Relevancy, relatability, and convenience are the three concepts that can put your ecommerce business on the map!
Big ecommerce platforms like Amazon or Alibaba got online shoppers used to speedy delivery, convenient payment methods, relevant channels, and highly personalized shopping experiences (among others). As such, people expect everyone in this industry to up their game if they want their attention.
So, to stay relevant, you must be up to date with the main trends and implement the ones that best fit your business. Today we are going to browse through some of the most well-spread technologies and trends in the ecommerce marketing niche to help you both learn about ecommerce and benefit your business- so keep reading!
In today’s diverse online world, the traditional ecommerce store is no longer enough. With more users who shop via social media or using virtual assistants (via voice search), the shopping scene is increasing in diversity.
And, the future is expected to bring new channels and exciting challenges our way. As such, the standard shopping experience where you build an ecommerce store and have everyone browsing through a specified list of products is limiting. Furthermore, classic online stores promote a monolithic approach that’s not flexible when it comes to changes.
That’s how the headless approach first came into existence. And no, headless doesn’t mean there is no structure or logic behind it. On the contrary, a headless design features the separation of the front end and the back end sections of ecommerce.
This way, the entire structure is modular so web developers can make changes on one side without influencing the other. Furthermore, this approach allows online store owners to focus their attention on customers and personalization without worrying about the effects these changes might have on the back end section.
In short, headless ecommerce is easier to customize and control at the front end level. This approach opens the door to shopping via voice search, social media, and other channels. It also allows for better SEO strategies and targeted campaigns.
It should be clear by now that the one-size-fits-all approach is not beneficial for anyone. Each customer is a unique individual with specific preferences and needs, so why would you want to treat everyone the same?
Luckily, the available ecommerce marketing technology allows business owners to personalize the experience and provide each customer with what they need, using the channels they prefer.
Here are a few examples:
This level of personalization is possible due to intelligent algorithms (Artificial Intelligence combined with Machine Learning) combined with Big Data and advanced analytics systems. All these technologies work in the background and keep learning about users’ behavior and preferences.
Imagine you’re in the kitchen preparing dinner and you notice you’re out of a few basic ingredients. You have two options:
Both options kind of suck since they either require extra steps or a better memory. Luckily, due to the increased popularity of smart speakers and intelligent virtual assistants (Alexa, Cortana, Siri, Google Assistant), you now have option number 3!
You can simply ask your favorite virtual assistant to place an order for the items you need. This doesn’t require you to stop and doesn’t have you constantly repeating the list in your head until you reach your phone.
Voice search integration is already in the works for Google and should be on the list of every ecommerce business manager. It could be the change you need to finally boost sales and get ahead of your competitors.
Intelligent chatbots that can carry a human-friendly conversation are not exactly a new trend. Still, the technology is constantly improving and site owners can now provide customers with a more efficient experience.
Whether you use Facebook Messenger’s chatbot or decide to go with a different app, there is a variety of options you can choose from. Furthermore, the stats show an increase in revenues generated by the global chatbot market (by 2025, the industry is expected to generate an excess of revenue of around $1 billion).
Note: Intelligent chatbots also help companies cut costs with personnel and reduce waiting time for customers.
Modern shoppers are more aware of their impact on the environment. As such, they want to see the brands they like taking responsibility for the production and packaging methods used to create their products.
So, brands that work hard to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing the amount of energy they consume and using ecological production methods will make a bigger impact. This includes using biodegradable packaging, going paperless, or making sure suppliers use qualified and fairly paid workforce.
Sustainability is an emerging trend in ecommerce but more people will follow and businesses will be forced to comply.
If your head is spinning, you’re not the only one! Many small ecommerce businesses find these trends a bit too much for their power of comprehension and integration. However, with a bit of effort and research, you will find it’s not too difficult to start the process.
We know change is difficult, but we live in a dynamic environment that’s about to become more flexible and customer-oriented than ever before. Sadly, this means that the ones who don’t assimilate and adapt to the change will be left behind.
As such, the best way to stay ahead of the competition in 2020 is to understand which of these trends will have the strongest impact on your business activity and why.
Stewart Dunlop looks after content marketing at Udemy and has a passion for writing articles that users will want to read. In his free time, he likes to play football and read Stephen King.