In the world of eCommerce, trends are always changing, so as a business owner or marketing professional, you always need to be on your toes. If you want to continue to drive sales upward, you have to be able to evolve, and changing technology will impress your customers while boosting your profits. Forresster predicts that consumers will be spending over $327 billion this year on online shopping, so if you want to increase your cut, you’ll need to jump on the bandwagon with some of these upcoming eCommerce trends.
An Improved Mobile Shopping Experience
Over the last several years, the popularity of smartphones has surged, and consumers are using them to communicate via text, to browse the Internet, and even to shop. In fact, a study by Kissmetrics found that one in three eCommerce purchases were made using a smartphone during the 2013 holiday shopping season, and these numbers are only going up. To keep up with this ever-increasing trend, brands will need to improve their mobile shopping experience.
In 2016, businesses will need to implement features that make the mobile shopping experience more convenient, whether consumers are using their smartphones or a tablet to make their purchases. High-resolution mobile sites with touch control options can help to improve the shopping experience, and these must-have features will be essential in making sure that your customers come back in the future.
Increased Customer Engagement While Shopping Online
Online shopping tends to be a pretty impersonal experience. Customers browse through products online, decide on an item, and make a purchase, all without talking to anyone about it. This is extremely different than the experience they would have if they bought an item in-person, as sales representatives are available if customers have questions about a product or why a coupon isn’t working. In fact, when buying something online, the only time a shopper might interact with a live person is if they encounter a problem after the sale.
In 2016, eCommerce trends are looking to change the way that businesses interact with customers. Instead of waiting for the customer to have a problem and to contact the company, brands will begin to actively engage with consumers throughout their shopping experience. It is thought that by providing live chat features in which customers can talk to brand reps, conversion rates will improve, as consumers will be able to get immediate assistance when they encounter a problem.
Implementing eCommerce Virtual Sales Forces
In 2016, it is expected that more brands will begin to create virtual sales forces in order to staff their online stores similarly to the way they would staff a physical store.
These virtual salespeople will differ from customer service representatives that aid and respond to customers after the completion of a sale. Instead, virtual sales representatives will assist customers before the sale in the same way that an individual would help customers with purchasing decisions at an in-store location.
Conclusion
The world of eCommerce is constantly changing, and the year 2016 is expected to be no different. By taking advantage of some of these top eCommerce trends for 2016, you just might take your online business to the next level.
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