New trends coming for the eCommerce industry

Visualizing the future in the eCommerce industry shouldn’t be an option for your business but a necessary step that you must take into account when thinking about the next steps. This mindset will not only bring you an advantage in front of your competition but also give you the time to prepare your business to evolve and lead more sales. Because in the end, if you have an online business, sales are the ones that will talk for you.

With every year, people’s habits are changing; the social and political context is changing, so the way people buy things now is changing. Thus, if you want to stay in the market, you have to learn in advance how to satisfy people’s needs and make their buying process much easier.

Now, if you have an online shop or business, you know it is already a competitive field, and you have to bring your best guns to this “war” and to win your customers’ attention. But, if you are a newbie in the eCommerce industry, this article is exactly the know-how kit you need to start.

The evolution of eCommerce

We would probably laugh if someone told us some years ago that people would buy a paper toilets and food online. But I am sure we all laughed and said that is impossible. But then we had the internet. And with that moment in our history, someone had opened the gates to another world. The online world is where some people get it from the moment they can make good money with the internet.

And we live in a moment when brands from America can also sell in Europe, and people worldwide can now buy products that were once sold only in a part of the world. Of course, this is fast-forward storytelling of eCommerce, but this is how we can feel the evolution.

But now things are moving even faster than before, and the eCommerce industry has transformed from a simple way of doing business and selling goods online to an important part of our lives. Now, everyone is buying something online. Everyday. And because the competition is even more fierce, you will need to pay attention to every tool that will help you stand out.

What are the next trends for the eCommerce industry?

Now, let’s discuss the main topic of why you are here. If you already have an online business or are considering online selling, you should pay attention to the evolution of technology and people’s habits. These two elements are co-dependent and dictate eCommerce’s future and evolution.

Branding

Now more than ever, people are attracted to stories. A good story will sell your business products. Creating good branding from the beginning and touching people with the story or the values that stand behind your business will make them loyal to your products. And here, we have a lot of good examples of businesses that created powerful branding around their products. Nike, which created around them more than a sneaker producer, but a company that tells everyone, no matter their gender, nationalities, or age, that they can do it no matter what with Nike.

Another great brand that understands how important it is to create a story around your business is John Lewis. From 2007 until now, they released a Christmas advert that everyone who ever heard about them is waiting for that short commercial like Santa Claus. It doesn’t have necessary a story about the products they are selling, but more about their brand. Worldwide, everyone is expecting that advert. And this is part of the branding.

And these are only the first brands that came to my mind. But no matter the product you sell, create a brand behind that business and deliver a story to follow to your audience. Good branding will bring more organic traffic to your website and easily convert those people into actual customers.

Go mobile or go home

It may be something familiar to you, and you will ask how this can be a future trend if you already know about this. But only some people are aware of the fact that approximately 83% of people who are buying online are mobile users. And this information should make you, as a business owner, create, if not a great app for your online shop, but at least pay more attention when you create your website and make sure it is mobile-friendly and offers a good experience for your users. Otherwise, your bounce rate will be huge, and you will lose them in favor of another online shop that did a better job with their mobile development.

More than being handy, M-commerce can grow your conversion rates because it’s easier and faster and can be done everywhere and anytime. Other than this, even with a mobile app, you can deliver to people the real experience of a physical shop in a digital world.

Live Shopping is the new kid in town

You may be inclined to say that this strategy can look like the old teleshopping that everybody hates now. But it’s a more raffinate, elegant way, like that educated cousin you have in the family, and everybody is giving them as an example. It is a pretty intuitive new thing, and it’s live streaming, where you can sell your products simultaneously without losing your audience.

Businesses can work together with influencers or their brand ambassadors to deliver at the same time some quality video content while also selling products. It’s the beautiful kid between live streaming and online shopping that will help you get closer to your audience and be more present also. But, you don’t have to invent anything to make this eCommerce strategy reality because now there is a full market with live shopping software products from which you can choose. More than this, it’s a great non-intrusive solution, fun, and with more engagement.

Augmented reality for online experiences

Years ago sounded like science fiction, and now it is the present of eCommerce also. AR will break users’ nostalgic feelings when they sometimes wish to experience shopping physically. This solution can make the users feel how their chosen products can fit into their lives, especially if we are talking about the design industry or fashion. Of course, if you sell toilet paper, there is no point in spending money for AR to show your customers how the toilet will go with their bathroom. But you can recreate the experience from the supermarket.

Using AR, you can make your customers’ choices much easier or even reduce cart abandonment or higher returns because they are unsatisfied with what they received. But again, depending on what you sell, you must decide whether it’s a good solution for your business. If not, you have other tools that you can use for your online shop.

The future of eCommerce is here

Either way, the future of eCommerce stands in the hand of the evolution of technology. But especially of SaaS and software products that are meant to automatize and predict based on AI users’ online shopping habits. Based on the data these tools can gather, you can use them further in your advertising strategies, social media campaigns, or even loyalty programs designed for each type of customer.

And even if you are selling tomatoes, hundreds of other businesses sell tomatoes. So how can you make your brand stand out and get people’s attention? Following the trends and being more digital present. Focus on more than just the products you sell online, but the experience you offer users when they buy your products. Make them follow you as you follow the evolution of technology, and it will be the ideal recipe for a successful online business.

Now that we know some things about the future of eCommerce, how would it look in the next future after this one?