Nigel Wilkinson
Managing Director of Daneswood. Nigel has been in sales and marketing since the 1980's and run digital marketing agencies since 2000.
Now the country is opened back up and customers are able to get back out on the high street in person, what are the trends that are set to shape online?
Our team have gone through everything new happening in the world of eCommerce to get you the information that you need.
Ecommerce Trends
Ethics and Sustainability
The demand for companies to operate in a more sustainable manner is one that is seeing a huge increase, and this isn’t just with regards to products. When consumers shop online, they are thinking much more about the whole process, from the production and packaging, right through to shipping.
You need to be able to show how your ecommerce store is working to become a more sustainable business. Provide details of your packaging (Is it recyclable? Have you reduced amounts?) and detail your shipping and returns information so consumers can see how you are helping to reduce your carbon footprint.
Similarly, consumers are becoming much more interested in the ethical side of online shopping. You can help this by providing information how you are operating in an ethical manner on your website. Perhaps you use only organic ingredients or work with partner charities.
Ensuring this information is readily available helps to build trust and may stop some consumers from going elsewhere.
Interactive Content
Now physical stores have opened back up, your ecommerce site needs to work extra hard on convincing consumers that buying online is still a wise choice.
While shopping online has the convenience many of us search for, being able to see a product in real life is often enough to sway someone to go in-store.
As a result, we are seeing a rise in the use of interactive content, such as augmented reality and virtual reality.
These technologies are allowing customers to ‘bring’ the products into their homes and test them out before purchasing them.
Virtual Service
As with the above, the danger of eCommerce is that it can lack the customer service which consumers receive in store. Sometimes having somebody present to ask questions to or direct them in the right direction can be all that is needed to secure a sale.
Many businesses are starting to respond to this with virtual services such as live chats or AIs. These are available online to answer any questions or provide help to consumers then and there. It’s kind of like having your very own virtual customer service advisor.
Social Media
More and more ecommerce businesses are turning their attention to social media to reach consumers. User generated content is an extremely valuable tool in building brand identity and so things such as brand reps and discussion pages are a good thing to get involved in.
Social commerce is also beginning to be a big growth market for ecommerce businesses, find out more about this in our blog, here.
If you want to start selling online, or are looking to refresh your ecommerce strategy, contact our team today.