Breaking Down Omnichannel Commerce Trends with BigCommerce’s Sharon Gee

Amazon receives an average of 5.2 billion visits per month, the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt now has more than 346.5M views on TikTok and 75% of global shoppers used a Google product in the past week to help with their shopping.

With these staggering statistics emerging among digital channels, retailers can no longer afford not to be where their customers are. 

Combined with the average attention span of today’s shopper being a mere eight seconds, it is more important than ever for retailers to not only meet shoppers where they are — but make it easy for them to buy.

At NRF 2022, Retail TouchPoints sat down for an exclusive interview with BigCommerce GM of Omnichannel Sharon Gee to discuss the latest omnichannel commerce trends and how merchants can deliver a seamless experience across channels with BigCommerce.

Let’s dive into a few key takeaways from their conversation:

Inside Retail TouchPoints’ Interview with BigCommerce’s Sharon Gee

Retail TouchPoints: What do you believe was the most impactful trend to come out of 2021? 

Sharon Gee: “In 2021, the ubiquitousness of the need for omnichannel strategy is absolutely the largest trend. All of the eyeballs went online, so merchants can’t not have a strategy about how they showcase their products wherever the shoppers actually are.

“Whether that’s searching direct on Google, which is now not only an ads platform but a marketplace, whether that’s having an ad strategy on Amazon, where they’re previously listed their products but now they need a better ad strategy, or whether it’s that really interesting intersection in social commerce that we’re seeing emerge, brands now need to be able to surface their products and make it as seamless as possible for shoppers to click and buy in one click — wherever that shopper is.”

RT: Which trend or trends do you believe will rise to the top in 2022?

SG: “I certainly think we’re going to see a lot more around social commerce. 

TikTok got to a billion users in two years — it took Facebook around ten in order to get there.

“We’re also going to see this integration of ads and marketplace channels merging to create experiences that are focused on delivering the most seamless omnichannel shopper journey.

“Shoppers want to know, ‘Is it the product that I want? Is it available near me? How much will it cost, and when will I get it?’, and they want to know that information whether they’re scrolling through Instagram and want to checkout right there, or if they’re going to a direct-to-consumer site in order to research a product. 

Shoppers want to be able to check out with the same seamlessness they have on Amazon.

“So, the rise of social commerce and the reduction of friction in the omnichannel shopper journey I think are the biggest focus and trends we’re going to see.”

RT: What tech do you believe retailers should prioritize in order to provide the best possible customer experience? 

SG: “All of these channels require product data. If you’re sending the same product listing information to all of your channels — to Google, Facebook, TikTok and Amazon — you’re not going to convert.

“The product attribute data is what is required in order to have these channels surface your products in search and merchandising algorithms. [Businesses] are going to need to invest in technology that allows them to surface their required product attributes and inventory to each channel in order to increase conversion.”

RT: Are there any retail brands you believe are leading in customer experience?

SG: “We have brands like Skullcandy and Solo Stove on BigCommerce that are leading in experience across omnichannel — whether that means exploring new social commerce channels and creating a seamless experience with our native integrations into Facebook and Instagram, or whether that means they’re leveraging product data in order to surface it across a wide variety of the channels that drive traffic back to their direct-to-consumer experiences.”

RT: What should we look for from BigCommerce in 2022?

SG: “We’re going to continue to invest in becoming the world’s leading platform for omnichannel commerce. Whether it’s in B2C or B2B, you’re going to see us expand internationally and continue to offer use cases that allow merchants to sell more everywhere.”

Sell More with Omnichannel Commerce

Having an omnichannel strategy is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must have for any successful ecommerce business.

BigCommerce allows you to meet shoppers where they are across social platforms, marketplaces, advertising channels and more — all directly from your control panel. With the BigCommerce Channel Manager, merchants can seamlessly integrate and leverage data across channels through listing partners like Feedonomics. 

Considering expanding your reach with new channels? Explore more omnichannel resources and start a free trial to start selling more today.