eCommerce trends of 2018
The eCommerce industry is booming and shows no signs of slowing down. Just look at these statistics: global eCommerce sales are expected to increase 246.15% by 2021, up to 4.5 trillion. If you’ve got an eCommerce store, or you’re thinking of starting one, then check out these eCommerce trends to help you reap the many benefits of eCommerce in 2018 and beyond.
1. Same or next day delivery
Last year, we saw that Amazon opened a ton of new shipping centres near major cities so they could fulfil their promise of same-day delivery to customers of Amazon Prime. It’s reported that Google will launch a competitor to this known as “Google Shopping Express” which will offer a same-day delivery option from stores such as Target and Walmart in the US. Since these big names in eCommerce are offering same-day delivery, they will beat out most of the competition from those who need their orders fulfilled fast. Eventually, this will become the norm and people will be happy paying extra for the convenience of same-day delivery. If your company isn’t offering this option of same-day or at the minimum next day delivery in the future, your customers will turn to those competitors who do.
2. Mobile will dominate
Mobile is already vastly increasing every year, and it’s predicted that by the end of this year, mobile will reach 70% of eCommerce traffic. This means if your eCommerce site isn’t built brilliantly for mobile, then you are losing out on a large customer base. One-click payments, facial recognition and fingerprint technology are continuing to simplify mobile payments and encourage customers to make the switch to mobile. It won’t be long until mobile becomes the preferred method of payment for eCommerce transactions. If mobile ordering leads to a larger potential of in-store consumers, then it’s probably a worthwhile investment.
3. Voice search
2018 is the year that voice search is really beginning to flourish. This will grow as voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant become the norm. Just look at the statistics: 40% of millennials have used voice search before making an online purchase, 20% percent of Google searches on mobile are via voice. When we consider the projected increase in mobile eCommerce, it’s absolutely vital that your online store is optimised for voice search this year.
4. Social hopping
Consider the visually based platforms of Instagram and Pinterest. They let businesses bring new products to their customers without them even realising it. Social media is the perfect platform in which businesses can introduce a buying situation by showcasing their products on apps that customers spend the majority of their time on. It will eventually become more common to buy clothes directly as you’ve seen them on Instagram, which is already growing at a phenomenal rate. You simply zoom in and the details of how and where to buy are there. Also, big fashion brand stores now have “Shop Instagram” sections on their eCommerce stores, proving the popularity of the trend. This will only further continue to grow in 2018 and beyond.
Regardless of the trends you choose to try, it’s important that before you launch a store, that you thoroughly test it. One bad experience could dampen consumer confidence, so test your store countless times for errors and bugs before you make it live.
If you’re interested in developing or enhancing your eCommerce store, then get in touch with iprogress today. We can help create or transform your eCommerce store so that’s it’s ready for the future of eCommerce in 2018 and beyond.