Keeping up with all of the shifting industry trends means that your ecommerce business will be at the forefront of those changes which can help to give you a competitive edge.
But it can sometimes be difficult to weed through everything that’s out there and separate the noise from the helpful, actionable advice. At the end of the day, it’s important to consider whether the advice is something that will directly impact your business, or whether it’s something that will just blow over in a couple of months.
Still, it’s worth paying attention to some of the things that are out there now and deciding for yourself whether it’s something that’s worth investing time and resources in; whether it’s something that will work for you and your business. Sometimes, you’ll hit a gold mine that’ll end up working for you!
In this week’s round-up, we took a look at what leading industry figures and experts had to say about the current landscape and a few ecommerce trends you’ll want to be keeping an eye on.
From important privacy changes to online advertising, ecommerce SEO, livestream shopping, and much more, here are this week’s top ten ecommerce articles all focused on current industry trends that can help to drive your marketing strategies forward.
“Looking To Start An E-Commerce Store This Year? Make Sure You Know How To Navigate These Trends” by Elaine Pofeldt
Kicking things off this week was journalist and content strategist Elaine Pofeldt, who penned an interview with serial entrepreneur Gary Huang on Forbes about the latest ecommerce trends and how to navigate them.
According to Huang, there’s a huge surge in businesses moving to sell on Amazon right now, which is bringing about a wealth of opportunities for ecommerce brands. Following that, Huang gives his thoughts on how small businesses are dealing with the current supply chain issues, and some advice for new businesses starting ecommerce stores, such as how to cope with rising advertising costs.
The ecommerce world is booming right now, and as Pofelft put it, “There’s plenty of opportunity to make your mark.” Be sure to give this article a further read for some fantastic advice and insights from two experts in the field of ecommerce.
“3 Trends That Will Shape E-Commerce in 2022” by Jordan Glazier
Taking a deeper stab at some current ecommerce trends this week was CEO and marketing expert Jordan Glazier on Ecommerce Times.
Glazier broke his article down into three different themes that companies should take note of throughout the year. The first he labels as the privacy effect on marketing, where he discusses the current shift many businesses are making to offer more privacy friendly sites for their customers. The two other themes he notes are rewards and discounts, that many consumers are now demanding online, and the increased use of financial wellness tools.
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A lot is shifting right now when it comes to ecommerce which can make it hard to keep up. However, Glazier’s article offers a slightly different perspective into some current trends that other experts haven’t been discussing. To find out more about these ecommerce trends, take a further look at Glazier’s article.
“Eight ecommerce trends to keep an eye on” by Trung T. Phan
Last week ecommerce consultancy 2pm, in collaboration with Deloitte, released an incredibly insightful and detailed report about the current state of ecommerce. Instead of spending hours sifting through the heavy report, business writer Trung Phan from The Hustle fantastically summarized all of its main points in his article this week.
The eight ecommerce trends from the report include: brands to drop third-party retailers, digitally native brands will open more stores, what Apple’s privacy changes mean for online business, rising customer acquisition costs, payment methods, big retailers increasing distribution, the future of malls as we know it, and how brands are switching to Web 3.0 and the Metaverse.
This report offers plenty of insights and key statistics on the current state of ecommerce and where it’s headed, which Phan has summarized efficiently in his article. However, if you would also like to take a glance at the report, you can do so here.
“Five Digital Trends That Will Change Commerce In 2022” by Michelle Evans
Taking a look at digital shifts this week was retail expert Michelle Evans, who summarized Euromonitor International’s recent investigation into digital trends that will redefine commerce.
The first prediction is that brands will continue to open up shop in the Metaverse. According to Evans, many have already started to set the stage, “but all brands likely need a metaverse strategy within a few years.” The four other trends mentioned in the article include faster deliveries, green ecommerce, pickup perks, and predictive personalization.
Many of the trends noted in Evans article are already common practices within the ecommerce industry, but before the pandemic they weren’t essential to running a successful online business. Her main point is that things have changed, and the pool of digital customers and their demands is widening. Be sure to have a further read of this article to be fully across these digital ecommerce trends.
“Local SEO Guide For Ecommerce & Online Ordering” by Marshall Nyman
This year, ecommerce sales are expected to exceed $5 trillion for the first time ever, according to a report from eMarketer. Therefore, it’s now more crucial than ever before to start maximizing your sales potential through working on your SEO. Luckily, SEO expert Mashall Nyman was here to help with just that this week, with a fantastic SEO guide for ecommerce brands to improve conversions and online sales
Nyman’s guide covers several different areas of ecommerce, each with some tips and tricks on how to manage your SEO accordingly. This includes how to maximize retail listings for online ordering, local inventory ads for retailers, online ordering for restaurants through your website and with Google, and maximizing location pages for online orders.
No matter what industry your ecommerce business is in, this guide will have some great insights to get your SEO up to scratch. Check it out to ensure your SEO is covered!
“[STUDY] 2022 Social Media Industry Benchmarks – Know Exactly Where You Stand in Your Market” By Elena Cucu
There’s no denying it: social media plays a crucial role in the marketing and brand awareness of any ecommerce brand – no matter what industry. To know exactly where your brand stands in your market, social media expert Elena Cucu prepared an in-depth study of more than 27 million posts across various social platforms to help you find out.
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Her study starts by listing some of the more interesting findings and insights, such as the rise of TikTok which is by far the most engaged platform right now. It then breaks down the findings by industry, such as automotive, NGOs, travel, and beverages.
Studies such as these are fantastic tools to help drive your social media strategies and sales conversions for your ecommerce business. If improving your engagement on social media is something your brand could work on, I recommend taking a further look at Cucu’s study.
“8.5 Content Marketing Trends in 2022: Global Study” by Evgenia Verbitskaya
Moving on from industry statistics to trends, Semrush’s Evgenia Verbitskaya wrote a helpful guide this week that covered in great detail 8.5 content marketing trends to drive your social media strategies – eight trends and a bonus tip to maximize your results.
This guide begins by briefly covering the eight content marketing trends, before taking a deeper look at each and offering some advice on how to approach them. Some of the trends noted in the article include focusing on personalized content, keeping track of your audience’s shifting needs, approaching content as a revenue driver, focusing on your CTRs in search, and creating more video content.
Content marketing is a great tactic for ecommerce brands to get behind as it allows you to further develop a connection with your audience. To be up to speed on all the current content marketing trends, go check out Verbitskaya’s article.
“Why Retailers and Social Networks are Saying ‘Full Stream Ahead!’” by Zarnaz Arlia
Most of us now know about Instagram Shop. But have you heard of livestream shopping? If not, Zarnaz Arlia covered everything you need to know about this new trend that many ecommerce businesses are now flocking to.
According to Arlia, the huge uptake for livestream shopping is largely driven by users’ demand for entertainment alongside shopping, similarly to how traditional malls do. She then dives into some examples of brands using the technique as part of their social media strategies to drive sales, such as Nike that recently launched digital live stores.
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Livestream shopping is growing in popularity, and many social media platforms have started to take notice, leaving brands with plenty of methods to now get involved with new and innovative social media shopping tools. Is live shopping something your audience could get behind? Give Arlia’s article a further read to find out how to get started.
“How Your Brand Should Use NFTs” by Arun Sundararajan
A trend that’s been around for a few years but only hit the mainstream in the past few months are NFTs. Companies like Nike are jumping on board and creating virtual product lines that include NFTs. However, that’s not to say NFTs are limited to extending products into the digital world, according to NYU professor Arun Sundararajan in the Harvard Business Review this week.
“Looking ahead a few years, NFTs could be the central digital touchpoint between brands and their consumers,” writes Sundararajan. According to Sundararajan, there are limited possibilities to what NFTs may evolve into, making it the perfect time for smaller brands to give the trend a go. He then offers several tips on how your business may consider getting started, such as by starting with small digital collectables and then tying your NFT collection to your brand and core product.
It’s not certain the way NFTs will unfold, but as Sundararajan notes, there is still plenty of time to figure that out.
Interested in starting an NFT collection for your ecommerce business? Sundararajan’s article is a truly fascinating read on how to do so.
“3 Mistakes to Avoid With Your First E-Commerce Store” by Ben Crudo
Industry trends usually call for something that you should act on. But there are many things that you also should not do. This week, letting you in on some mistakes to avoid when first opening an ecommerce store was CEO and software engineer Ben Crudo.
Number one on Crudo’s avoidable mistakes is overlooking your core competency. According to Crudo, one of the biggest mistakes startups make is by making their initial online catalog too big. “Research has shown that 42 percent of customers abandon their online cart because it’s too hard to choose,” writes Crudo. Therefore, the best thing you can do is narrow your listings down and focus on your specialty.
His other two avoidable mistakes include blowing your budget on the site build and accepting a finished product. If you’re in the early process of starting up your ecommerce site, be sure to give Crudo’s article a further look.
The Next Step: Ecommerce Sites and SEO
One way to ensure your online store stands out from your competitors is by keeping your SEO up to date. Here’s how to get started:
Step One: Research your competitors and conduct a review of your keywords.
Step Two: Review your website, fixing any broken links and images, and think about how you could simplify its architecture for ease of use.
Step Three: Work on minimizing all your page’s load speed, while optimizing product pages.
Bonus Tip: There is much more than goes into having good SEO, making it difficult to be across everything – especially when you’re a small business. One way to free up some time, while producing excellent results, is to consider using SEO tools. Some good options include Google Analytics, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.
Need some help producing a winning ecommerce SEO strategy? Get in touch today for your free 20-minute consultation and let’s optimize your ecommerce store, together!
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