Technology, whether through automation or personalized chat settings, was a major trend in customer service during 2021. While it takes a careful balance of implementation, technology can pave the way to new, beneficial customer service practices, many of which are coming to fruition. Here are three trends to watch in 2022.
Despite massive out of stock levels due to supply chain and inventory issues, U.S. holiday ecommerce spending hit a record $204.5 billion over the 2021 holidays, up 8.6%, according to Adobe’s Digital Economy Index, with 38 days where over $3 billion exchanged hands, vs. 25 such days in 2020.
Ecommerce, once the enemy of retail, should be leveraged and treated as the frenemy. There will always be healthy competition for share of wallet. However, the real winners will be those who leverage ecommerce and all the rich data to better serve customers.
Multichannel companies are at particular risk for fraud. Unlike pure-play ecommerce or physical retailers, omnichannel companies will be exposed to everything from sophisticated computer penetration to shoplifting, and will need strategies to counter them all. Here are five ecommerce fraud trends to watch in 2022.
If the pandemic has taught ecommerce brands and retailers anything, it’s that being flexible in creating new avenues to engage with consumers, especially hard-to-reach demos like Gen Z, is mission critical for survival. For any brands targeting Gen Z shoppers, micro influencers will have to play an extremely important role.
From ongoing supply chain and port woes tying up production, distribution and fulfillment worldwide to an encouraging bounce on holiday sales, 2021 was an up-and-down affair in retail and ecommerce, but deep-pocket investors saw all kinds of potential as billions poured in and unicorns proliferated.
There was good news at the bottom of all those seasonal carts, both physical and digital, as holiday retail sales jumped a healthy 8.5% vs. 2020, while ecommerce sales gained 11% off a monster year, according to data from MasterCard SpendingPulse. Ecommerce represented 21% of sales, up from 20.6% in 2020 and 14.6% in 2019.
Many retailers and brands are in survival mode when it comes to ecommerce fulfillment, looking for ways to handle record online order volume and maintain brand integrity while navigating supply chain challenges, an ongoing labor shortage and rising costs. To survive and thrive in 2022, here are three core strategies that can help.
In a bid to grab more last-minute shoppers looking for convenience, J.C. Penney and Shoe Carnival have partnered with DoorDash to offer same-day delivery of online orders. DoorDash, Instacart, Postmates and Uber, initially growing through grocery and restaurant, have been expanding aggressively into general retail.
Oversized fulfillment for ecommerce remains a black hole for many. Pickup/delivery schedules, assembly and costs all friction factors. How do you find more efficiency by reducing costs and what are the customer expectations? Retail executives discuss the issue in our inaugural Think Tank Forum, “Solving for Oversized Fulfillment.”