## Implement data driven e-commerce strategies 

**Joanna Kwiatkowska, Head of e-commerce & co-founder at [Kubota](https://kubotastore.pl/)**

![Joanna Kwiatkowska Kubota](/uploads/4_250x200_4388b59f2a.png)

The e-commerce market is growing dynamically. Only in 2020 did online product sales in Poland increase by 35% ([PwC Report](https://www.pwc.pl/pl/publikacje/liderzy-e-commerce-o-rozwoju-handlu-cyfrowego.html)). Both the number of online stores and the revenue from products/services are increasing. One of the online store growth basics is the implementation of a business analytics strategy. Meaning the selection of appropriate tools, reliable data collection, analysing it, and making appropriate conclusions.

### What are the data driven e-commerce trends for 2022?

**1.  New Google Analytics**. The correct configuration of GA4 and the right data interpretation. It will allow better preparation for changes related to 3rd-party cookies, e.g. better targeting and attribution.
**2. Implementation of AI**. AI is used in product personalization and recommendations (machine learning), chatbots and predictive analytics.
**3. Further, updates of Page Experience Signals** (Core Web Vitals, HTTPS Security, absence of intrusive interstitials). The rollout of page experience ranking to the desktop will begin in Feb 2022.

## Find the golden mean between helpfulness and overuse of data 
**Tomasz Grygieńć, e-commerce Manager at Benefit Systems**

![Tomasz Grygieńć Benefit Systems](/uploads/4_1_250x200_271dffccd3.png)

The use of data in marketing and e-commerce has been at the center of my interest for many years. What I see in the market today is the struggle between minimizing and maximizing data acquisition. GDPR departments are working to minimize the data acquisition and adjust it to privacy regulations. While their counterparts in the marketing department are looking for ways to build the best customer experience. **Our goal is to help build brand trust by using data**. [Statistics](https://sklep.yes2move.com/) show that most e-commerce customers accept alerts about discounting their favourite products, while on the other hand, 53% of respondents find it creepy that companies are actively listening to their devices in order to personalize social media advertising. **The coming year will therefore be marked by looking for a golden mean between helpfulness and overuse of the data.**

## Optimize conversions with customer’s data
**Maciej Świątek, e-commerce Project Manager at [Tatuum](https://www.tatuum.com/en/)**

![Maciej Świątek Tatuum](/uploads/3_250x200_887fd6376b.png)

Increasing the accuracy of algorithms has significantly contributed to the user’s experience on the Internet sites. **I believe that we should focus our attention on using the data from the customer’s visit to build and optimize conversions**. One of the most important factors regarding e-commerce is the **visionary aspect** and the **way the site works**. Especially the check-out process, which should be clear and feel secure enough that the client has no concerns whatsoever. 

Based on **data analysis** and **observation of the user’s behavior** the changes in e-commerce can lead to fulfilling consumer’s preferences. Leaving no room for rage clicks or other problems, and – as a result – improvement in sales. The offer can thus be customized and adjusted to feel as if it has been made for the customer. Because of Covid-19, the development of new trends is at its peak, and it is highly advisable to take advantage of the latest technology. **Let’s use the full potential of the websites!**

## Prepare for cookieless future
**Aleksandra Warzecha, Product Owner at OTCF**

![Aleksandra Warzecha OTCF](/uploads/2_250x200_f810ac8a6e.png)

This year the growth rate in e-commerce has decreased compared to 2020 which was dominated by COVID-19. Forecasts indicate that the upward trend will continue. Retail e-commerce sales by 2025 are expected to account for as much as 24.5% of total global sales ([Emarketer 2021](https://www.emarketer.com/content/global-ecommerce-forecast-2021)). Therefore, in the coming months, **as online privacy and personal data protection will increase in importance, it is crucial for online businesses to prepare for cookieless future**.

In 2022 expenses for software collecting 1st party data will increase significantly. Customer Data Platforms may grow in popularity. Effective cross-channel identification, attribution, and building a user’s unified profile with behavioral data will allow us to constantly boost the shopping experience through smarter personalization. All of this won’t be possible without advanced analytics with an accurate measurement, Big Data, predictive analytics, AI / ML solutions.

## Get to know your e-commerce customers
**Marek Gut, co-founder & CEO at [YourKaya](https://yourkaya.com/)**

![Marek Gut YourKaya](/uploads/5_250x200_8189177753.png)

With an abundance of choice, a never-ending fight for customers’ attention, and an ongoing war on prices, you have to step up your USP game in order to stand out. Especially if you’re in the DTC space. A physical product is only a part of the value you should deliver. Your goal should be maximizing retention. 

True loyalty is achieved through unique personalization and best-in-class consumer experience. None of that is possible without in-depth data analysis and a good technology stack. **Invest in your infrastructure and really get to know your customers**. Identify pain points early on, understand who is buying from you and why are they (or aren’t) coming back. Try to build a close relationship with your customers based on that knowledge.

## Using Big Data, maximize personalization
**Michał Barczyk, performance & b2b marketing Manager at [x-kom](https://www.x-kom.pl/) / [MediaWIN](https://www.mediawin.pl/)**

![Michał Barczyk x-kom](/uploads/Podroz_Cytaty_Kolaz_Fotograficzny_250x200_dbd6f6fe21.png)
**The future is based on qualitative data**. Data that we can properly interpret. High information noise forces us to better adapt to the needs of a specific user. A user who doesn’t have time. Comprehensive data collection, centralization, organization and elimination of redundant information – recently popularly known as **Big Data – is the first component to maximizing personalization**.

A properly personalized offer will ensure faster e-commerce purchasing decisions, will enable the customer to create subscriptions for products for their needs (food, hygiene products, operation of devices).

I believe that the trend of relying on data driven in many cases: e-commerce and marketing and business is becoming more and more. The trend allows not only to increase the scale of sales, but also to focus on the end user – the customer. His expectations, problems and needs.

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Do you have an unused marketing budget? What if you were to bet on analytics? Take advantage of 25% discount on training and audits with Paulina Walkowiak and be data-driven in 2022. The discount is valid until the end of December, realization in January 2022.

Are you a CUX subscriber? We have something special for you. Contact [marta@cux.io](mailto:marta@cux.io) for more details.

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2022-trends-ecommerce.png

What trends await us in data driven e-commerce in 2022? We’ve asked experts for their 2022 predictions for online shops. How to make your e-commerce more data driven? How to build the best customer experience? What can we do to increase e-commerce conversions? Read the 2022 data driven trends predictions from our e-commerce experts!

2022 trends: data driven e-commerce

The most important realization is that we should optimize customer paths based on the patterns of behavior that characterize them. Thanks to this, in addition to increasing sales, we will find ourselves on the right track to building a strong relationship with users, based on showing – so-called – digital empathy towards them. We provide understanding and support in those places that require it, in opposition to bombarding them with functionalities and options only because the competition offers something similar or the agency recommends this approach.

Where to start? Preferably from the beginning, i.e. from setting up our Waterfalls so that we can begin to analyze our customers’ behavior patterns on event-based data. How, you ask? This article will guide you through this process almost step by step.

## First things first – determine events
Use the right mouse click to choose the “Inspect element” function. Then in the console that appears at the bottom of the screen, you will see the HTML code appropriate for this element.

![Inspect mode in the browser](/uploads/1_0e0c827c3b.png)


What you need to find is the class or parameter ID of the item and copy the XPath – the path to this place. After pasting into the Waterfalls configurator, the application itself will prompt the element we want.

![Waterfall configuration](/uploads/2_c6285e4239.png)

By defining as many events and steps as you need, you will create your own Waterfall.

![Completed Waterfall CUX](/uploads/3_f6c6183d24.png)

Now you can observe where exactly are the drops within the sales path. You can finally see the numbers, but what you still need to be completely happy is the answer to the question: why do people drop off? To try to find out, just use the “View” option, and in the next view, you will get a list of visits in which users have not moved on to the next step.

![List of recordings CUX](/uploads/4_15a8a7f5b8.png)

## All roads lead to… the basket
Remember that the sales path for your product is not necessarily the one you designed. If you want to sell more, find out how your customers want to buy.

Is there only one path leading to the destination? Highly unlikely. That is why it is best to check the entire context first and then take a closer look at the places where we see “drops”. Test different scenarios, don’t stop at just one. Your task is to narrow down the analysis to one goal and study individual places/ events in the project in detail.

Let’s see an example of a conversion scheme analysis.

**/ main → / category → / product → / basket → / thank you for your purchase**

![Waterfall Homepage to Checkout CUX](/uploads/5_83cdcb9448.png)

We’re exploring the basic “classic” path. Disclaimer: this example is for the purpose of orientation and should not be the basis for drawing conclusions and recommending specific changes.

If you know that over 90% of your traffic comes from campaigns or marketplaces, you can skip this step and start from step 2.

**/ product → adding to the cart → / basket → / thank you for your purchase**

![Waterfall Homepage to Checkout CUX](/uploads/6_227ad44908.png)

The path starts with the product, you check how customers arriving via the campaign or returning to specific products are consuming your website. You check how clients use the basket in your store – compare information on how many people add products to the basket, and compare it with information on how many actually make the purchase.

Most of the e-commerce customers come to us with a request to analyze why they have so many “abandoned” baskets. They focus on the analysis of the basket page and the finalization of the transaction because this stage is most important to them. In many cases, however, we are quickly able to verify whether we are dealing with abandoned baskets at all, or whether customers have never had the intention to buy the product in the first place, and use baskets only as a clipboard. Often, customers leave selected products for later (sometimes even several sessions later), choosing those that they want to compare with other products available online.

**/ basket → placing an order → / thank you for a purchase**

![Waterfall Checkout Process CUX](/uploads/7_fe0ab53784.png)

For the “placing an order” step, we want to have a look at the order form. If we have a simple, one-step form, we can check the “focus in” event for each field at this stage. If the form consists of many sections, you should first examine only the first fields in each of them to find out which section is the biggest problem and then go into a more specific analysis.

If you notice a significant drop in the form, you still need to deepen the analysis to determine events such as “Focus in”, “Change”, “Focus out”. If users do not fill in one of the fields, they most likely have objections related to privacy and data security. If in one of the fields we note an attempt to complete (“Change”), but the user hasn’t moved to the next step, this may mean that we have problems with validation or formatting. In that case you need to look at the form from its technical side.

![Setting event-based Waterfall CUX](/uploads/8_e82ac40ab7.png)

## Last, but not least.

To get the most important things to remember, below you will find a list of the most common mistakes made when analyzing customer behavior and some practical tips that will be useful during the event-based analysis.

### The most common mistakes:

1. **Viewing recordings of individual sessions** (not visits) and making conclusions of customer paths and behavior based on those individual sessions
2. **Assuming that users use the internet in a linear way** – that they go through individual URLs without opening many tabs, without comparing products
3. **Concluding only on the basis of numbers**, without an understanding of why this is happening
4. **Implementing solutions that have worked well for others** – instead of observing your own users
5. Analyzing **only the last stage of the process** – without an understanding of the drops along the funnel path.
6. Assuming that **the problem is always at the end of the funnel** (e.g. abandoned baskets)

If you have any questions, doubts, would like to implement analytics or solve a problem on your website (or maybe you just want to say “hi” 😉) – drop a line at [paulina@cux.io](mailto:paulina@cux.io). We will be more than happy to hear from you ❤️ And if you would like to receive newest information about our product, sign up for [the CUX newsletter](https://share.hsforms.com/1zmJkyNsvRPSLaAgf-pYNWA2pu7b).


Blog-post-Recenzje-Partner-LP-23-700x394.png

Let’s start with the hard truth. Assuming that users navigate through our website with the paths that we have designed for them is wishful thinking. In reality, our users do not use websites linearly. They open many tabs, they invent their own ways of using the solutions we propose to them and trying to impose on them a specific way to use our website it simply pointless.