Staying on top of E-commerce trends is imperative for a business owner today. Your e-commerce products must live where your audience is and adhere to the trends. But where today’s audience lives online will be different than tomorrow’s crowd.
This is why we have compiled a list of the top 15 e-commerce trends that are working right now. Luckily, with a few tweaks here and there, your site will be optimized.
What Are Today’s Trends?
Trends should stick around long enough for them to be considered a trend. Some things come in a matter of a week. Here has been what’s been sticking in the recent years regardless of whether you need an international e-commerce SEO strategy or something more local.
1. Voice Search
How often do you yell to your iPhone, Apple Watch, Speakers, or even car system? Alexa, Siri, and other voice search providers have definitely made completing daily tasks easier. This means that your website and e-commerce store must be voice search optimized so one can navigate your website without having to lift a finger.
2. More Ways to Pay / Additional Payment Options
Long gone are the days when alternative payment methods freaked people out. Debit card information used to be the only accepted form of payment. Now we can use credit cards, add our bank account, or use alternative financing options.
Alternative financing options like Klarna and AfterPay allow guests to make transactions now and pay later in installments. Allowing this can open the opportunity for a wider net audience.
3. Augmented Reality
The world of META and virtual reality is here. We often see it being incorporated into home improvement businesses that want to demonstrate what their finished project will look like in their home.
Consider a customer being able to experience your store from the comfort of their home. This can revolutionize the fashion industry and avoid making returns for clothing that does not fit or look the way the buyer originally thought.
4. Growth in Subscription Models
Subscription models are a great way for a business owner to make long-term profits while allowing the customer to save. This works particularly well with small goods and digital products.
Some great examples include:
- Food
- Jewelry and clothes
- Makeup
- Digital products
Finding the balance between providing enough materials and goods and not oversupplying can take a little trial and error. Customers should not feel scammed in the process, but business owners need to make it cost-effective.
5. Sustainability Is More Important
Subscriptions can be a way to approach sustainability rather than shipping many things out unnecessarily. Companies should focus on sustainability in many different sectors, as it’s important to the consumer. This can start with the packaging to provide an environmentally friendly approach.
It also means minimalism and production sustainability. Companies that mass produce have found themselves in a pickle. Consumers would rather pay higher quality prices and invest once than repeatedly.
6. More On-Site Personalization
On-site personalization means tailoring a shopping experience to your user. This increases sales as the consumer feels more connected to the brand. But how does one experience something personal online?
Recommended for you is a great section because it shows the user more options tailored to what they were previously looking at. Giving them the opposite to rate the recommendation is even more important in assisting them.
Much more can be done with on-site personalization. This means creating specific email campaigns that are automated to their stage of the journey. A powerful one can be the “items left in your cart” for those who think about the product but aren’t sure about pulling the trigger.
7. Chatbots Improve Shopping Experiences
Chatbots can be a hit or miss when it comes to the customer. That is because often the automated responses aren’t set up well. But when automated responses are set up well the client can find what they are looking for faster.
When it comes to chat bots, it’s great to set up a system that allows the user to choose the general topic or concern. This can help get them over to the right customer service representative if that chatbot can’t answer their question.
Limit chatbots having the ability to popup when not authorized. This can derail a customer’s experience when they are searching for help in the first place.
8. Conversion Rate Optimization
A and B testing has always been a big part of optimizing a business. This should be no different with your website and e-commerce store. Different layouts, call to actions, and pop ups will affect the customer’s journey. The sales funnel only works if we know at what point your visitor converts or doesn’t.
Trying too many things at once can make it difficult to test. Run trial periods where you keep some things consistent and change others to pinpoint where your site can be most improved and optimized.
9. Video Content Helps Increase Sales
Consumers want to get to know the brand they are getting involved with on a personal level. This is often why TikTok and Instagram accounts can affect a business dramatically. This has to do with the branding. By creating videos a customer gets a much closer look into the business.
Videos also offer dynamic imaging of the products if possible. It creates a much more real feel even if it’s an e-commerce store. This goes for client testimonials as well. Consumers can see the “human” aspect in videos.
10. Social Commerce (including TikTok Shop)
Speaking of Instagram and TikTok, there is no easier way for people to buy than to get it straight from the picture of the video they are shopping from. This includes Pinterest as well. When a user sees something they like in video or picture, making it accessible for them is key.
Social media platforms have made this easy by allowing accounts to tag their products in the photo or video that they are being showcased.
11. Customized and Personalized Loyalty Programs
Subscription boxes are one way to create a loyal fanbase but loyalty programs are a whole other avenue. This not only rewards shoppers but encourages them to keep being loyal to your brand. Consider some of the most successful loyalty programs that sound the world like Starbucks.
Getting stars for your favorite drink makes you want to get to that threshold faster. With accessibility reloading, suddenly you are a bigger fan of starbucks than you were before. This is why loyalty programs are great for both parties.
A loyalty program should make sense for the products you are offering. It’s not a one-size-fits all method.
12. Short-Form Video to Educate Shoppers
Short-form video is a great way to connect with your audience in a quick and easy way. It doesn’t take a lot of resources because it is not the same as filming an elaborate commercial.
Short-form can mean so many different things. It can be product knowledge or sharing fun history facts about the brand. Either way it’s great for those who don’t want to commit too much attention at that time.
Implementing a Few at a Time
While implementing any of the above is not particularly challenging, it can be overwhelming. Doing one thing well is better than doing too many things poorly. Too many things done poorly can lead to the opposite of what you are looking for. An optimized, well-functioning e-commerce site that is friendly for your customers.
Some strategies may make more sense to start with than others. Short-form video and social media shops are certainly two that come to mind. This is because the process is seamless to integrate and shouldn’t take long to set up.
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