Boost your 2021 business forecast for success with these top five ecommerce trends. Read on to learn how to improve sales and increase your online presence.
It’s staggering to think that 87% of U.K. consumers made at least one online purchase over a 12-month period in 2020-2021. If that doesn’t underscore the importance of having a strong e-commerce platform for your business, what does?
You know your online sales could be stronger. But your resources are limited. Where should you invest your time and money for the best return?
To help you decide, we’ve outlined the top 5 ecommerce trends of 2021.
5 Important Ecommerce Trends
1. Mobile Optimization
Making sure your website and online store look and function properly on phones and tablets isn’t a new thing. But it’s at the top of our list of ecommerce trends because has become a requirement.
More than 50% of online purchases in the U.K. are made on smartphones. To stay competitive in 2018, every business with an e-commerce component needs a site optimized for mobile devices.
2. Personalization
Along with value, people like experiences tailored to their needs. The personal touch fosters loyalty.
This trend goes beyond addressing customers by name in emails and checkout pages.
Personalization is about recommending products based on what you know about your customer. It’s about understanding their problems and offering solutions before they ask.
It’s also about giving them toggle buttons to adjust what they see and when each time they visit your site.
3. Seamless Bricks and Mortar Integration
The struggle between physical and virtual stores continues in 2018. For businesses with both, seamless integration is important.
IIt starts with unified aesthetics but doesn’t end there. Integration makes it easy for customers to shop online and pick up or return in-store. It’s about using in-store kiosks to boost sales without the cost of stocking inventory.
This e-commerce trend calls on business owners to think differently about their customers. The days of clear separation between online and in-store customers are gone.
Today, people shop in a variety of ways. And, they grow loyal to businesses that make it easy to blend online and in-store shopping.
4. AI-Driven Service
Service is a great way to differentiate your business.
But hiring, training, and managing customer service staff is costly. Quality control and quick response times can be difficult to maintain. And, keeping staff on standby to accommodate global customers is a challenge.
But with artificial intelligence (AI), those barriers disappear. Of all ecommerce trends, AI-driven service is the most dramatic and potentially profitable.
AI service software applications integrate with text, email, and chat components. They “learn” about your products and services faster than any person can.
AI-driven service means you can respond to customers 24 hours a day with no additional cost. When connected to customer profiles, AI can up-sell and cross-sell. All while answering questions and solving problems.
Yet, AI software is so sophisticated and effective, most customers feel as if they’re dealing with a real person.
5. Fulfillment Options
How and when a customer will receive their purchase can sway the decision to buy. People want choice. And they don’t like to wait.
The trend among online retailers is work with drop-shippers with established logistics to get items in customer’s hands as soon as possible.
Even smaller businesses that do their own shipping are finding ways to ship same-day or overnight.
Making Sense of Ecommerce Trends
How can your business leverage these trends to boost sales and profits?
At Ibertech Solutions, we work with companies of any size to determine the most critical and valuable ecommerce site requirements.
We then use our expertise to help you create outstanding online shopping experiences for your customers. From interface design to back-end configuration for warehousing, accounting and fulfillment systems, we provide solutions that drive business.
Ready to make this your best e-commerce year yet? Contact us today!
