Integrate Today’s Biggest Ecommerce Trends into your Business

With innovation and evolution happening at a breakneck speed, understanding how to integrate today’s biggest Ecommerce trends into your business becomes ever-more crucial.

Some of the Hottest Ecommerce Trends that Deserve Your Consideration Right Now

Customers who shop and do business online look for a few things: simplicity, great customer service, mobile friendliness, and a variety of options. The smartphones and social media that are an intrinsic part of the everyday life for many (if not most) of your customers can make it easier for you to deliver on what they want.

Your customers don’t just have a couple of options these days, they have a plethora.

Whether it’s knowing the most popular dates of the year to expect online shoppers to visit your business, the best techniques for marketing, or the right technology to use for your business, understanding which Ecommerce trends have already been proven to be successful can help your company win them over.

Set your business apart from the rest by following these Ecommerce trends.

Equip your business to be ready for the busiest times of the year.

When you look at the most hectic time of year in the ecommerce industry, don’t forget to be ready for the rush and have a plan to take advantage of extra customers on these days.

Valentine’s Day:  While some shoppers will buy roses from the grocery store for their loved ones at the last minute, last year 27 percent of consumers shopped online for their gifts. Be prepared for extra volume when it comes to ordering flowers, chocolates, and even teddy bears.

Father’s Day and Mother’s Day: Consumers spend an average of $173 on moms and $116 on dads for these holidays, which are celebrated in over 40 countries (dates vary). Of all that cash, nearly one-third of shoppers purchased gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day online. Plan for some unique sales and strategies to target consumers on these days.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: It’s no secret these are among the busiest days for shopping, but as trends predicted, ecommerce shopping for these days continues to surpass brick and mortar sales numbers. In 2016, consumers spent over $3.45 billion on Cyber Monday, the most revenue ever earned in a single day in the US. Use the months in front of you to build momentum and ‘carpe diem’ when this time of year arrives.

Sunday and Monday: Yes, that’s every Sunday and Monday. In general, these are the days consumers in the US (and UK) shop online. Gear your advertising and marketing around those days.

Ecommerce shoppers want a personal, out-of-this-world, experience.

When browsing online through websites and social media, 85 percent of consumers would prefer to see (and be more likely to click on) ads that are personalized to their wants and needs. Luckily, there’s a way to make that happen. Make sure your ecommerce sales and marketing team collaborate to use these techniques when marketing to your shoppers:

• Predict what’s coming next: Capture the browsing data on your site for store purchasing habits, preferences, and profiles that enable you to predict which products to cross-sell and offer next.
• Artificial Intelligence: With floods of consumers coming onto your site to shop during the busy days, it may be impossible to interact in real time with everyone. Invest in automated CRM software so shoppers feel cared for. It’s the same principal that brick and mortar stores have when greeting every customer and asking whether they “found everything they were looking for today”.
• Special Promotions: You know your clientele and audience. Tailor special promotions and content to your shoppers based on their desires and the shopping habits you learn about them.

Put your best-mobile-foot forward.

While desktop shopping optimization is still important in the ecommerce marketplace, mobile users worldwide have now surpassed desktop users. It’s no longer nice to have a mobile-friendly site, it’s a necessity and should be a top consideration for all the digital marketing you do. Make sure your site’s mobile platform is easy to use, navigate, search, browse, and discover, and make sure your site is loaded with high-quality product imagery. Shopping cart abandonment happens for many reasons, but don’t let a bad mobile experience be the reason you lose your sales.

Sell on social media, and sell in as many channels as possible.

Social media for your business should stretch beyond the daily tweet and Facebook status update. 78 Percent of Americans have a social media profile and use it daily. On top of that, ecommerce shoppers trust social selling and your reach will be great if you successfully connect with social media followers within your target audiences.

When it comes to selling in multiple channels, don’t limit yourself. Keep in mind shoppers who use multiple channels to find their products spend 3 times more than the average consumer. Selling on desktop, mobile, brick and mortar, online catalogs, and game consoles are all effective for your ecommerce business.

Knowing the Ecommerce trends that could help your business the most is one thing, but integrating them effectively is another. Implement these Ecommerce trends and set related goals for the biggest milestones you want to reach. Knowing when and where your opportunity is the greatest can ensure another successful year for your business.