Online sales have grown tremendously, especially due to the pandemic. In fact, they are one of the most popular activities on the Internet specially promoted by guest psoting services (Mohsin, 2020). If you are interested in your company offering this possibility to your customers, here we explain the trends in eCommerce that currently exist and how to apply them to your business.
10 trends in eCommerce
1. Omnichannel strategy: physical and online stores
One of the current trends in eCommerce is to invest in both offline and online sales. This is done with the aim that both channels work together to extend and improve the shopping experience.
Today, consumers often decide what they want to buy offline and buy it online after seeing and trying it. Due to the pandemic, even local commerce has had to digitize at great speed and is increasingly supported by consumers (Fernández, 2021).
2. Increase the use of the mobile to buy
This is one of the trends in eCommerce that will grow in all age groups. Historically, apps have offered a much better user experience than traditional websites. Progressive web apps work like mobile apps with speed and optimized user experience (Fernández, 2021).
Make sure that both your web hosting and your online store are optimized for browsing on mobile devices. This is in order to make buying in your store more simple and accessible (Mohsin, 2020). 5G technology helps generate income because (ComunicaWeb, 2021):
It brings innovations such as augmented reality, a higher download speed than any other, more possibilities in audiovisual content, etc.
It erases language and geographical barriers, being able to trigger the internationalization process.
3. Flexibility in shipping and payment
Of the trends in eCommerce, this is a sure way to attract new customers and keep them. More if you add shipments on the same day and the next day in your checkout. Home delivery has always been popular, but after the pandemic, it has become more important (Fernández, 2021).
4. Automation
It is useful to manage your own databases, as well as to organize the tasks of the company and transport logistics. Of the trends in eCommerce, this will help channel a large volume of work, save time and optimize energy (ComunicaWeb, 2021; Fernández, 2021).
5. Voice commerce
Voice shopping is growing among Internet users. 43% of voice-enabled device owners use it to shop. However, products purchased through voice search are often low-cost: groceries, simple electronics, or household products (Mohsin, 2020).
6. Use of images and videos: visual commerce is on the rise
Image search is another trend in eCommerce that will continue to grow. Did you know that 60% of shoppers would rather watch a product video than read the description? (ComunicaWeb, 2021). This is where virtual and augmented reality will play an important role.
One of the main concerns people have when shopping online is the inability to see the product firsthand. And this technology will allow products to be better visualized (Mohsin, 2020).
7. Social networks
This is one of the trends in eCommerce that is increasing rapidly, for example, with the introduction of the buy button on Facebook and Instagram.
Consumers today spend a lot of time on social media. Therefore, brands must create a content marketing plan to amplify their messages on the networks. Use them for your business, and make sure to connect them with your online store to sell through them (Mohsin, 2020). Content marketing and e-commerce must be two inseparable allies.
Another significant fact is that, according to the World Federation of Advertisers, 65% of multinationals will increase spending on influencer marketing in the coming months. Keep in mind that 49% of consumers look for these people before buying a product, according to The State of Influencer Marketing 2019: Benchmark Report (ComunicaWeb, 2021).
8. Take care of the environment
Half of the digital customers say these issues affect their purchasing decisions. 82% of them feel that their environmental concerns increased after the pandemic. And 3 out of 4 think that companies have more responsibility to be sustainable (Mohsin, 2020).
Green shipping is one way to meet this demand. More and more carriers are adopting it. It offsets the carbon emissions released during the delivery process (Fernández, 2021).
Another trend in sustainable eCommerce is recommerce, the process of renting or reselling. In fact, second-hand online stores have grown by 69% between 2019 and 2021, and analysts predict that the trend will continue (Fernández, 2021).
9. Artificial intelligence
It is one of the fastest-growing eCommerce trends. By 2022, businesses will spend $7.3 billion a year on it, for example, on chatbots that respond to customer inquiries instantly. This will also be helpful in understanding customer reactions to a purchased product or service, as well as forecasting future demand.
In addition, thanks to big data and its applications, automated emails with offers can be sent. This does not require a large investment and is one of the means that generates the most income (ComunicaWeb, 2021; Mohsin, 2020).
10. Personalization
According to research by Captora, a company specializing in marketing strategies, more than 50% of buyers say that a personalized online experience is important (Gómez, 2015). In addition, an Evergage study states that 74% of marketers believe that this has a strong impact on the relationship with customers (Lastra, 2019; Nubika, 2020).
For all these reasons, online stores are customizing email marketing campaigns, discounts, etc. (Mohsin, 2020). And many brands use online data about their customers’ preferences to create personalized experiences in their stores. For example, personalized discounts for in-store shoppers based on their digital shopping habits. As you can see, innovations in electronic commerce grow exponentially. Therefore, it is very important to join them in order to obtain many benefits (ComunicaWeb, 2021). Dare to explore these ten trends in eCommerce and apply them to your business.
