7 Amazon Consumer Trends for 2022
The last year 2021 was another highly profitable year for Amazon. Much of this success was due to the pandemic, and continual lockdowns, which kept many consumers at home and working remotely, contributed to the increase of the need to shop online. The pandemic may show signs of slowing down this year, but the current trend points to Amazon business doing anything but.
The past year’s online shopping surge is not abating, if anything, it is gaining momentum. The overall trend is shifting from the traditional shopping experience to contactless delivery options, and Amazon fits the bill for a growing number of consumers.
Huge growth has been seen in nearly all verticals, especially in the food, home & beauty, and electronic sectors. Today, it is estimated that more than 2 billion people shop online regularly. This trend is expected to skyrocket over the coming decade, with eCommerce sales expected to grow by over 20 percent in many countries between now and 2024.
So what does that mean for Amazon in the year 2022? We have researched and gathered the top 7 trends you as an Amazon seller should be aware of.
Social commerce will become the norm
Amazon sellers have already seen an uplift of social networks adding e-commerce features such as Shoppable and Youtubes Lives, and Instagram ramping up its in-app store features. Even Snapchat has created an augmented reality commerce feature. Marketplaces are starting to adopt social media features such as Amazon Posts and Amazon Live – which is even further blurring the lines between e-commerce and social media.
This trend will continue into 2022 with Amazon features leaving their Beta mode in the U.S. and moving into other marketplaces the world over, as well as social media platforms pushing for more e-commerce features.
An increase in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) online
Grocery e-commerce has seen an upward trend over the last several years, where it surged exponentially at the start of the pandemic. For many, Amazon was the only place they could reasonably get their groceries during heavy lockdowns. This helped to introduce many first-time FMCG online shoppers who have continued to use Amazon and other e-commerce marketplaces to order their groceries. In 2020, an increase of over 60% was seen in grocery retail e-commerce sales, and while this plateaued slightly in 2021, there was still an increase as people headed back to the shops.
Amazon has been working to improve its grocery section for the last few years with such investments as Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh. It is estimated that Amazon’s U.S. grocery e-commerce sales will grow 12.9% this year to over $29 billion, which amounts to over 23% of all digital grocery sales.
The push for video
Video advertising receives over 20% more interactions over traditional methods, with an amazing uplift resulting in a 428% increase in click-through rate (CTR) and a 62% decrease in cost-per-click (CPC). It is predicted that Amazon will push its Sponsored Brand Video offerings, with a video builder already being produced in the U.S.
Video will be a huge component of e-commerce in general, with over 70% of consumers preferring video marketing to other forms of marketing content. It is a visual medium that helps consumers better understand the product and brands, making them stand out on the digital shelf.
Sustainability isn’t just a fad
It is becoming ever clearer to marketing experts that brands need to step up and help spread the word on sustainable products. While customers are shopping more online, they are taking more time to choose what to buy, and from where, that fits with their morals. From 2016 to 2021, monthly search queries for “sustainability” have risen globally from 165.4K to 725K, respectively. The rub is that it makes this a difficult search term for e-commerce sites to rank for.
Amazon has answered the call and added features to help customers find sustainable products easily. The have added certificates, awards, and easy-to-view icons to listings to help consumers better identify products that help the environment.
Advertising over organic
Another silver lining of the pandemic is that consumers moved more towards being less interested in brands they had previously been loyal too and trying new products from brands they had not heard of before. This indicates the power of advertising, with new products and brands being able to stand out against the big players on the digital shelf without the need for organic power. Advertising against well-known names is a great way for new brands to be discovered in 2022.
Voice search and Alexa
Experts predict that 55% of American households will own some sort of smart speaker in 2022. According to a study by Narvar, about half of all consumers online research products by voice. With the increase in household smart speakers and newer, more exciting models yet to be released, this number will only increase.
Competition will continue to increase
A major news story in 2020 told how companies like Thrasio and others are executing rollups of brands in the eCommerce space on a large scale. As small businesses on Amazon continue to thrive, these large companies are buying out their competitors in an effort to dominate the market. Many critics have been very vocal about this business model, however, the fact that this activity is increasing speaks to the overall savvy of the marketplace. This, in combination with the long-term trend of China manufacturers selling directly on Amazon, thereby cutting out the middleman, it is predicted that competition on Amazon will continue to increase dramatically this year.
The Bottom Line
Amazon is in it for the long haul. They are continually pivoting to meet market demands and responding to trends in an effort to hold their spot at the planet’s number one eCommerce marketplace. If you need help navigating this eCommerce giant, let us help. Our team of Amazon consultants has the experience you need to help your business list, optimize, advertise, and more, your store on Amazon.
