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Shopify’s eCommerce trends for 2022 finds customer relations are more important than ever
Article
5 min read
Straight from the horse’s mouth – a 2022 comprehensive report by Shopify has unearthed insights, data and trends that give us a glimpse into the future of eCommerce and the impact consumer behaviour has on it. The full report is available to view here, however we’re serving up our take on the top 3 trends – easily to swallow during your lunch break.
Trend 1 - Rising acquisition costs force brands to foster long-term relationships with their customers
A return customer base has always been good for business, but today’s increasing acquisition costs make long-term customer relationships imperative to survival. Rising costs have made it increasingly difficult to attract customers using performance marketing, which has led to a focus on brand building.
The report points out that customers are turning to brands that feel authentic and that foster a culture of trust. While that feels like a no brainer, this trend doesn’t mean abandoning short-term performance marketing initiatives altogether, but rather considering a 60/40 split between brand awareness and performance marketing.
Direct-to-consumer competition is rising
While our post-pandemic world has seen the healthy return of bricks and mortar retail, eCommerce sales still continue to flourish. With a steady increase of new DTC brands entering the market everyday, competition for consumer’s attention is at fever pitch. This creates a landscape where clever marketing campaigns and broader online visibility is paramount to staying ahead of the pack.
Advertising costs are skyrocketing across platforms
With more digital advertising options for brands to leverage than ever before, it’s no surprise marketing budgets lean heavily towards digital advertising costs. Spotify’s report states that the soaring costs across key platforms is putting performance marketing– heavy customer acquisition models in jeopardy.
Brand building is helping attract and retain customers
A focus on brand building is enabling businesses to stay ahead of the competition. Customers look to and invest in strong brands with a clear identity. Brand building can increase customer lifetime value, boosts conversion rates in the short term, and attracts out-of-market buyers in the long term.
How to combat rising acquisition costs in 2022
- Develop a brand measurement methodology
- Invest in both short- term performance marketing and long- term brand building
- Diversify your advertising and sales channels to lower the cost of acquisition.
- Highlight your unique differentiators and values at every customer touchpoint.
Trend 2 - Death of third-party cookies forces brands to rethink personalisation.
The misuse of personal data is always a concern for users and the companies who collect it. Recent company data breaches have amplified our consciousness regarding how brands collect, store and use our most sensitive information.
While a Spotify study showed that 42% of brands use data-capture tactics such as quizzes, custom mobile apps and theirown third party behavioral data it also showed that consumers are three times as likely to abandon brands that over personalise in this way, even though they do enjoy a personalised shopping experience.
The report also suggests that consumers are more likely to share data with brands that align with their identity and that they trust, bringing us back to the importance of brand building.
Consumers are demanding personalisation
This take-away can be seen as a double edged sword of sorts. While consumers continue to enjoy a personalised shopping experience, they are increasingly more selective about which brands they share personal information with in order to create it. Meanwhile regulations are making data tracking harder and the biggest players are phasing out support for third-party cookies.
Personalisation isn’t a magic bullet for customer engagement
The report shows that consumers are over three times more likely to abandon brands that “over-personalise,” compared to brands that fail to personalise enough. Consumers can feel stalked by brands that include too much personal data in their communication – so it seems balance is the key. Findings show that personalisation isn’t enough to create long-term relationships with customers despite the personalised shopping experience itcan create.
Brand communities are building customer loyalty
The existence of brand communities can increase consumers’ trust and loyalty based on the fact that they feel a part of something beyond their shopping experience alone. A sense of belonging can foster brand loyalty and even kinship with other consumers. Brand fans can co-exist on traditional social channels or proprietary channels and extend to chat rooms, the blockchain, and in-real-life experiences.
How to build a community in 2022.
- Invest in the right team to help your community grow.
- Find ways to tie your community back to business results.
- Give members a clear reason to keep coming back.
Trend 3 - New commercial opportunities emerge on the biggest social platforms
Social media platforms have fast become key playing fields for eCommerce to flourish. According to the Spotify 2022 eCommerce Report it is predicted that sales through social media platforms will almost triple by 2025. With up to 46% of people more likely to make a purchase based on a video demo of the product in action, video content is the way forward. Live chat features were also a deciding factor when it came topreferred customer service experiences.
eCommerce is migrating to social media platforms
Brands who don’t leverage social media platforms as a sales environment will be left behind.
From video demonstrations through to users feedback and FAQs, SM platforms offer a realtime marketplace with extensive targeted reach.
Social platforms are re-inventing customer engagement.
SM platforms allow brands to reimagine consumer engagement in new and creative ways.
Each brand offers unique features that can be leveraged to attract new audiences and retain existing ones. Traditional sales approaches are taking a back seat to influencer endorsement, live events and curated entertainment as key engagement and sales drivers.
Video is making social commerce more sociable
Behind-the-scenes livestreams, video demos and consultations, and personalised product recommendations are just some of the ways video is unlocking the power of social commerce.
The report shows that up to 46% of people are more likely to make a purchase based on a video demo of the product in action.
How to win at social commerce in 2022
- Create live commerce experiences tailored to your audience
- Design a social commerce experience that converts.
