Introduction
The New Year is here, and it is the beginning of a new decade, things are changing, and many niches are beginning to consider different options from what was trending in the previous years. The eCommerce sector is on top of the list, as various e-commerce trends are being implemented and suggested by popular eCommerce merchants and analysts. Some of these trends are already in use while some other ones will be implemented before the year runs out. It is essential for merchants and enthusiasts who are hoping to make a name for themselves online to understand these trends and see to it that they begin to implement it into their business in order not to lag.
Some Emerging Trends
Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Automation
New technologies are emerging in every sector, and the eCommerce sector is implementing some new ones into the system in this New Year. The use of chatbots as a means of communicating with customers has been in existence for some time, but no so many merchants have looked in this direction. But with the interest of customers in it, it appears that more merchants will be integrating it into their business in 2020. This is because the chatbot can answer customers’ queries, questions, and point them in the right direction even without the merchant having to do anything. This is a 24 hours service, and it means that customers will not be stranded while trying to purchase a product or request for a service online.
Siri is the virtual voice assistant that was created by apple a few years back and implemented into their devices to help users find their way online and offline. Research has it that many people now prefer this option rather than finding things randomly online. This means that the use of automated voice virtual assistants can also be implemented as part of the e-commerce trends in the sector this year. This is already in existence in some online stores and will keep increasing in this year 2020.
Automation of the whole purchase process is also another approach that most merchants will put into implementation in 2020. This is because it saves the merchant the problem of having to be online and answering to every process of purchase of customers. More importantly, it reduces the palpable frustration that customers get when the purchase process starts slowing down because of network glitches or when using a mobile device.
Product Pages over Homepages
In the past years in the eCommerce business, most of the eCommerce merchants focus their energy to revamping and optimizing their home pages. This was a reasonable step back then as it tends to attract more customers to spend more time on their site and hopefully make purchases. The story is going to be changing in 2020 because the product pages will most likely be the first stop of customers, mostly new customers. With more opportunity to boost traffic to your site using ads, most merchants put links to their products directly up, such that when visitors first click on it, what they see is not the home page but the product page. About 7% of customers who land on the product page eventually buys the product, which is a massive increase in the conversion rate. Hence the need to spend more time optimizing the product page because it will tend to determine whether the customers, especially the new ones, will stay to make purchases or bounce. A good example of a company with a well-optimized product page is Pandora.
Advanced Visualization System
The decade of the 2D picture appears to have rolled away with 2019. 2020 is a whole new ballgame. With the advent of machine learning and other advanced technology, it is now possible for customers to view their product as if they are using it before making the purchase. This means that before you purchase a piece of furniture online as a customer, you can view how it will appear in the position you want to place it, either in your home or office. This has been made possible via advancement in technology and this will create a better user experience. Most merchants will be implementing this new trend into their system in 2020. A good example of a company that has been successfully using the 3D display method is Cappasity.
Multiple Social Media Approach
Social media over the last few years have been converted from mere chatting platform to ones where merchants build lasting customer relationships, and people can make purchases without having to type the website name of the eCommerce store into their website. Most merchants even place their adverts on social media platforms, and we know of some platforms that also make ads possible for eCommerce stores. However, in 2020, the ball game will change as online stores will now start considering multiple social media platform approaches to meeting with customers. This means that rather than sticking with facebook alone or twitter or Instagram, merchants will spend more time using the three platforms and even more. This is because most people tend to have accounts in more than one of these platforms, and consistently seeing a particular product on your various accounts will want to make you as a customer knowing that your customer service can respond quickly. Big online stores like Amazon and Aliexpress make use of multiple social media platforms and it makes a lot of difference.
Video Approach to Product Description
Content creation is good and still very much viable for some eCommerce brand, but the world is moving beyond reading content to viewing it. Having videos attached to products will sell better in 2020 because most online buyers now prefer it to read. For one, reading can be quite boring sometimes, especially when the content is not riveting, but when there is a video attached to it that better explains the product, customers get more interested. They will most likely choose to buy from that merchant who has attached the video to another one who has only contents to offer. Neil Patel is one of the very many successful persons who have built his niche using the video description approach, particularly using personalized experiences and other teaching methods.
Testimonials and Descriptions from Users
Nothing speaks well than when a customer who after doing online shopping and using a product and testifies to it himself or herself. You are the owner of your business, probably not the owner of the product, but you will want to write engaging content to capture the attention of the reader. But then, this is nothing compared to when someone who uses the product writes about it. Customers will tend to believe them more because they will be more sincere, and their words can be trusted better. This is one of the e-commerce trends that most merchants will implement in 2020 because it will help to boost sales. Ritz-Carlton is one example of a successful business that uses the customer-centric approach.
Conclusion
The eCommerce store is continually expanding, and enthusiastic merchants need to be able to keep up with the happenings and trends. Quick incorporation of these points will help boost eCommerce sales and see you gaining more in 2020.
