Technology is evolving and changing how eCommerce business is managed in the modern competitive eCommerce marketplace. Many upcoming eCommerce businesses are adopting these changes and optimizing their potential benefits. Whether you’re just starting or looking to expand your eCommerce business, there’s no excuse for not learning these trends. Here are 11 key eCommerce technology trends you should learn and implement in 2022 and beyond.
1. Use of Voice Search Will Increase With Future Online Transactions
Technology has provided more people with smart speakers, and voice assistants are becoming commonplace. The more these are used, the more people will become accustomed to the full scope of their capabilities – especially when attempting to make a purchase. These speakers will be used more often to order food, go shopping, or fine-tune their schedules.
2. AI Helps Companies to Learn About their Potential Customers
In addition to enabling a potential customer to have an ideal shopping experience, AI collects data on those customers and tracks their search and purchase history. This data can be converted into usable information to help plan content that will result in the best possible marketing campaign to attract long-term customers.
Just as they have come to appreciate augmented reality experiences during shopping, today’s customers are being offered – and becoming accustomed to – personalized shopping journeys. AI analysis will allow your company to know your customers well enough to offer these types of services more consistently.
3. Mobile Shopping is an Increasing Service
Mobile shopping lets the customer shop and buy from any location. In order to capitalize on this, your company will need to offer an app or online portal where the customer can not only shop online but pay for their merchandise digitally.
In addition to the ability to pay online, customers want to pay by various methods. Companies who complete a sale will have offered a variety of ways to pay – or provide the customer a way to enter and encrypt their payment information within your company records.
4. Videos will be used to Attract Customer Attention
Showing potential customers your catalog – even if you send them pictures of exactly the types of merchandise they are looking for – won’t hold the attention of customers like videos will. Videos can provide potential customers with examples of how they can use and enjoy your products. Think of these videos as the “pitch” programs you used to do in person in order to make your sales. The videos will do this for you now in a much more effective way.
5. Augmented Reality Offers a More Relevant Experience to Potential Clients
With this new technology, the buyer will be able to accurately identify the item they want to buy before making the purchase decision. Augmented reality is especially important in the fashion and home furnishings niches of eCommerce because potential customers want to feel personally connected to these types of merchandise.
The use of augmented reality has increased in the last three years, and the trend appears to be on course to increase in its usage in the future. Many people appreciate the opportunity to virtually “try on” an item before buying it online – and if augmented reality were available with more online shopping venues, people would choose the online venue over an in-person visit to the store.
6. Use Subscriptions to Allow Customers to Plan Future Purchases
Subscriptions allow your customers to feel connected to your company. It will also allow them to schedule future purchases of items they plan to buy regularly. Subscriptions will also assist your company, as they will know what merchandise to have available for these sales.
7. Sustainability is a Vital Asset
Everyone is becoming more aware of the need to offer sustainable sources. Your company needs to be able to tell your potential customers about your efforts to maintain sustainability.
Increasing sustainability includes minimum packaging materials since these materials create additional waste products. It can be an asset to be able to use biodegradable packing material if any is used. Another way in which your company can enhance sustainability is by offering paperless invoices.
8. B2B is a Big Part of Online Business
Online shopping has become as attractive for businesses as for individual consumers. Streamlined methods of ordering and checkout are something businesses are using more often.
As they adapt their own marketing methods to adopt online solutions, they will become amenable to your company’s efforts to provide online shopping experiences tailored to them and their needs. One such way of doing this is listing on other platforms like List Perfectly and Vendoo in order to target more customers.
9. Click and Collect – or “BOPIS”
Click and collect – or “BOPIS” (buy online, pick up in-store) options allow consumers a way to combine the convenience of online ordering with the ability to pick up the merchandise at the store. Doing this is a win-win, as the company saves money and personnel by not needing to provide delivery services.
It can also mean the customer will need to visit your store – and there’s always a chance they might go to your store, see merchandise in the windows, and might go inside to pick up more merchandise.
10. New Ways to “Buy Now, Pay Later”
Buying merchandise on an installment plan or with delayed payment is not new, but new technologies are being used to provide interest-free installment payments. New services that offer installment plans, such as Klarna and Afterpay, have made this more popular. Of course, traditional credit cards still offer buyers a chance to buy goods and then pay later.
11. Social Commerce
Social commerce is utilizing social media – such as Facebook or Instagram, to attract and engage people to access your business’ social media platforms. Your company needs its own social media accounts and participation in online forums, bulletin boards, and other visible social media outlets.
TikTok has begun to gain more visitors who have the potential to be converted into sales sources, but using that platform will depend on whether it fits the profile of your target market.
Wrapping Up
Keeping yourself alert to see and recognize new trends in technology will help your business capitalize on sales to consumers and businesses who are swept up by these trends. Utilizing some or all of the above trends will help you meet your customer’s emerging needs.
I could not resist commenting. Very well written.
Is there any time there is a shortage of water pipes in this