6 Trends And Future Of eCommerce In Upcoming Years

Keeping an eye on the eCommerce trends should be a hobby since the year is coming to an end, and the business partners want future growth in eCommerce.

Several future eCommerce trends that retailers should pay attention to are the eCommerce techniques. In they need positive growth in their organization are discussed in this article.

Online-Offline Linkages:Online-offline linkages

Both the online and offline shopping options are believed to be the key trends that are believed in shaping future eCommerce regarding how businesses can increase their sales.

Borrowing from the online giant market, Amazon, the process of coming up with physical stores, allows people to interact with the products that may have come across or ordered online.

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Similarly, the retail businesses have noted the importance of offering their digital experiences to younger customers as they seem to spend most of their time online and social media, making purchase decisions.

Thus, it is very logical predicting the eCommerce landscape of 2020 to be either a physical or digital presence.

Multi-Channel Engagement and Buying:

Having many people spend their time on social media, retail businesses have the opportunity of communicating and engaging with their target audiences through various channels.

For example, one may come across a picture of a friend carrying a trendy handbag on Instagram or any social media hurdle.

It will be obvious for the person to inquire about the brand of the bag, its cost, and of course, where she bought it.

After acquiring this information, the person will surely log into the brand’s website or other pages that are selling to make their purchase.

Therefore, multi-channel engagement can be said to be one of the eCommerce future trends that have already begun yielding fruits for retailers.

The multi-channel trend is good news for all businesses as the research clearly shows that most shoppers spend more than those individuals who restrict shopping to a certain channel.

However, it is wrong to rule out that the drivers of eCommerce in the future have changed their availability, utility to the personalized product.

Native Social-Selling

About 18.2% of people say they are comfortable transacting through the social media pages of the prevalent brands.

Although it is still a niche where buying and selling can take place, this group of early adopters will only grow in the near future.

“For example, Instagram has more than a billion active users who spend most of their time on the site messaging and doing other stuff but only get interested in shopping whenever they find something that catches their eye or rather recommended by the influencers.”

Famous Apps & We

The same case is happening to the Facebook brands where their shops on Facebook attract heavy traffic with an increasing number of buyers if they have unique goods.

In the near future, the large brands with a global presence are not going to ignore the native-selling since their target audience will be doing the bulk of the product they admire on social media platforms.

Markedly, it will be an interesting development since eCommerce space will no longer be liable to restricted to the online businesses’ well-known brands as they are probably going to set up their brands on social media.

Automated Operations

None of the future trends will get fruits until their business get automation of their prevalent processes.

That is, ranging from inventory management, invoicing, billing, delivery, and even handling refunds and returns of the firms.

This is because, like in the multi-channel, eCommerce will only be possible if the retailer has general information concerning the stock levels for their various products at the time of shipping.

If there will be an automated inventory, then it will be safe, fast, and customer satisfying since there will be no need for mastering every particular product.

Lack of this information in the app and the websites will continue accepting new orders for their products without customer’s knowledge.

Research shows that enhancing customer satisfaction is a vital factor in influencing loyalty and repeat purchases in the future of eCommerce.

In case deliveries are at any time-delayed or orders are canceled, then the reputation will take a hit.

Mobile CommerceMobile commerce

Almost everyone owns a smartphone, and there is rapid penetration of the same, even in the developing countries for middle-class persons.

The mobile commerce emerging trend results from the rise of using smartphones, which shows mobile commerce in the near future will hit a higher note.

However, retailers and customers have been taking full advantage of their smartphones, but now it important the phones are made being mobile-friendly.

Hence the purchases are simplified. In essence, many people are not going to navigate multiple fill-in forms and pages before completing any transaction.

With that in mind, eCommerce will be required to start looking beyond America and its markets in the coming years.

This is because of the emerging economies like in China, North Africa, and South Asia, where smartphone penetration is the rise but still below global expectations.

For retailers who are in a position to develop mobile apps can be easily downloaded and used without using too much bandwidth in finding themselves a significant advantage where the internet connections are slow or of limited ranges.

Social Media eCommerceSocial media commerce

Many eCommerce analysts believe that online shopping and social media as a natural fit.

They argue that most people spend most of their time on Facebook and Twitter, browsing different products, and asking for recommendations.

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Recently, businesses and customer research show that this shift in the behavior of consumers is taking hold, especially the youths who are considered as the primary target audience in the future of eCommerce.

Many young people have begun using social media to find products and other services that fulfill their needs.

As well they seek to get feedback from individuals within their online circles who might have used the same product before.

Conclusion

For a prosperous future of eCommerce, businesses will have to work with the technology and data firms.

As well the social media platforms will need to ensure the information is always safeguarded for the transaction to take place.

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Data leakage is common nowadays which has become a norm for social media hurdles leading to customers remaining top extra cautious with their information online.

How Technology is Empowering eCommerce Business?

eCommerce has been developing at the speed of light in the recent decade. Thousands of researchers, analysts, and marketers have been studying the holy grail of information – that’s a customer with a smartphone – and defining the strategies for more targeted and personalized marketing and products.

Today, many eCommerce businesses have tons of customer data needed to advance in the online marketplace. With data, as well as data analysis and intelligence tools and platforms, being readily available

They know exactly what their target customers need and want. For example, Amazon’s product recommendation engine generates 35 percent of the company’s net income of $10.07 billion.

In fact, those who have mastered customer research not only know your needs and preferences but also what you’ll need in the future.

This incredible opportunity, along with many other ones, was, of course, enabled by state-of-the-art eCommerce solutions that companies only dreamed about 10 years ago.

So what exactly drives eCommerce businesses’ obsession with data? What are the technologies that give them the competitive advantage they need to stand out in a multi-billion online marketplace?

  • Machine Learning Algorithms to Generate Personalized Product or Service Recommendations

The vast majority of online shoppers – 87 percent – start product searches online. Chances are you’re a part of this, too, if you rely on your smartphone to find new products. It makes perfect sense, as the experience of others can help to make a good choice.

Function of Beauty, an American fashion brand offering personalized hair-care, wants to take product research one step further. A customer looking for hair products such as shampoos and conditioners for their specific hair type doesn’t need to browse numerous websites and menu categories.

Instead, they can take a quiz on a brand’s website and receive a personalized recommendation.

Function of BeautySource: Screenshot, Functionofbeauty(.)com

This was made possible by a machine learning algorithm. A customer can choose their hair type, scent, size of a bottle, and provide other preferences.

The results provided by a quiz taker are fed into the algorithm that pulls from hundreds of ingredients to generate a truly unique set of hair care products. In fact, it’s able to offer up to 12 million custom combinations.

Inc. reports that the quiz has been already taken by more than 1.5 million times. This is truly a great example of how machine learning can help to increase the personalization and relevance of products as well as advanced customer relationships.

Algorithms like these can be used to generate custom products, services, and recommendations, and therefore, will continue to drive eCommerce businesses’ effort to maximize relevancy for customers.

  • Chatbots to Improve the Overall Online Shopping Experience

Chatbots are one of the hottest topics in eCommerce right now.

These apps can mimic human online behavior such as conversations with pre-written questions and answers, so they have a lot of applications in the area.

In fact, here’s what eCommerce businesses expect from using them, as described in the 2018 State of Chatbots report.

ChatBot ReportSource: The 2018 State of Chatbots report

Already, a countless number of businesses have developed their own chatbots to help customers.

The range of their applications, as you can see, is pretty impressive, so it’s safe to claim that any eCommerce business can benefit from using one.

Let’s consider an example of a chatbot making a difference. A well-known U.S. electronics retailer Best Buy, for example, has an impressive Messenger chatbot that helps customers with:

    • Finding products based on such criteria as price range, manufacturer, OS type, laptop type, and common applications (gaming, studying, etc.)
    • Connecting to a customer support operator from an appropriate service department (this is determined by the answers given by the customer to the chatbot)
    • Locating stores across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico
    • Getting support like in-home consultations and other service-related inquiries.

Impressive, right? And all of this is available in one place. But the best thing that a lot of customers really appreciate is that they can get almost instant replies to their requests thanks to the chatbot technology.

ChatBot

Chatbots like Best Buy’s can really improve the overall customer experience by increasing personalization and relevance of communication with brands.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, more and more people feel comfortable using them; in fact, one U.S. study found that 62 percent of online shoppers said they liked using a chatbot to communicate with a brand.

  • Hybrid eCommerce App Development

Apps continue to be a significant sales channel for eCommerce businesses around the world. In recent years, many companies have chosen to build hybrid apps, which combine the elements of web applications and native apps.

This means they’re built on CSS, HTML, or JavaScript, but use a device’s browser engine to render the HTML or JavaScript code locally.

This allows for more functions that aren’t accessible in native apps, such as local storage and accelerometer. Moreover, making an app hybrid also means that it:

    • Gets downloaded to a device
    • Functions regardless if the device is connected to the Internet
    • Integrates with the devices’ file system to allow local storage
    • Provides better access to dynamic online content
    • Integrates with web services.

The first obvious advantage of hybrid apps that many customers appreciate is offline availability. If made possible by the developers, all of their features can work without an Internet connection.

For businesses looking to build an app, these advantages of hybrid mobile app development should be considered:

    • Your app will work both online and offline
    • Launching updates and patches will be easier for your web development team
    • You’ll build the app faster, so if time to market is a priority, hybrid apps are a great choice
    • You’ll reduce the costs because there’s no need to build multiple versions of a native app for different platforms (Android and iOS, etc.)
  • Innovative Experiences with 3D Imaging, Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR)

Attracting customers to product pages is one of the biggest goals in eCommerce. Product imagery and video play a deciding role in conversions; in fact, the State of Video Marketing 2019 report found that up to 96 percent of online shoppers say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. 

No surprise a lot of eCommerce brands have been learning how to improve product imagery and product pages as a whole.

Technology is the answer here, too, as it can help to advance customer experience with product pages with innovative imagery and video delivered by AR and VR.

Yes, we as customers were once quite happy with conventional product images. We’re not anymore, so businesses have to use technology to win over us. 

Using the above-mentioned technologies is indeed a great way to create an immersive, 360-degree shopping experience for online shoppers.

For example, a U.S.-based travel bags and accessories seller Samsonite is one of the companies leading the revolution of product imagery with 3D visualizations to improve customer experience.

3D ProductSource: Samsonite 3D Product Viewer, Samsonite(.)com

It is important for our customers to have the opportunity to examine the goods in detail, and 3D visualization allows us to bridge the gap between online shopping and brick-and-mortar stores,” Business Wire quoted Jay Nigreli, VP of eCommerce at Samsonite, as saying. 

Indeed, customers visiting eCommerce websites that offer this experience have a great chance to get a better sense of a product’s materials, shape, and dimensions.

The technologies could be especially relevant for companies selling small products like jewelry, so we expect them to adopt 3D, AR, and VR in the future. 

Exciting Times Ahead

Without a doubt, the next several years will be transformational for eCommerce technology. As technology continues to redefine the rules of customer engagement, many new approaches, as well as exciting possibilities, emerge to help businesses stand out from the ever-increasing competition.

The points you’ve just read are among the biggest technology trends impacting eCommerce at the moment, and it’s clear that they will become more widely adopted, as more and more businesses are looking for opportunities to gain competitive advantage.

Ecommerce Trends To Watch In The Mid Of 2018

With the hasty growth in eCommerce, online shopping has also changed a lot. The growth of global eCommerce is mind-boggling. There are lots of changes and development has come out in the eCommerce sector in the last couple of years.

The year 2017 had great for eCommerce and in 2018 it is also proceeding with a great level. In 2017 it reached around $2.3 trillion and is expected to hit $4.5 trillion in 2021. In the USA it’s growing 15% more each year compared to retail sales.

Worldwide Ecommerce Sales

(Source: shopify.in)

Now a day’s shoppers are no longer wants to go to the nearest store; they grab the nearest digital device. The online retail ecosystem is fast evolving. It’s not the purchasing habit they are doing digitally but the retail experience has changed a lot.

Before buying any product buyers are reviewing these products online at their home and eCommerce store are plying as a personal assistant for them.

If you will do some research on global eCommerce markets, China is coming on the top with the highest billion USD. Let’s have a look at the top global eCommerce market

Largest Ecommerce Market

(Source: shopify.in)

The global eCommerce sales are expected to increase 246.15% by 2021, from 1.3 trillion in 2014 to 4.5 trillion in 2021. The industry is booming and there is no sign of any fall in the near future. E-commerce stores with excellent digital eCommerce facility can reach your target customers.

According to the market demand you need to reach your target customer to generate more revenue. To make these things easier here I am going to share the top eCommerce trends which are dominating the market in the mid of 2018.

1. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

With AR and VR, buyers are able to visually testing out products before purchase. AR and VR are also helping companies to keep their buyers in website and apps more than the longer time.

Consumers are also going to buy from companies that allow them the option of visually testing out products before purchase.

According to Ross Beyeler, founder of eCommerce consultancy Growth Spark,

“We’ll see AR and VR become not just part of the in-store experience for customers, but part of the packaging experience with QR codes triggering ‘enhanced experiences’ of products, and even packaging itself being repurposed as a throw-away AR ‘device’,” he argues. “These sorts of experiences could particularly expand on the ‘try before you buy’ viewing of products in-home.”

2. Automation

Automation has become the most effective way to catch online consumers to sell product and maximize revenue. According to Rachel Jacobs “Why to spend precious time on manual tasks that deliver no tangible ROI, when you could use an automation tool to take care of it for you?” She says “As more and more eCommerce merchants turn to social media to drive traffic and sales, it makes sense to automate the process as much as possible.”

3. Voice Search

Now a day’s voice search has become the best-preferred alternative of search. More than 40% of millennials are already using voice search before any online purchase. Voice search has become 3X time more local for users. So it’s very necessary to list your business on Google to come in the local search.

“Voice will gain more prominence in 2018 as voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Alexa become commonplace,” predicts Mari Corella- a fashion and beauty eCommerce specialist.

4. Mobile First

The percentages of mobile users are growing day by day and the mobile purchase is also growing. So it’s important to create your eCommerce website and app 100% mobile friendly to grab more visitors.

Statistics show that 40% of users will go to the competitor after a bad mobile experience, yet an alarming 84% have experienced difficulty completing a mobile transaction. That is an incredibly high number, and it shows just how great the opportunity is for companies to capitalize on consumer conversion just by creating mobile responsive and user-friendly websites.

Let’s have a quick look on the eCommerce Mobile Stats,

  • 125 Million U.S. consumers own smartphones
  • 50 million U.S. Consumers own tablets
  • 62% of Smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the last 6 months
  • One-third of all eCommerce purchases during the 2015 holiday season was made on a Smartphone.
  • ECommerce dollars now comprise 10% of ALL retail revenue
  • 80% of shoppers used a mobile phone inside a physical store to look up product reviews, compare prices or find alternative store locations
  • An estimated 10 Billion Mobile Connected Devices are currently in use

Ignoring these trends in mobile eCommerce evolution means potentially missing out on more and more profit as these trends continue.

(Source: outerboxdesign.com)

5. High-Quality Product Images and Videos:

Your eCommerce website can be more user-friendly with high-quality content, images, and videos. 360-degree images of product models can give clear information to visitors and helps to keep visitors more time on your website.

High-quality videos showcase your products real context, features and motivate users to buy. More than 80% of online users are converting to consumers through videos.

6. Machine Learning

Machine learning another big trend in eCommerce and it is similar to automation. With machine learning, you will not only save your time in automation but also you can take better decision to convert more visitors to the customer.

According to Jason Stokes, CEO of Eastside Co, “E-commerce traffic is still dictated by search, but that the ways we can search are changing — another opportunity for automation and machine learning.

7. SaaS eCommerce Platforms

SaaS eCommerce platforms are continuously updating their products and adding new features to keep their consumers or subscribers much productive in the competitive market. SaaS maintain speed and stable cloud on-premise system. So be hurry to make a move if you are not using any SaaS eCommerce platform for your business because the benefit of SaaS is more productive for the business.

8. Easier Checkout

Now the current payment options like Android Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, and others are providing quality and quick transactional checkout comparing to the traditional payment options. So make your website more compatible with web and mobile user-friendly and make sure to minimize the checkout process for the quick transaction.

9. Web Performance

E-commerce website performance or user experience is the most important factor to stay ahead of the competition. The performance of the website always matter for users because a website with high performance can bring more customers but few milliseconds issues can lose customers for your competitors.

Various performance checking and improvement tools for websites are available in the market you can take the help of these to know and maximize the web performance.

10. Social Shopping

All we know that social media plays a great role to reach your target market and social shopping has a massive impact on eCommerce business in this present time.

Social media platform like Pinterest and Instagram are two highly visual platforms where merchants can bring their products in front of the huge number of the customer. In 2018, social media has become the perfect landscape in which retailers can create a buying scenario by showcasing their products on apps that customers spend most of their time with.

11. B2B E-commerce

B2B eCommerce is the fast-growing e-commerce trend and firms are spending more on technology comparing to online retails. According to the source, by 2019, B2B firms will spend more on eCommerce technology than online retailers do. The US B2B e-commerce market could reach $1.1T and account for 12.1% of all B2B sales by 2020, and over $6 Trillion worldwide. The average age of a B2B buyer/researcher is now under 35 years old. 89% of buyers search online in a B2B purchase process, with 74% doing so for more than 50% of their purchases.

(Source: datorama.com)

Over To You

Over the years eCommerce trends are continuously gearing up for better user engagement and retention. As an eCommerce business owner, you need to update your business according to the new market trends to stay ahead of the competition. Hope these trends will help you in the development of your business in the mid of 2018. Appreciate if you share your thoughts with comments.

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