eCommerce Trends in 2017: What Should You Expect?
The eCommerce industry is evolving with each passing hour. According to the predictions by eMarketers, online investment has reached its peak to over $22 trillion in 2016. Further, this number is expected to rise by $27 trillion in 2020.
eCommerce companies are well aware of the fact that they're competing in a fast paced, digitally connected industry. Here, the customers are entirely different from those in traditional business. People are smarter and want everything on their fingertips. Hence, it is important for the eMarketers to reconsider their strategies this year. Each year, trends in eCommerce emerge greatly from how customers buy products, what are they looking for and how are they responding to the new technologies.
While there are many trends to look for in the New Year, these 3 are the ones eMarketers definitely should not miss! So, if you need some help with setting up priorities for 2017, here are a handful of useful tips to get inspired from.
1. Say Hello to Mobile!
You might have heard this a million times and yes it still rules the trend. eCommerce website designing companies that haven't gone mobile till now, 2017 is the year to tie your shoelaces. As an eMarketer, you should be aware of the fact that "on an average, consumer reaches for their smartphone 150 - 200 times a day". Also, according to the Gartner report, "only 14% of companies are shopping on using mobile as an engagement platform". You should remember that mobiles are still an affordable medium for the consumers than computers. There should also be no wonder that online vendors globally confirm growth of mobile transactions every year. As a result of which mobile traffic has gone beyond desktop on the internet. Google has also made it mandatory for the web designing companies to develop all forms of websites mobile-friendly. What more! Consumers will increasingly interact with ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE in 2017 and they'll love it! All these changes indicate only one thing - offer your consumers a mobile experience that is as smooth as possible.
2. Make the most of your Data
Rise in compelling data on millions of products varying to the situations is another important trend to keep a note of. The success of any business depends greatly on their customers, their interests and what appeal them the most. Hence, by exploiting data about their different customers, collected through different phases of their buyers' journey, eCommerce website development companies and eMarketers will be able to understand their target customers better and even predict their behavior. This drives eMarketers to reach new levels of personalization, and customizing customer experiences according to every individual visiting the E-store. Hence, make the best use of improved analytics algorithm that can help you understand your customers the way they want you to do.
3. Pledge to Offer a Dynamic Shopping Experience
As already discussed in trend 1st, customers today are smart and want everything handy. Hence, as an eCommerce business owner, you should work towards offering experiences and interactions to your target customers. The market is extremely competitive and you are no longer merely selling products and services. Instead, you should include your customers in your brand. This means, turn your customer experience as your number one priority. Remember, customer is the biggest referral today. A positive customer feedback can enhance your customer base impressively. Offer your customers with more selling opportunities with real-time customer service, easy return policy, and same day delivery. Such dynamic shopping experience will really make you stand out. Build trust and relationship with your customers. Give them an opportunity to deal directly with your brand.
The Bottom Story
While this is not everything you should be looking out for, there are several big and small trends that will prevail in 2017. Feel free to tell us if we missed any trend or if there's one you find specifically interesting.