eCommerce in 2022: what to expect next year?

There are conjunctural elements that are expected to continue at least in the first half of 2022, and these are problems in the supply chain and Asian products at less competitive prices.

In 2021 there has been a global shortage of raw materials due to a slowdown in the production of the main countries that extract or process raw materials affected by Covid, and there is also a logistical bottleneck, which is expected to take months to be solved, increasing the cost of raw materials and freight. Added to this is the situation in China, which is facing problems in meeting electricity demand and many factories are unable to produce at full capacity.

Everything points to the fact that in eCommerce 2022 consumers will not be able to buy what they want, but what is available, and sellers will have to accumulate reserve stocks.

Linked to this, it will be increasingly difficult to find free shipping on products purchased.

Goodbye to free shipping in eCommerce.

Many large eCommerce companies are already anticipating what will be a major trend: shipping will be free only for those who buy large enough quantities to absorb shipping costs or for customers who pay extra, for example for Amazon Prime.

Last mile logistics is becoming increasingly complex. There are European cities where, for example, low-emission zones have been implemented. In cities such as Santiago de Compostela they are going to implement a delivery model based on a single logistics platform where orders are received from all companies and the delivery, both to private customers and businesses, is made in small electric vehicles. This is feasible at small scales, but in larger cities it can lead to a significant increase in cost.

The increase in eCommerce demand is leading delivery companies to increasingly rely on pick-up points. This makes it possible to shorten routes and unload many packages in the same place.

Everything points to the fact that if the customer wants to have the product delivered to his door, it is more than likely that he will have to pay a lot more than he has done so far?

Another trend that is affirmed is Sustainability, Upcycling and second-hand e-commerce.

Sustainability is already a trend in marketing and will undoubtedly be one of the increasingly marked features in eCommerce, particularly for young customers and those from developed countries with spending power and environmental awareness. Including product data sheets in eCommerce with information on the origin of what is being sold, how to reuse and recycle it and even the CO2 emissions generated and how to reduce them, is something that customers will increasingly value.

Linked to this, upcycling (i.e. products made from reused materials) and second-hand items are growing very strongly and will be another trend in eCommerce. Retail giants such as Zalando already have second-hand sections.

Linked to the growth of ecommerce, consumers are demanding more payment systems.

We’ve talked in previous podcasts about the growth of deferred payment or Buy Now Pay Later…

According to the latest report from the global payment platform Checkout.com, in which more than 10,000 consumers and 500 European eCommerces were interviewed, 80% of consumers expect eCommerce payment systems to allow them to pay with methods such as Buy Now Pay Later, cryptocurrencies or digital wallets in the near future. In the last year, one in eight consumers surveyed used one of these new payment methods.

In addition to payment systems in eCommerce, another focus of the study is subscription models. Some 63% of online shoppers plan to make use of these services for online products such as clothing, beauty, books and accessories.

Payment systems in eCommerce are a key factor in improving the user experience?

That’s right. Another trend that is expected is that 5G will spread and with it will come new tools.
According to telecom operators, 2022 and 2023 should be the years of 5G deployment, at least in major cities. That not only means faster connection speeds on cell phones, but also opens the door to a world of tools that are simply impossible to implement with 4G networks.

5G means having new services in real time, especially those related to augmented reality, virtual reality, image and voice recognition, artificial intelligence and Big Data. 5G will make all these technologies more accessible to small businesses, which will start to have much more powerful marketing tools.

Learn more about this topic. Listen to the episode of Ur, our digital business podcast, by clicking here.