By the time we hit year 2030, I think people are completely going to forget that physical stores ever existed. Thanks to e-commerce. Everything around is changing with contemporary trends pouring in. These trends embark on a new journey for which every online seller– big or small waits for.
E-commerce is constantly updating itself with technology, logistics, discoveries and abundant cool items to buy. In 2016, total e-commerce sales were estimated at $394.9 billion thus leading to an increase of 15.1 percent from 2015. E-commerce sales in 2016 accounted for 8.1% of total sales which was apparently 7.3% in 2015.
And all this possible due to the following e-commerce trends:
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Mobile, Mobile And Mobile
Mobile apps and responsive website design is ruling the online e-commerce market. And that is because people are increasingly using mobiles, not only to surf the web, but also for e-commerce transactions.
In US, almost 125 Million consumers use smartphones. Amidst this, 62% of smartphone users have made purchases online using their mobile device in the last 6 months. Interestingly, visits to retail websites via mobile phones has overtaken desktop too.
No doubt mobile is trending. In 2017, most of the online e-commerce stores are optimized for mobile devices. The e-commerce websites are responsive and each of them have a mobile app too.
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More Power To UX
Visual representation is the second most important element for online e-commerce stores. However, you can’t just have a visual presentation without a plan. This is where User Experience (UX) steps in.
It doesn’t matter how good the design is, but if the navigation is tricky, it adversely affects the sales and ROI. In fact, the average rate of the online shopping cart abandonment is almost up to 69.23%. There are many reasons but majorly they can be resolved by updating or refining the design, the navigation and the layout of your online store.
The mantra is to have an effective user experience which makes sure that you display right information at the right place. UX is the future of SEO too. Nevertheless, you can also carry out an unbiased opinion about a visitor’s experience on your site with tools like User Testing, Crazy Egg and accordingly go for A/B Testing to see which design works for you best.
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Upcoming Technologies
Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana are the new digital assistants that every person is eyeing for. Not just Artificial Intelligence (AI) but Internet of Things (IoT) and Virtual Reality is making their own way into e-commerce market.
People are getting more and more inclined towards technology and these factors are adding to conversions. The technological advancements are all set to offer better shopping experience. They are personalized, faster, simple and they connect with the audience in a jiffy and add a fun factor to their experience. The customer support through these technologies is awe-inspiring and thus they are here to stay in the long run.
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Quick Delivery
Quick delivery or more specifically – same day delivery, is considered to be the ‘Holy Grail’ of the e-commerce market. It’s been observed that, 19% of buyers consider same-day delivery extremely ‘important’ and 4% have considered to not purchase because same-day delivery wasn’t offered.
Catching up with this trend, Amazon’s Prime Now has already paved the way for same-day delivery. In fact, Amazon and few other global e-retailers are looking forward to implement drones to cope up with the on-demand delivery. So, this area is literally gaining momentum and eventually will see a leap in the coming years with more retailers following the suit.
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Knowing Your Customer
Knowing your target market, the traits of the customer or studying their behavior plays a crucial role in shaping a e-commerce website. As such more preference is given to the elements that add to enhancing the experience of the buyers.
Have you wondered that the product you have viewed on Amazon is flashing on Facebook too?
Thanks to retargeting and also to online tools that help to keep a track of visitor’s information. Tools like Google Analytics, Kissmetrics will guide what your customers are up to. With this information, you will be able to analyze their behavioral patterns and rework for better.
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Various Payment Modes
Buying on mobile phones is going to be a lot easier in 2017, thanks to various mobile payment gateways. Fortunately, Payment gateways have been playing a vital role in helping e-commerce companies to easily accept online transactions. There has been a rise in digital wallets too.
Apple Pay, Android Pay, Google Wallet, etc., are some of the most prominent wallets that are ruling the market. A study has already highlighted that almost $200 billion in transactions are already flowing through digital wallets in the U.S. As per the base-case scenario, this volume should hit the figure of 18 million transactions by 2020, or a total of $1.2 trillion. These whopping numbers are a proof that payment modes are going to ease out a lot of complications.
Technological advancements are working towards enhancing the overall experience for online buyers. What works best forms the part of e-commerce trends. Going mobile, support for a variety of payment modes, re-targeting, VR all contribute in simplifying the process of buying online and thus adding to the success of online e-commerce store.
