It’s growing in leaps and bounds! In 2023, ecommerce sales are expected to be 20.8% of total retail sales worldwide and this trend is only set to continue. So if you don’t yet have an online presence for your business, get one now!
And don’t let the crowded online space daunt you. Not only can you use reliable support from expert professionals to help you out, you can also make it super easy for yourself by choosing the right platform to set up your online store.
1) Convenience will be highly valued. For business owners and customers alike
This is a trend that is here to stay. A customer experience built for convenience will make the process simple and intuitive. For shoppers this will include being able to shop via chat and social media channels, experience a fast loading website on a mobile device, straightforward checkout, quick shipping and convenient returns.
For business owners it will mean the right platform, which need not be cutting-edge or the most famous name with complicated features. In fact a better fit might be an easy to operate store set up on a convenient platform that is specifically built for ecommerce, including offering pre-negotiated rates with logistics partners, payment gateways and can offer you services support if you want as well.
2) Customers will rely on research more before actually buying; making Product Pages valuable
81% of retail shoppers already conduct online research before buying. While the majority of research is conducted on Google; social media channels also get their fair share of use as a research base for products and reviews alike.
This is a great opportunity for brands and stores to provide valuable content including detailed descriptions of products, accurate comparisons, and unique features. Keywords and optimization of content will therefore continue to be useful, albeit delivered without being ‘salesy’.
3) Short videos, reels, user generated content will be even more popular
Tik Tok videos, YouTube Shorts, Instagram and Facebook reels will consume your target audience. Promotion videos including ads, product reviews, how-to videos, and especially user generated content will be very popular and a driving force in building brand loyalty.
Make the most of this trend!
4) Social Media Influencers: Mega, Macro, Micro, and Nano will have impact in different ways
Brands will pick the best fit from the following –
- Mega: 1 million + followers- These are celebrities, or prominent internet personalities and their impact is best for increasing mass brand awareness.
- Macro: 100,000 – 1 million followers – These have grown their audience via engagement over the internet and are best for reaching a large and engaged audience and brand collaborations
- Micro: 10,000 – 100,000 followers- These have a smaller reach; which is more trusted by their extremely loyal, highly engaged and relevant audience
- Nano: 10,000 followers or less – These have huge influence over a small and tight knit community
5) Multiple Channel Presence will rule; making brand identity more important
Customers will expect to find your brand or products online on multiple channels. Selling through Website, Facebook, Chat, even Email will become more popular and brands must be recognizable over these various channels. Store design and logo will play an important role and the theme for store design must work particularly well on mobile devices.
Omnichannel presence; which includes a physical presence either in a store or even as a pop up in addition to multiple presence online is a fast gaining trend in the coming year
There’s no doubt there are exciting times ahead for ecommerce. Situations are evolving rapidly and change is the only constant. You’re in for the ride so prepare yourself and enjoy the adventure!
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