The eCommerce or online-retailing industry is booming after the coronavirus forced everyone to shop from home. Every single day, more businesses are moving to sell online. While entrepreneurs begin directly from there instead of a brick-and-mortar store.
But e-commerce is a constantly evolving industry. New trends appear on the horizon every year which businesses must stay abreast with. If you want your online business to prosper and stay competitive here are the top trends you must follow in 2021.
1. Voice commerce
Recently people have started to rely on voice assistant devices more than ever. These include Alexa, Amazon Echo, and Google Assistant. Everything from household purchases to waking up in the morning is up to these digital companions. According to a study, seventy-five percent of houses in the U.S will own them by 2025. Therefore, voice commerce is predicted to raise $40 billion in 2022.
Another reason for the boost of these devices is their increased convenience and accuracy. Both Amazon and Google are working to integrate regional language options in their virtual assistants. Making them accessible beyond language barriers. There are four major ways you can prepare your website for voice commerce:
-Optimizing content so it can appear when customers use voice search.
-Add a new skill on Google Assistant and Alexa.
-Voice navigation for both your mobile app and website.
-Ensuring that products can be bought on your site through a smooth and simple audio command.
2. Omnichannel shopping
This term refers to businesses offering a consistent and seamless experience for customers on all channels. With the number of mobile users increased even more during recent times, virtual presence is important. Especially on all the platforms that your potential target market can be on.
Using analytical tools every little detail of customer behavior can be identified. And factors associated with the cash flow can also be tracked. They assist you in evaluating consumer loyalty, in-demand products, and monitoring your profits and losses.
Optimizing your site for mobiles is another necessary step for building an omnichannel presence. If you have a larger budget, creating a mobile app alongside your website is highly recommended. Make sure to personalize the shopping experience as much as possible for your customers.
3. AR and AI integration in E-commerce
Artificial intelligence serves as a shopping assistant to customers of an online store. It offers recommendations and guidance to the shoppers keeping their personal preferences in view. For instance, you might have previously purchased or searched online for Kim Kardashian leather jackets. An AI-driven eCommerce store will automatically guide you to similar apparel. This provides a convenient experience that users are likely to return for.
When it comes to AR or augmented reality, it makes the virtual experience as real as possible for consumers. Buying online robs you of the sheer pleasure of trying out an outfit before hitting purchase. This might even be an issue for many users who only buy items after trying them out. In turn, they will hesitate to make the final buying decision.
With the help of AR, this hurdle can be eliminated. As it lets customers experience how a product will look on them. Hence you will see more conversions than returns by implementing this change.
4. Payment options
If you do not have the customers’ preferred mode of payment, they are likely to find another option. Most online businesses are now accepting digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google and Samsung Pay. Apart from credit and debit cards payments, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are also on the rise. As they have various benefits like zero reverse transactions and low transaction fees. Therefore, you must rig your website for these payment options as well.
5. Dynamic pricing
With dynamic pricing, online retailers can attract new consumers while staying ahead of their competitors. Even a high-quality product will fail to generate the desired revenue if it is not priced correctly. So, choosing the right price range is extremely necessary.
But what is considered the “right” price? It is the amount for which people will most likely buy your product while still granting you max profits. Dynamic pricing helps you determine what is the best price for your product. Its relevant tools provide insight into the product’s demand in the market, the prices of your competitors, and its perceived value. These factors help calculate the optimal cost you should offer your customers in online-retailing
6. Mobile commerce
Focus on providing the best and smoothest experience of your eCommerce business for your customers on mobile devices. Put your website through the Google Mobile-Friendly Test to examine its level of mobile responsiveness. It also alerts you to any loading issues your website has. Accelerated mobile pages can also be implemented especially for smartphone users. Ensure that the checkout process goes smoothly through mobile as well.
7. Sustainable practices
Green consumerism is on the rise within the current market. It refers to customers preferring products that are eco-friendly and manufactured through such practices. Many customers would choose your store first if your brand is also an advocate of sustainability.
Major online labels like Amazon are introducing sustainable practices in their operations. Whether you are selling top celebrity jackets, accessories, tech devices, or more you can still attract green consumerism.
Your stance on sustainability should become clear to your customers. Share with them the details about how you aim to contribute to the environment. And keep them updated with the outcomes.
8. Visual commerce
Using visuals throughout your website makes it enticing for users to browse and buy from you. It highly increases engagement and conversion rates. Ensure all your images are top-quality. Changing their format from JPG to WebP or JPEG2000 improves both quality and loading speed. Posting user-generated content also appeals to visitors and promotes validity.
Conclusion
The eCommerce business is thriving and will continue to do as technology dominates the world even further. Without adopting the latest trends businesses will be in danger of falling behind. So, remain ahead in the game by bringing the above-mentioned changes to your online platforms.
