Online Shopping trends are evolving, and they will keep evolving for eternity it seems. People have become comfortable with simple e-commerce transactions; the explosion of e-retail stores and different online payment systems adds to that. Due to these facilities, people have come to embrace online shopping more. If you take the data from the previous year, the number of online shoppers increased by some 2.14 billion or 28% of the total population of the world. We are adding approximately 900 million people to the online shopping arena every year.
It is the convenience and accessibility of e-shopping that encourages customers to purchase products online. Modern buyers can purchase anything they want without leaving their comfort zone. Right from choosing a product to checking the features, finding our different delivery options, to payment options, they do it right from their smart device. Truly, the landscape of online commerce is changing.
Here are the top online shopping trends that you should watch out for:
1. Seamless experiences for consumers
As the online shopping habits are entrenched firmly, the modern consumers demand convenient and seamless experiences. Online retailers must offer unified shopping experiences across all online channels along with their brick-and-mortar stores. Thus, omni-channel retail remains a top online shopping trend.
2. Enhanced performance of AI and Machine learning
According to a report by Accenture, 91% of consumers are more inclined to buy from brands that remember and recognize their customers and send personalized offers. The fact is, when online stores take personalization efforts, they can easily experience a jump in sales conversion rates by approximately 20%.
Besides manual customer analysis, AI and machine learning have a role to play. These technologies gather, compile and analyze data, which further helps in sending personalized recommendations and channelize relevant content.
While AI offers commendable insights from the data derived, the marketing analysts apply their understanding of customers’ behavior to optimize e-commerce more.
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3. The upward trend of upward mobile shopping
With more and more mobile devices in the market, there is a significant increase in the number of mobile users. With such mobile e-commerce, online shopping can happen anywhere without any need for brick-and-mortar storefront or desktop requirements. In lieu of this, modern brands are creating a mobile-friendly online shopping experience. The websites are now made in such a way that they offer a unified experience to customers across all devices.
4. The Prominence of voice search
Today around half of the millennials are using voice search to make an online purchase. Adding to this experience are Alexa, Siri, and Amazon Echo like technologies that help consumers add a product to their carts easily.
Voice-enabled searches have already crossed the mark of $40 billion in 2022, and in light of this, business leaders must consider taking full advantage of this situation.
5. More demands for easy payment options
In today’s competitive environment, additional payment options mean more convenience to customers. Besides accepting cards or cheques, a flexible payment option with no charges will facilitate a seamless payment experiences for customers.
In case you have a brick-and-mortar store, you may want to add a contactless payment option.
Several payment options appeal to your audience.
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6. Focus on sustainability
The concept shouts out a topic that we keep discussing these days. You add the word “eco-friendly” to your packaging and see your sales shooting up. Today, consumers are demanding brands to embrace sustainability and take up eco-friendly measures. The shift in focus to sustainable and renewable products, practice highlights, manufacturing processes, and even packaging add a weightage for the brand in the market.
Sustainable products would mean a wider audience reach.
7. Social Media Platforms
We need not tell you how Instagram shopping has evolved in the past three to five years. The behaviour is beyond the simple online shopping e-commerce experience. Today, consumers interact with their favorite brands on Instagram and Facebook platforms. These social media platforms have become shopping channels themselves allowing social media users to research products and purchase from third-party sellers without any need to leave the app.
Social media selling or purchasing direct from social media handles is the hottest trend with no signs of slowing down.
Final Word
It is time that brands try to become market leaders in their niche. Today, online commerce is more personal, data-driven, and easily accessible. As the industry evolves more, brands have more opportunities to make a mark.
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