During the pandemic, e-commerce exploded and it continues to go from strength to strength. According to this Shopify report, e-commerce sales will amount to $5.4 billion in 2022, and this number will grow to $5.9 billion in 2023. Every business should be aware of e-commerce. So in the interest of keeping you up to date, we've compiled a list of essential e-commerce trends that will likely define the industry's future.
Make it personal
Personalisation is one of the most important e-commerce trends that will continue to gain steam in the coming years. Customers increasingly expect companies to tailor their shopping experience to their individual needs and preferences. Thanks to data collected from social media and other sources, businesses have a wealth of information about their customers that they can use to personalise the user experience.
This could include showing relevant products or ads based on past behaviour or offering discounts for birthdays or anniversaries. This is expected to continue in the coming years as companies strive to provide more personalised experiences to their customers.
Omnichannel experiences
Omnichannel experiences are becoming increasingly important as customers move freely between different channels (online, in-store, mobile, etc.) during their shopping journeys. Businesses must provide a seamless experience across all channels to meet customer expectations and prevent them from going to a competitor.
Voice search optimisation
With digital assistants like Alexa, Siri and Cortana, we see more people using voice search to find what they're looking for online. And this trend is only going to continue to grow in popularity. In fact, 50% of all searches were voice searches in 2020.
This presents a unique opportunity for businesses to optimise their sites for voice search. By doing so, you'll be able to reach a whole new audience of potential customers. Voice assistants are expected to change how we shop, as they make it easier and faster to find products and make purchases without having to use a keyboard or touchscreen.
Getting smart with AI
Customers are already getting a more personal shopping experience with Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI can be used to recommend products, offer discounts and provide customer support. AI is expected to become even more important in the coming years as companies strive to deliver more personalised experiences to their customers.
Love to chat
Chatbots are another way businesses can personalise the customer experience while freeing customer service resources. Businesses can provide rapid customer support by utilising chatbots on their sites or through messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. As AI improves at mimicking human conversation, chatbots are becoming more popular for businesses to interact with customers 24/7/365. Chatbots can answer customer questions, provide recommendations or even handle customer service issues.
Let’s get real
Augmented reality (AR) is another emerging technology that's starting to make its way into e-commerce. With AR, businesses can give their customers a completely immersive experience, which is already being used by some companies, such as L'Oreal, Sephora and Adidas. Shoppers can use AR to understand better how a product would look in their home before buying, and businesses can create more engaging and informative product descriptions.
Mobile is taking off
Mobile commerce (or m-commerce) is transactions conducted using a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. M-commerce has been growing steadily, but it is expected to explode in the next few years. This is due to the widespread adoption of mobile devices and the increasing availability of high-speed mobile data connections. By 2025, it is estimated that more than 10% of all e-commerce sales will be conducted on mobile devices.
So there you have it, 7 e-commerce trends sure to shape e-commerce in 2023 and beyond. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, make sure you keep these trends on your radar and start thinking about how you can implement them into your own business strategy.
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