Paazl Blog

E-commerce delivery trends 2022:

4 trends to watch in 2022

Lockdowns? Supply chain disruptions? Those are certain to pop up again in 2022…

Yet, if you take a critical look at the most important e-commerce delivery trends in 2022, you’re bound to see other things. Many webshops can still take steps to improve personalization, both in delivery and in checkout. This 2022 e-commerce delivery trends post lists the four most important trends you should keep in mind:

  • 1. Personalization in deliveries and checkout
  • 2. Sustainability. For real now.
  • 3. The quality of deliveries and number of delivery options are increasing
  • 4.  If you can’t do it well and quickly yourself, leave it to others

1. Personalization in deliveries and checkout

The options for personalizing delivery are increasing all the time, and webshops are taking advantage of them. Some brands use data they have already collected plus increasingly smarter data collection to offer very specific delivery options. Think of Amazon Prime, bol.com Select, or other brands with similar initiatives for members and loyal customers. Levi’s offers free shipping to logged-in customers, while anonymous customers pay shipping costs.

The battle for customers and revenue will intensify in 2022. One way to keep customers happy is through personalized delivery. Customers want to be done in no more than a few clicks, and a partly or fully filled in checkout with favorite options is essential for this. Click, click, done.

Paazl has the capabilities for this, and webshops benefit by offering customers personalized deliveries and thus increasing conversion rates. One feature Paazl provides is the ability to offer multiple types of last-mile delivery options. The preferred delivery option is selected, and if a different type of delivery happens to be more convenient, it’s easy to click on it. We couldn’t make it easier or more fun.

‘Customers want to be done in no more than a few clicks.’

2. Sustainability. For real this time.

Though sustainability has far too often been a marketing term in recent years, the concept will really take off in 2022. Manufacturers say they are encouraging carriers to operate sustainably, but practice shows otherwise. Sustainable delivery is part of this overview because a growing number of consumers are insisting that their packages arrive sustainably.

H&M is conducting a pilot project that uses a customer’s postal code to determine whether it can deliver a shipment sustainably. Once large retailers like this embrace sustainability, the rest will surely follow. And webshops are gaining more experience in what works and what doesn’t. It’s a good idea to add at least one (but preferably more) sustainable delivery options to your checkout and to highlight that elsewhere on your website.

Organizations like Big Mile help shippers, logistics providers, platforms and other companies understand the exact amount of CO2 emissions a webshop order causes. This also immediately clarifies whether sending a package is more sustainable than having the consumer pick up an item in the store. See our earlier blog post about sustainable delivery.

3. The quality of deliveries and number of delivery options are increasing

A repeat of trend 1? No, this is something else. The number of online orders has exploded, partly due to the outbreak of coronavirus and new variants. Earlier in 2021, this resulted in longer delivery times and fewer options for consumers. But webshops will be prepared for this in 2022.

The effect? First, more delivery options will be available for more manageable shipping costs, and second, the need for alternative delivery options, such as parcel lockers, continues to grow. Both effects can lead to a positive quality shift in product delivery and ensure more satisfied customers.

“Customers only come back if they are satisfied with the service a webshop provides.”

4. If you can’t do it well and quickly yourself, leave it to others

Customers only come back if they are satisfied with the service a webshop provides. In this respect, consumers are spoiled. Recently, Walther Ploos van Amstel, lecturer in city logistics at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, stated it clearly: as a webshop, you have to make explicit choices. Either you do something well and quickly yourself, or you use another (sales platform) to do it. This trend particularly applies to next day and same day deliveries, or deliveries that even have to take place within a few hours. If you can’t do that yourself, let other platforms take it off your hands.

2022 e-commerce delivery trends

Trends come and go, but as a webshop you can’t afford to ignore these four developments in 2022. The year is off to an uncertain start with lockdowns here and there. Yet one thing is certain: more people are shopping online. That leads to spoiled consumers, especially in a country like the Netherlands that operates so effectively logistically. If you want to be part of e-commerce growth, make sure the basics are good and always offer an extra option. After all, a satisfied customer doesn’t need to shop anywhere else, right?

Paazl is a leading shipping service provider (SSP) for brands & retailers in e-commerce. Its all-in-one, multi-carrier platform unburdens the delivery process across webshop, warehouse, customer service and returns. Paazl enables logistical flexibility, consumer loyalty, cost transparency and (inter)national growth. Customers include industry leaders such as G-Star Raw, Rituals, VanMoof, Tag Heuer, Leenbakker and Under Armour.