In 2022 there will continue to be a major focus on retailers’ online versatility. How well do you adapt to out-of-stocks and emerging sales trends? How effective is your customer service chatbot and call center? How quickly can you promote new items on your site? Customers expect their online shopping experience to be as seamless (and exciting!) as their in-store experience. 

Conversational Selling Applications

Retailers must create a path to purchase that meshes together emerging trends and content with shopping experiences unique to the individual customer. Conversational applications for selling can guide customers through a curated experience based on their personal preferences and behavior to guide them to items they didn’t know they needed. Customers are ready for a different experience than traditional browse and search—conversational applications are a new way to engage them. 

Prepare for the Metaverse

Catch the metaverse wave before it crushes you. The metaverse is a chance to reimagine virtual experiences and find better ways to build community and experience physical goods virtually. As retailers take cues from brands like L’Oreal and Adidas on all things NFT and crypto, they need to remember to stay true to their core brand values. 

Focus, Focus, Focus

Two years of pandemic chaos doesn’t mean everything needs to be brand new. Retailers that are trying every new technology under the sun should take time to audit what’s been done, and what’s working. Some retailers scrambled to launch new customer service channels when the pandemic started, but left them to fizzle as the year continued. Whatever you decide to adopt, keep it up or cut it loose. Give customers confidence that you as a retailer understand their intention and are putting consideration into every channel you push live, or lose them to your competition in the new year.

Katie Boschele, Product Manager at Lucidworks and a search and relevance enthusiast. Previously, she worked for a Fortune 40 eCommerce company where she led them through a digital transformation including replacing their search and navigation engine on multiple sites and platforms. Today, she is one of Lucidworks key eCommerce professionals helping to lead multiple retailers and corporate websites down the same path and into the future with best practices and evolving trends.