15 Trends That Will Mark E-Commerce in 2020

 

If you are reading us, you may already have a digital business or you are thinking of creating it. For this reason, we want to tell you about some of the trends in e-commerce. Some of these trends are already being fulfilled, others we will have to wait a few months to see them land in e-commerce around the world. Do you have the interest to know what they are? Stay tuned!

 

1. Online Stores in 3D

 

The user or potential customer has a unique shopping experience in which they can walk around the store as they would in reality and discuss what they are seeing with their friends. You can also consult the exhibited articles since they will have photos, videos, and files with additional information.

 

2. Image / Video of products in 360º

 

A 360-degree image is a photograph (or video) of a product capable of displaying it from all possible angles, different perspectives, unlike conventional cameras (only visible from one angle). This type of 360º images/videos are ideal for the real estate and hotel sector, which needs to show the properties or rooms from all angles. The tourism sector is also using this format to publicize their destinations.

 

You can hire a professional to take photographs or videos in 360º using a special camera (some smartphone phones already include it) or use a mobile app such as Google Street View, Sphere or HD Panorama.

 

3. Augmented Reality (AV)

 

Augmented reality is nothing more than a mixed reality that combines virtual elements with the real world. This technology allows displaying the catalog of products of an online store in augmented reality. Users can view products in detail and interact as they wish. It is possible to create a catalog with any type of product such as clothing, footwear, electronics, furniture, accessories and more.

 

Ikea Place is perhaps the most recognized e-commerce with augmented reality. It is an application launched in 2017 by IKEA (Interior Design & Furniture Retail Company) that allows you to virtually place your products in any space. With it, you can put Ikea furniture in the space that the user wants, so it allows you to see if it fits and how it would look.

 

4. Advanced Product Finder

 

Implementing advanced search filters for the products in your online store will allow users to find exactly what they are looking for quickly, with more search options. It is important that your online store has search filters such as size, color, material, price … Users will reduce search time and make purchases faster and more efficient.

 

5. Automation

 

An online store with many users and fewer staff to serve it, it is necessary to streamline and automate all processes. From the first user interaction to the last, automation will enhance the user experience, improve your eCommerce conversion rate, and free you from tedious manual tasks.

 

6. Chatbots

 

A chatbot is a program designed to speak and give answers to users. Chatbots are here to stay as they offer good support for common questions in e-commerce (although it is true that users still prefer to be attended by one person). These chatbots are increasingly used to respond and accompany the user in their purchase. They can be customized. The most used is Facebook Messenger, although there are companies dedicated to creating specific chatbots for each business.

 

7. More delivery options

 

Users demand faster delivery services. There are online stores that offer same-day delivery or even 2-hour delivery in urban areas. Retailers are investing in improving product delivery services to make life easier for their consumers.

 

8. Schedule returns

 

The returns in eCommerce remain one of the most important barriers to online sales since the user does not have the ability to touch and try the product. In line with the above, consumers want to return products in the shortest possible time and with the greatest facilities (if possible, from their own home)

 

With the scheduling of returns, the customer can buy what he wants and if he does not like the online store, he sends the carrier to collect what he does not want, in the place that he himself indicates and on the day and time that he needs.

 

9. Connect online with offline

 

Amazon introduced in 2016 a grocery store with no lines or checkout counters. Amazon Go, a commercial space located in Seattle that allows shoppers to pick up the items they want and leave without paying. The order is then charged to your Amazon account.

 

10. Simplify Checkouts

 

Simplifying the process of finalizing the purchase in an online store is essential. Studies show that there is a greater abandonment of cart when buyers find extra costs at the end of the purchase process. If you have not already done so in your online store, do not wait, do it as soon as possible! Give your buyers the easiest possible way to make the purchase.

 

11. Mobile-First Commerce

 

Purchases via smartphones are on the rise. Users are buying “on the go”. On the street, in the park, while waiting for the subway or the bus … That is why it is an increasingly widespread trend (and increasingly an obligation) to implement mobile design from the beginning of the development of an online project.

 

12. Multi-channel allocation

 

The line that separates online and offline is getting thinner, so multi-channel attribution is more important than ever. You have to analyze and understand which channels and campaigns are contributing more (or less) visitor traffic and ultimately sales, for an effective communication mix.

 

For an efficient strategy and budget, you should know where your visits come from before the online sale (online and offline sources)

 

In Google Analytics you can look in “Attribution” with the different attribution models offered by Google to determine the relative value of the different channels until reaching the conversion (the sale)

 

13. Video Contents

 

Multimedia content captures more attention than text or images. It is for this reason that e-commerce must include more video in their online marketing strategies for 2020.

 

14- Voice recognition systems

 

The intelligent assistants for home and voice recognition systems will emerge as a new battlefield of electronic commerce.

 

15. User-generated content.

 

This strategy is increasingly used. For example, The app for the sale of clothing wishes, allows users to upload the images of the products once they receive them and try them personally. In this application, it is easy to see photographs of women’s clothing from the catalog, with the photos uploaded by users trying those same clothes in their own homes. It gives other users an idea of how this product feels in a “real” body and without photographic retouching. It makes trust grow.

 
Author Bio
 

Digvijay Rajddan is Marketing Manager at Design By Lavassa and has served as the Head of Conversion Marketing at Planet Web Solution. He’s an expert in inbound marketing and lead generation.