Top 2022 eCommerce marketing trends

The bustling world of online retail is a curious blend of old and new. For one, tried and tested marketing methods that date back to time immemorial still hold true for this new digital frontier – yet the rapid pace of innovation means that the applications of these core marketing principles in online spaces are constantly evolving.

With new platforms emerging or going bust all the time, and cutting edge features constantly being rolled out to facilitate consumers in seeking out the right goods and services for their needs, those wanting to stay ahead of the curve in the world of e-commerce need to keep up with the rising trends in the sector.

With that in mind, we’re taking a look here at the top e-commerce marketing trends of 2022 – is your brand already doing everything listed below?

A core trend we are witnessing across the board is brands increasingly offering new payment processing options to their customers. With more and more people shopping on millions of sites online through e-wallets, demand has grown for the option for buying online and paying with PayPal, as well as the likes of CashApp and Venmo.

Elsewhere, we are even seeing a growing trend among certain sectors to include cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as payment options. This, in particular, is unlikely to catch on among major platforms any time soon due to the volatile nature of blockchain technology, but it is signalling a sea-change in people’s expectations.

It points to the notion that brands failing to at least provide PayPal as an alternative payment option to major card providers may find themselves losing out on business to more forward-thinking rivals in 2022 and beyond.

This classic marketing strategy has experienced renewed interest in online spaces, and it’s easy to see why. With so much competition online, creating a scenario where users can ‘try before they buy’ is more highly valued than ever.

One of the most common means by which this is applied can be seen in the OTT subscription sector, characterised by media services such as Netflix. Most of these platforms now offer 7 days, or even 1 month free trials for their services.

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This is built around the logic that a consumer only needs to become involved in one show for them to want to retain their subscription. Those that begin paying are then unlikely to cancel without a pressing reason to.

We also see the classic ‘freebie’ making waves online, with social media giveaways but one prominent example of brands exchanging free goods in exchange for publicity.

Other sectors, such as the online gaming market, have made this a core part of their business model with the online casino no deposit bonus now a commonplace offer among the providers listed on leading comparison platforms operating in this sector, such as Casinoreviews.net.nz.

Platforms such as this pride themselves on delivering the best recommendations to their customers by reviewing each gaming service they work with on its individual merits – from its value for money, to its range of features.

Gaming fans have come to expect sign-up bonuses, free spins and welcome offers when trying out a new gaming platform, and sites like these have increasingly begun to serve as a means of collating the most competitive of these offers all in one place for ease of access.

The unprecedented events that have characterised the 2020s thus far posed a unique challenge to digital commerce platforms that had to figure out the best way to sensitively respond to emergent global situations while still ensuring they’re delivering on effective marketing for their brands.

To meet this challenge we saw many different strategies employed, but the one that has enjoyed the most staying power, being as it is the most authentic – a criteria that modern consumers increasingly look for in brands they want to buy from – is to interact and respond with customers with greater transparency than ever before.

Platforms like TikTok lend themselves to this interactive marketing method, and in general we are seeing the best e-commerce platforms of 2022 do their best to dispense with disingenuous statements or hopping on to the latest trends and memes.

It’s hard to say whether the pendulum will swing back in the opposite direction in the coming years, but for the time being it’s crucial that e-commerce platforms express empathy and integrity if they want to maintain positive consumer regard.

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