The e-commerce industry is continuously changing and upgrading. Merchants are developing and improving their e-commerce businesses to meet customer demands and preferences. While it may seem like everything in e-commerce is advancing, we narrowed it down to the most significant trends that will influence organizations in the coming long period.
Now we get almost everything delivered to our doors, from books to clothing to groceries. Surprisingly, the processes have fastened as often the same day we get the delivery when we click the “order” button on a desktop computer or cell phone.
Ecommerce has evened the odds for brands by establishing direct-to-consumer business models that can deliver an exceptional online experience. But in an omnichannel world, businesses need to stay ahead of e-commerce trends to make sure that they keep up with customer requirements and don’t get affected by the quick competition.
7 E-commerce Trends Leading the Online Shopping
So, let’s dive into the biggest e-commerce trends in online shopping and see where things are headed.
1. Augmented reality improves the reality of E-commerce shopping.
Augmented reality (AR) has been a huge advantage for e-commerce. With this advancement in technology, customers can genuinely see the products they’re looking for, which assists them in purchasing choices. AR truly changes the shopping experience in particular businesses, for example, fashion and home style, as the buyer can get a superior pre-buying experience for the product without seeing it in person.
In 2019, Gartner anticipated that 100 million buyers would shop using AR technology by 2020, so it will be fascinating to see how that works out the following year.
Director of Business Development, Michael Prusich at 1Digital Agency agrees with this forecast:
“Surveys have shown some truly strong numbers to prove the statement with regards to AR: 35% of individuals say that they would be shopping online more often if they try their hands on a product virtually before buying it, and 22% would be less inclined to visit a physical store assuming AR was accessible to their favorite e-commerce store. AR permits the buyer not just to see a 3D model of a product but gives a superior experience of letting them know how it looks if they were trying it. Few businesses love being traditional with their process. Fortunately, AR is going to change things up sooner dynamically.”
Tessa Wuertz, Director of Marketing and Partnerships, efelle.com, likewise sees the potential for more modest to midmarket organizations to join the pattern:
“We are expecting a lot more businesses to utilize AR for their products and businesses — so much so that it will become more standard in e-commerce and social media platforms. Larger companies have already started using AR, but I think soon it will become mainstream for all sizes and types of businesses.
2. There will be an increase in the volume of voice searches for trends in online shopping.
In addition to the fact that more individuals own smartphones, however, they depend on voice assistants to get done with day-to-day activities. Loop Ventures forecasts that 75% of U.S. families will embrace a smart speaker by 2025.
In this way, more homes will adopt smart speakers; subsequently, more consumers will make use of voice assistance to shop online, order food, and plan their lives. The surge in voice search is creating an opportunity for e-commerce businesses concerning keywords and content.
David Zimmerman, Director of eCommerce Solutions, Kensium, included “greater utilization of voice-enabled solutions in the commerce market with Amazon Alexa and Google Home” will be high on his list of 2022 trends to watch out for.
3. AI assists shops with finding out about customers.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning make it workable for buyers to have automated, customized shopping experiences. AI continuously gathers data on how customer shops, when they buy products, and what they’re searching for in a product or a service. It’s a piece of innovation that really can’t be recreated in-store.
Ron Smith, Editor in Chief, The Digital Outdoor, highlights how the intricacy of AI and the capacity to make it more human is progressively significant:
“People expect that the brands should care about them, and AI will be modified accordingly. We have currently seen the opposite behavior on social media, where AIs learn from humans’ more negative remarks (about products/services). Consumers will crave to see the impact created in the next product launch. If bots can figure out how to shape sentences to convey an emotion, organizations can beforehand offer solace and products based on clients’ temperaments.”
4. Big data plays a role in creating customized encounters.
Today, numerous consumers are familiar that e-commerce sites are collecting personal data, which makes them feel insecure. Because of this, experts are quite concerned about the benefits of big data and how it influences the personalized shopping experience.
Luis Carter, the Conversion Rate Optimization Expert at Kensium Solutions, has his forecasts for how personalization will continue to advance alongside data concerns:
“Tech giants are expanding and bringing more services in-house; personalization will ultimately advance toward the trends in online shopping. This will create a fascinating division — individuals who have super customized experiences and the people who don’t. This will have interesting impacts on how we as marketers reach new users.”
5. People actively respond to videos.
Video ended up being an extraordinary method for engaging customers in 2019, and the trend will continue forever. Making videos is an interesting way to instantly grab the attention and engage users and inform them about your product or service on the website.
Ron Smith, Editor in Chief, The Digital Outdoor, thinks about how video can be utilized to assist with instructing clients:
“I see the utilization of podcasting and brief video content to expand the chance for purchasers to find out about how e-commerce business brand’s products and services provide the solution to the opportunity, challenge, or issue a buyer is looking to answer. With these content and development requirements comes the technology to micro track a viewer’s engagement.”
Shane Barker further underscores the significance:
“The significance of videos can’t be put into words. They assist you in explaining the products and services with more creativity than images can show. You must consider adding videos of your items in your online store.”
6. Subscriptions keep customers coming back.
There are subscriptions of all sorts these days, and their purpose is to attract consumers. For companies, subscription services create a way to plan for inventory and sales that are already locked in.
David Zimmerman, Director of eCommerce Solutions, Kensium, still predicts that “more companies will offer subscription services or monthly payment options for larger purchases” in the coming year.
7. Sustainability is turning out to be more significant.
Businesses and Consumers on the same page are becoming more mindful of the environment. Eventually, consumers are being more environmentally conscious about where and what they purchase and what impact it may have on the environment/surroundings and related effects.
One overview found that 50% of respondents wanted more sustainability in the fashion and style industry, while 75% wanted to see less packaging or else sustainable packaging.
Numerous organizations are figuring out ways to be more eco-friendly by going paperless and using biodegradable packaging and recyclable supplies.
Businesses should optimize advanced digital strategies for conversion.
Bringing potential customers to your website is one task but later on, converting them is another. In 2020, organizations were hoping to further develop their conversion rates by optimizing their product pages. Multi-channel marketing strategies are also one effective way to get conversions through shopping ads on Google or Facebook advertising.
Scott Ginsberg, Head of Content, Metric Digital, further states that:
“An ever-increasing number of brands are competing for the same eyes (customers). Facebook’s algorithm rewards motion-based videos and creatives that are more likely to grab the eyes of your audience instantly. Now, customers have also become more impatient, demanding, and curious than ever before. Understanding the intricate details of Performance Ad Creative that doesn’t only look cool but also converts the leads. Utilizing those channels astutely is the most effective way to ensure your brand image will be positioned superiorly in the continually changing digital marketing landscape.”
B2B is developing and evolving.
Worldwide retail e-commerce business deals for B2B are supposed to reach $1.1 trillion in 2022, as per information from Statista.
Forrester predicts that by 2022 close to half, everything being equal will be Millennials, which likewise implies an expansion in Millennial B2B customers. Both of these audiences want their research to be quick and easy without any involvement of the salesperson.
B2B e-commerce business brands are attempting to address these issues. Connie Wong, Marketing Manager, Silk Software, discusses this change:
“The days when orders were placed through fax, forms, or phone calls are shrinking. An ever-increasing number of organizations are starting to see the worth of serving their customers online. Through automation in processes, time is being saved through their e-commerce site, and teams are moving away from investing their time in processing order requests from email spreadsheets or hard copies. Businesses are shifting their focus towards what makes the biggest difference: interaction with customers, drawing their attention by giving them an excellent customer experience, and establishing good client relationships.”
Analyzing your options: Deciding if a Trend in Online Shopping Makes Sense for Your Business
Mark it that not every trend is worth jumping on, but which one deserves your time and effort? While some will provide a huge value-adding benefit.
Choose wisely!
So, this was all about the seven online shopping trends that are driving the eCommerce industry forward. To know more about such facts, visit Zap Inventory and learn more about the eCommerce industry.
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