Australia’s eCommerce market is growing fast. According to Aus Post’s yearly report*, 9 million households shopped online in 2020 and, at the height of the pandemic, online purchase growth rose to a level never seen before. As initial online shopping grew out of necessity [due to bricks and mortar store closures and more people working from home], the online shopping habit has become truly ingrained.
As an eCommerce store owner, how can you take advantage of growing online shopping demand in Australia and start seeing your profits seriously increase? As offering a seamless digital shopping experience for your customers becomes the default rather than an optional convenience, how can you ensure you’re ready and waiting with open arms?
Here are some eCommerce marketing trends you need to know about if you want to grow online in 2022.
Chatbots
Whatever product or service you’re selling, successful eCommerce comes down to AMAZING customer service. The one problem is that the more customers you get, the more attention they’ll need from you — and these days 24/7 customer service is expected.
Although chatbots are definitely not new to eCommerce, 2022 will see them become one of the most valuable assets for most online stores. As advanced machine learning gets better and better, chatbots will become more emotionally intelligent, less annoying and more useful to your customers.
Whether a customer is browsing for a new pair of shoes at 2am or looking for a popup tent on a Sunday afternoon, chatbots can provide almost the answers to practically every question without you lifting a finger.
Mobile shopping
It might seem obvious, but mobile shopping shouldn’t be an afterthought for your eCommerce store in 2022. In fact, a recent survey among Australian consumers indicated that smartphones ranked as the most used device for online purchasing at 47% of respondents. So, depending on your industry, it’s likely that around half of your customers expect mobile shopping.
With customers likely to head elsewhere if you offer a poor mobile shopping experience, if your site’s not mobile friendly, you’re creating unnecessary friction in every potential sale.
Omnichannel social media selling
What’s better than selling your product or service on one social media platform? Easy: selling on multiple platforms. One trend that’s guaranteed to become even more prolific in 2022 is omnichannel shopping. It’s no longer enough to offer eCommerce only on your website. It’s about meeting your customers wherever they are.
If you haven’t got a clue about Instagram shopping, livestream shopping or Facebook advertising, contact a digital marketing agency and get your omnichannel eCommerce sorted. If you wait until 2023, your customers may have gone elsewhere.
Is 2022 your year?
Although none of these eCommerce trends are brand new, one thing’s for sure — they’re all guaranteed to become more and more prominent in 2022. Taking advantage of them now could mean that you keep your customers happy and really stay ahead of the eCommerce game.
