Any retailer building their eCommerce store or offering online shopping for their customers is taking advantage of an overall trend that’s been happening for over a decade.
More shoppers are moving online. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s convenient. All the characteristics or specifications of a product are there, alongside FAQs and customer reviews. However, some brands do it better than others, and their eCommerce strategies are proven more effective.
Here are the most popular trends in the eCommerce industry:
Trend #1: Meet customers where they are.
Just because a brand creates its eCommerce store does not mean its customers will show up. An ongoing trend is to meet customers where they already are, identifying social media platforms and digital marketing channels where outreach is most effective.
Trend #2: Mobile shopping & social media shopping
The majority of online shopping is done on smartphones and mobile devices. How brands design their eCommerce experience for mobile customers is very important. Mobile responsive pages, intuitive design, and offering a quick, easy-to-use checkout experience are all areas that need careful attention.
Trend #3: Live shopping and the role of video in ecommerce
Live shopping by video, promoted through Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other channels, is a surefire way to grab and engage customers at the moment.
More live video online shopping platforms are popping up, and increased use of influencer marketing within the context of live shopping, combining two of the most effective digital eCommerce marketing – video and influencer promotion.
Trend #4: Small brands using ecommerce to thrive
The unpredictability of the pandemic, rising rent costs, and supply chain issues have made it harder for every business to operate. While multi-national corporations have seen record profits, small businesses have had to close predominantly from the decrease in in-person shopping.
Fortunately, through the past few years, more small businesses and brands are shifting to eCommerce and selling online, pandemic-proofing themselves to a degree and using targeted marketing to reach whole new audiences through social media and search engine optimization.
Trend #5: Voice search to shop all sorts of products
By 2025, 3 in 4 households will own a smart speaker and use it to complete daily tasks. Voice search is already being used routinely to shop online, and this behaviour is only on the uptake.
A voice search strategy embedded into one’s eCommerce marketing platform is a major recommendation, especially regarding how content is structured and keyword utilization.
Trend #6: More competition, more customers, more growth
This year will be the biggest year yet for eCommerce sales. In 2022, total online sales topped out at $5.1 trillion globally. That is projected to double in the decade ahead. Shoppers are more comfortable than ever buying online.
While that’s a good thing, this also welcomes more competition meaning that brands have to be better than ever at marketing themselves and their products.
Trend #7: AR in eCommerce is a major attractant
Augmented reality allows shoppers to virtually try on clothing, glasses, home décor, furniture, and more. AR provides a virtual 3D model of a product and is quickly becoming a must-have feature in eCommerce. Some products and industries, of course, lend themselves better to utilizing this trend than others.
Trend #8: Customization in accounts and emails
Customization is personalization. Using a customer’s name in their email receipts or email marketing follow-ups. Creating an online account allows them to look up past orders and recommend specific products or discount codes. A brand derives more revenue from taking the extra steps to personalize and customize according to what they know about the customer.
Trend #9: Personalized product recommendations
This is where a significant bulk of eCommerce sales can come from. It’s a strategy that’s long been applied and is still just as effective. Personalized product recommendations offer customers products that complement something they’re buying.
Similarly, they may have already bought or offered products that are often bought in tandem with what they’re checking out. This basic personalization is associated with an average revenue increase of 10-15% for online shopping brands.
Trend #10: Use social media for opportunities to sell
Social media is rampant with opportunities to link up brands’ eCommerce platforms. From Facebook and Instagram allowing accounts to sell directly on their profiles to newer platforms like TikTok developing eCommerce discovery strategies, there is no shortage of ways to sell. Social media marketing is more dynamic than Google and search engines and uses a mix of content types – i.e. video, images, GIFs, text – to showcase all sorts of products.
Trend #11: AI customer support during shopping
AI chatbots have made it possible for customers to shop quicker, get key information, and touch base with customer support resources faster. Though the experience of AI chatbots varies from site to site, and while it also may not be everyone’s preference to use them, AI chatbots are notably a trend in eCommerce and a concept that’s only being refined.