Last updated - March 13, 2024
Keeping up with the trends of eCommerce is very vital for your business’ success. Although there are many online tools and marketing software that claim they are useful. Often, they tend to be ineffective or cost a lot of money to implement.
However, that doesn’t mean that all eCommerce trends are a bust as some of them are revolutionizing the online retailing world. To increase a company’s revenue and make the life of the marketing specialist easy, you need to familiarize yourself with those effective trends. Here are 10 of those eCommerce trends that you need to know in 2024.
The rise of voice-activated searches
Browsers have been the go-to platform to get information and recommendations available on the internet. It has been an important tool for online shops to be found and for them to display their available products.
With that being said, eCommerce retailers should take note of the change that is happening on the most frequently used browsers. They are slowly migrating to voice searches instead of typing out each query.
The change that browsers are making of adding a voice search feature impacts online shops directly. How? If online shops don’t have a voice search feature integrated into their websites, they won’t appear on the SERP rankings or they will rank lower.
It has been predicted that voice-activated searches will rise like never before during the year of 2020. Walmart, Amazon, Domino’s Pizza and many B2B platforms have listened to this prompt and streamlined their products to be compatible with voice search. Ensure that your eCommerce SEO strategy integrates voice activates searches to secure the future of your online shop.
Whenever you need help with writing work, opt for the professionals to do the content work for you, whether academic or related to your website. A good example of this is the product descriptions.
Mobile Commerce is taking the world by storm
Online shops also need to ensure that their mobile commerce platforms are ready to roll before 2020. The development of simplified smartphone payment methods that have been developed by Google, Apple and other payment companies has made it easier to shop on the go.
Because of that, the development of the mobile commerce sector has gained some speed and is developing faster than all other eCommerce industries combined. If you don’t have a mobile app, prioritize getting one and if you already have one, upgrade it to have features like voice control or a simplified ordering process.
Another development that is starting to get traction nowadays is Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). PWAs are a hybrid of websites and mobile apps, which makes life easier because it loads faster than websites. Other useful features of PWAs are that they can be used offline and added to the home screen without requiring updates later.
PWAs have proven effective because the home décor and furniture company West Elm, has improved the time customers spend on site by 15%. When designing the online shop you will use, get eCommerce web designs that are compatible with mobile devices.
Augmented Reality is headed to being an essential part of the service
Augmented Reality is probably the most interesting development in eCommerce during 2020. The biggest concern of online shopping right now is that buyers can’t fit to see that the product they are buying will suit them.
Augmented Reality solves that problem because you can try out what you are buying or virtually see how a piece of furniture would look like in your house. A survey conducted by Retail Perceptions concluded that 71% of people prefer an online shop that supports Augmented Reality.
The boundaries between the digital and physical world are blurred out because, in a sense, buyers can also enjoy prior contact with the product they are purchasing.
Sephora has tried this out because consumers can now virtually test makeup products before buying them. On the other hand, IKEA allows buyers to see whether furniture would look good at their homes. Augmented Reality alone stands to increase eCommerce profits by $120 million by 2020 and you can also have a share in that if you integrate AR to your shop.
Artificial Intelligence breaks a new wave
Years ago, Artificial Intelligence was unachievable for most companies because it was expensive. However, as years went by, the conception of Machine Learning changed this entire industry.
As a result of the change, AI was now going to be available to any business and could be used for functionalities such as developing a highly customer-centric website building with a highly dynamic UX, and that too with great ease. How can it simplify the lives of eCommerce retailers?
“AI enables online shops to personalize the experience of their customers and address their major pain points. As you could imagine, trying to gather the preferences of a client manually can easily be tedious. It would also be easy to forget those preferences if you have many customers”, says Marisa Gold, the customer manager from the best essay writing service.
AI solves that problem because it collects all the data for you and then gives you more accurate recommendations about each client you have. When you have a one on one experience with potential clients, your conversion rates and profits will increase.
Gartner predicted that by 2020, 85% of interactions with consumers won’t be handled by humans but by an AI robot. You can also use AI to beef up cyber security in eCommerce platforms.
Video content boosts marketing strategies
They say a picture speaks a thousand words; if that is true, it means a video speaks a million. The world has been shaped into loving moving pictures and even the most popular influencers use video to connect with their audience.
Videos are a very authentic way to communicate with potential customers and can be used in a number of ways. Some businesses may opt to use video content to introduce new products and explain their benefits.
Alternatively, some online shops may have instructional video content that can be used to train customers on how to use products they have purchased.
Creating video content for products is a very personal way to present it and incites engagement in a way rarely found in any digital retail environment. You don’t have to get highly expensive setups to create video content, a tripod, lighting, smartphone, and editing app or software can do wonders.
The use of social media to boost sales
Social media contributes a lot to eCommerce sales and some of the platforms have begun offering marketplaces where transactions can be executed. That makes it easier to shop because you don’t have to leave the social media network. If you see something you like about it, you can buy it.
While on the other hand, Instagram has a business account that makes it easier to conduct business. In China, shopping on social media networks has become a norm because many online shoppers have used these platforms to purchase products.
Above having a direct impact on eCommerce sales like this, social media also has an indirect effect on online shopping. User-generated content (UGC) on social media affects the decision of some online shoppers.
If you get negative reviews or comments on social media, buyers will likely look the other way. However, if you get positive feedback, it is highly likely that businesses will convert to you.
Automate all systems that can be automated
Automating systems is a growing trend that should concern all retailers around the globe. Ecommerce stands to benefit the most out of it because it handles all the tasks that could easily be forgotten by humans. With automated systems, clients will have a better impression of the company you’re running.
Entrepreneurs can easily be wrapped in other tasks of running their business and can abandon tasks such as posting on social media regularly. The good news about that is it can be fully automated. In fact, all marketing-related tasks can be automated, including others that could be taking up much of the time you have.
The tasks that you can automate include publishing new offers on all social media platforms, monitoring the actions of customers on the site and fast response to clients’ queries. Above saving you time, automation can increase revenue because the tasks don’t require human intervention.
Speedy deliveries make customers stay
The logistical part of online shops can be a nightmare. Late deliveries can aggravate clients and they can stop shopping in online shops that have slow delivery men. Speed and efficiency are everything in online shopping but sometimes there is nothing you can do about the situation.
When drivers are spread thin and can’t reach certain places in time, it isn’t anybody’s fault, but customers might leave even though that is true. To solve that problem, some couriers and freight companies have set pick up locations where customers fetch their products at a central location.
In that way, the time of the drivers is saved because they don’t need to drive all around the place and deliver parcels door to door. However, some companies offer same-day delivery, which can be used to satisfy the needs of customers.
Amazon has experimented with the Prime Air Deliver, which is an unmanned drone that offers swift delivery. The first delivery was made in 13 minutes of the order and that’s the future eCommerce is headed to.
B2B operations similar to B2C
The evident divisions between B2B and B2C eCommerce are slowly starting to fade away. The change is occurring because the operations of B2B are transforming and becoming similar and unified with those of B2C trading. The operations are starting to be similar because the ordering process is being simplified as much as possible.
All the formalities and paperwork are beginning to be ineffective and not much of a necessity anymore.
It does make sense though, some B2B purchasers are on the go and would like to make a purchase right there and then on the online shop. If you service the B2B customers, try to think of ways to make their ordering process easier and that includes removing all the unnecessary stuff.
In 2020, the eCommerce industry is working towards a very simplified buying process for all online shoppers, including B2B buyers.
Secondhand eCommerce market
The online market for used goods is on the rise and it is currently at its peak with positive growth prospects. The major selling point of this form of trading is that it gives clients access to the most sought-after products at a less price.
Also, it is environmentally friendly because the reuse of these products instead of discarding them promotes green living.
The year 2020 will be the period where the online market for used goods is going to gain even more traction. Sites like Poshmark and leading cross posting software are the major drivers of this development alongside social platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
The bottom line
These ten latest eCommerce trends should be implemented now to kick off 2020 on a good note in terms of your eCommerce business. You can take up a few items and work on them to simplify the workload, but if you can take all of them, that is even better. In any case, if you do follow these trends, you will get the piece of the eCommerce trade pie.
