3 Customer Service Trends for Ecommerce Brands in 2022

McKay Borbon | Content Marketing Manager

Zoom parties and banana bread were not the only things getting us through the pandemic.

Due to the dangers of public shopping, consumers were quick to shift to almost exclusively shopping online. In 2020, there was a 44% YoY increase in U.S. ecommerce growth. Between panicked purchases and “retail therapy”, ecommerce sales grew rapidly and are only continuing to rise.

And it’s no wonder– a study from the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that retail therapy makes people happier and works to combat sadness. As we enter the 3rd year of the pandemic, ecommerce shopping will continue to be a revenue-generating trend.

So how can digital retailers get the most out of 2022 and retain their YoY acquisitions? We found 3 ecommerce customer service trends to keep brands buzzing year after year.

#1 Personalization

Personalization is essential to customer experience.

Brands that get personal and take a customer-centric approach are 60% more profitable than companies that don’t. To provide personal experiences, ecommerce brands should use technology that captures every action and interaction from each customer. Brands can use this information to elevate customer engagement with unique personalization.

When brands fail to deliver personalized service experiences, customers are 4 times more likely to leave for a competitor. The reality is that customers have numerous companies fighting for their attention and dollars. If you’re not giving them the level of personalization they need, other companies will and your profits will go down with it.

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#2 Omnichannel Support

Did you know 9 out of 10 customers want to text message a business?

Customers want to be able to contact brands through their preferred channel of choice, so it’s no surprise 90% of consumers want an omnichannel experience. By providing ecommerce support services across all channels, brands make it easier for customers to reach out for help when they need it. This makes each service experience more accessible, efficient, and effective.

When customers have the option to choose how they reach out for support, they feel more connected, in control, and are often happier with a brand. In fact, businesses with omnichannel strategies have a 91% higher YoY retention rate.

Learn more about the power of text messaging in your omnichannel strategy here.

#3 Support In Real-time

24/7/365 support is the new banana bread.

We live in a culture of urgency where everything is urgent and requires the utmost attention. This trickles into every facet of the human experience, even customer support. Having support available at all hours of the day is the best way to keep customers happy.

For 79% of consumers, immediate answers to their questions is the main reason they prefer live chat. If you don't have enough ecommerce customer service representatives to scale around the clock, AI automation can handle routine customer issues with consistency and ease. It works within your help desk and communicates with existing business systems to receive, understand, and take action on queries. This makes real-time 24/7 support a dream worth chasing for your brand.

The importance of customer service in ecommerce has never been more critical to brand longevity. Personalization, omnichannel support, and real-time support are 3 customer support trends for ecommerce brands in 2022 and beyond. Learn more about how to improve customer service in e-commerce through the power of AI automation here.

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Topics: Blog, Customer Service

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