Consumer spending is off to a slow start in 2022. Rising inflation and fears of a recession have caused many people to tighten their budgets. But the pandemic made retailers more agile than ever. They’re prepared to promote their products via multiple channels and strategies.

Shoppers are showing ever-changing demands. They want faster shopping, faster service, and faster delivery. But, retailers are investing in tech solutions in order to meet these demands.

Here’s the 2022 U.S. Consumer Trends Report

1. Accept Recommendations From Influential People

Influencer marketing has proven to be a very effective brand strategy over the past few years – in fact, as of 2021, nearly 60 percent of marketers say influencer marketing is the most effective marketing trend, ahead of search engine optimization, experiential marketing, and short video content.

By 2022, 30 percent of consumers now say that an influencer’s recommendation is one of the most important factors in their purchase decision, compared to 27 percent from friends or family.

In many ways, this makes sense: traditionally, influential people are considered experts in their fields. If you follow the makeup influencer, it’s safe to assume that he or she knows more about makeup than most of your friends.

This is powerful news for e-commerce businesses: it means you no longer need to rely solely on word of mouth. Instead, it’s smart to focus your efforts on influencer marketing, because influencers show influence over their audience even more than friends and family.

2. The Holiday Shopping Season Is Expanding

To avoid tightening their wallets and to share the financial strain by paying more, customers will get an early start on their holiday shopping in 2022.

Shopping is fast becoming a social activity. Whether that means consumers looking for deals through social media or sharing their shopping habits and findings with friends, there is a clear shift under way in social commerce.

In a recent study, Forrester found that 38% of shoppers in the United States make their monthly purchases via social media. Similarly, Statista found that more than a third of all consumers it surveyed make shopping decisions based on social media ads. For Gen Z shoppers, that number jumps to three-quarters.

A study done by TikTok found that 80% of the platform’s users who shopped on Black Friday 2020 found it with TikTok’s help. What’s more, a recent Material study found that TikTok users are twice as likely to make a purchase through the app compared to other social media platforms.

No wonder the popular hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has now been viewed 18 billion times. On the back of that success, TikTok launched TikTok Shopping — a feature that makes it easier for merchants to sell products and advertise on the TikTok platform.

3. Mobile Phones Are The Most Popular Device For Online Shopping

Online sales are expected to dominate in 2022, with financial expert Natalie Warb from CouponBirds forecasting 2.5% growth between November 1 and December 31. Early discounts and economic uncertainty caused e-commerce to stagnate, so while online sales remain critical, they lag behind the growth of previous years.

About 75% of consumers prefer to use a mobile device when shopping online, while 15 percent prefer a desktop and 6 percent prefer a tablet. This means that as an e-commerce business, it is critical that your website needs to be optimized for mobile devices and that you have a mobile responsive product page.

4. Consumers Rely On Delivery And Pickup Services

There has been an influx of consumer demand for delivery and pickup options. Before the pandemic, shoppers relied on in-person purchases and delivery to buy new products. Some stores also offer in-store pickup, but not at the capacity or frequency of today’s retailers.

With so much changing in the world and changing consumer priorities, retailers must adapt to their customers in order to compete with other stores.

Shoppers now value choice. They want to choose how to receive their goods. Many brick-and-mortar stores now offer various styles of in-store pickup, home delivery and curbside pickup to make consumers’ lives easier and meet their needs.

5. Health Becomes The Focus Of Consumers’ Attention

The pandemic environment has seen a surge in consumer interest in hygiene, healthy eating, DIY cooking, fitness and personal care. Health has gone mainstream. Therefore, consumers want to buy healthy foods to support their active lives.

But happiness is more than just being healthy. A more holistic approach to health is emerging as people respond to changes in their body rhythms and actively seek out healthier products.

By analyzing the shopping trends through 2022, retailers can more easily identify the parts of their business that are working well and those that are underperforming. Shoppers are always looking for innovative experiences, especially when it comes to spending their hard-earned cash.

Stores have to keep offering consumers exciting new ideas because the retail space is very competitive. Trends can shape the future of retail and guide consumer behavior. Being up to date and working well in the retail space is beneficial for any business that wants to give customers what they want.