Thousands of online shops are popping up on the internet with each passing second nowadays. While players are leaving no stone unturned to grab the biggest chunk of the pie it would be interesting to evaluate the future trends that will make sure your eCommerce stands out from the crowd!
Being an eCommerce merchant in 2019 is both exciting and scary at the same time. On the one hand, every day can bring unexpected new customers, for example when social media platforms decide to change their algorithm. But on the other hand, the opposite might happen if you are missing one major digital trends. In that case, your page might be out of style just within weeks and it will be hard for you to win customers back from a competitor.
It is hard to predict which trends are here to stay and which ones can be ignored. One thing seems for sure: The global eCommerce market is still growing each year. Therefore, experts predict online sales in the US will hit over $560.7 billion by the end of 2019 and will reach up to $735.5 billion in 2023. The growth becomes visible when comparing these forecasted numbers to sales in 2017, which were $446.8 billion in total.
It has become easier during the last years for makers and manufacturers to sell their goods online. Even small businesses with a tight budget can create online shops simply by using platforms like Shopify. Furthermore, technical innovations such as bots can improve their customer communication without hiring more staff. It also has become easier to keep track of orders, inventory or to automate the manufacturing scheduling by implementing software.
Which Trends Will Shape the Future of Ecommerce?
● Shopping on Social Media
Don’t get stuck on your website, because social media is the place to be for online merchants. Social media platforms are becoming more important as an advertising channel but also as a selling place. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter have already introduced a “buy” button that people can press directly in the network to purchase products.
● Omnichannel Shopping
If you haven’t heard the term omnichannel yet, it is about time! It basically means the combination of offline and online shopping. A study shows that customers are spending more money in a store if they look up the products online and compare prices or read reviews about it. So, try to provide your customers with seamless experience while using different channels to shop.
● New Markets
There will be a big shift towards non-western regions during the next years, which will mean that you have to turn your online shop into a global business to keep up with others. You can prepare for it by accepting cryptocurrencies as payment to your shop. That will avoid bank fees for your customers and you can offer everyone the same price.
● Augmented Reality
One big trend that will change the visualization of your products will be the use of augmented reality on websites. Google and Apple have both introduced AR content already and Ikea has launched an app that can show the users how the furniture would look in their homes. Since this is a great way of getting ahead of competitors, you might want to look if you can integrate augmented reality content to your web store.
