noise will make the conversation more effective and efficient.
Voice User Interface (VUI) is a voice-controlled user interface that will allow users to search for products, ask questions about products, and create shopping lists simply by speaking into their device’s microphone instead of typing on the keyboard or swiping the screen. Because VUI is powered by artificial intelligence, it will be able to understand what consumers are looking for and serve up product results immediately no matter how vague or specific consumers’ requests might be.
5) Dynamic Color Palettes
Another trend is called dynamic color palettes. Since colors can influence customers to make purchases, using the correct colors on a website and in advertisements will increase sales more than if the wrong colors were used. If companies want their products to stand out from competitors, changing up their use of color schemes would be a good idea.
“Hamburger menus” or other traditional ways to access product information are becoming less popular as more studies show that consumers usually don’t want to be distracted by ads and promotional content when browsing through items they intend to purchase. Instead, developers are looking for new ways to simplify their site’s layout without sacrificing revenue opportunities. As a result, companies are now experimenting with dynamic color palettes that change according to users’ search queries. For example, if someone is searching for red dresses, the color palette displayed on the site will shift towards red hues. This allows e-commerce sites to still display desirable advertising content without distracting customers too much from their main goal – finding what they came here for in the first place!
6) Simplify Navigation
One major shift that I predict happening is a simplification of navigation for e-commerce websites. Navigation is integral to any website; it needs to be straightforward and easy for visitors to understand or else they won’t stick around long enough for them to make a purchase. This year will see less cluttered sites, apps, and mobile devices because people like simple things: they don’t want users to get lost.
The layout of websites/online stores in 2022 will be friendly and easy to navigate. Instead of having all the information in one place, it will be spread out so that customers can find what they need quickly and easily. For example, searching for a specific product on Amazon takes you to a page where you have to scroll down quite far before finding it because there are several products listed on each page. This is done merely for the sake of increasing their profit margin by showing more products per page even if it makes things more difficult for consumers looking for specific items.
7) Implementation of Chatbots
Today’s technologies include voice recognition software such as Alexa or Siri. Therefore, in 2022 shopping via chatbots wouldn’t be surprising anymore since this trend has already begun in 2018 because it makes sense that people want their requests fulfilled by just talking through the phone instead of typing everything on the screen.
Chatbots are predicted that will be used by more retailers because they want to provide an excellent experience for their customers, and bots can help automate tasks like shipping or returns. Social media could also be integrated into the shopping process, which would make things even easier for people who don’t want to go through the trouble of making an account on every single site they use. Using social media is very simple; therefore, it would catch on quickly with consumers who are looking for faster ways to do things online.
Conclusion
The e-commerce industry has seen few changes over the years, with most transactions following a similar pattern of research, purchase, and checkout process on websites like Amazon. However, there are some new trends on the horizon that might be game-changers for online retailers who aren’t ready for them yet. Let’s take a look at four key ones to watch out for in 2022!
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About the Author
Khurshid Alam is the founder of Pixel Street, a web design company. He aspires to solve business problems by communicating effectively digitally. In his leisure, he reads, writes, and occasionally plays a game of table tennis.
