In 2021, well over two billion people purchased products or services online. On top of that, eCommerce sales managed to surpass 4.2 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide.

With these numbers in mind, it’s safe to say that eCommerce has become the main way people choose to buy goods nowadays. And due to last year’s pandemic outbreak, even more products and services became available online.

Nowadays, you can find virtually anything online and have it delivered to your door in just a few simple clicks.

That being said, it’s become more important than ever that eCommerce businesses stay on top of the new trends that resulted from such an increase in demand and offer.

Otherwise, they run the risk of falling behind their nimbler competition, which is certainly something every business should try to prevent.

So, with that in mind, here are the top 10 eCommerce trends all eCommerce businesses should prepare for in the year to come.

#1 Voice search domination

With smartphone voice options, smart home hubs, and similar other voice assistants, the way in which people nowadays browse the internet has changed significantly. A little over two-thirds of 25-49-year-olds speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once a day.

The majority of online consumers no longer resort to simply typing in the things they’re looking for on the search engines. When it comes to online shopping, more than a quarter of users make the process significantly faster by simply asking their smart devices to do the searching for them.

eCommerce businesses that recognized this trend early on have already implemented voice search options into their offer. However, businesses that failed to do so up until now should really get on with this trend as soon as possible.

Therefore, make sure that your eCommerce website is optimized for both mobile and voice search to ensure that your endeavor stays relevant in the year to come.

#2 Cross-selling and upselling with the help of AI

Artificial intelligence and machine learning have been present for quite some time now. However, the sad reality is that not many businesses are using them to better their offer.

Ecommerce businesses, in particular, should make use of these helpful tools, especially when talking about cross-selling and upselling.

With AI and machine learning, you can offer more value to your customers through both upselling and cross-selling offers, which will not only make them more satisfied with your products and business – in general, but it will also do wonders for your bottom line in the long run.

#3 A plethora of payment options

Nowadays, it’s simply no longer acceptable that any business lacks diverse payment options. This is especially true for eCommerce businesses, particularly the ones that operate worldwide.

According to research, 42% of U.S. consumers will not finish a purchase if their preferred payment method is not available. And if you consider the fact that eCommerce customers come from all over the world, it’s simply not wise to limit your payment methods to only one or two options.

So, if you haven’t already, make sure you diversify your payment options and even consider accepting cryptocurrency (if possible) as it truly is the currency of the future.

#4 AR to help with visualization

It can sometimes happen that online shoppers fail to visualize how a certain product will fit them or fit into their homes. Luckily, you nowadays have the necessary tools to help them with this part.

With augmented reality (AR), you will no longer have to leave your customers wondering whether or not the product you’re offering is a good fit for them. Instead, you can use this technology to help them see how your product fits into their lives.

Some of the niches where AR proved to be an invaluable addition to the shopping experience include fashion, home decor and furniture, and even real estate.

#5 Maximized conversions with highly-optimized websites

Thanks to modern technology and opulent resources, online businesses no longer have to play the guessing game when trying to determine what works and what doesn’t.

Instead, you nowadays have the option to do a so-called A-B testing and see just how well your website performs.

A reputable eCommerce development company can deploy two different versions of your website and see which one of them performs better. This type of testing will enable you to constantly stay on top of your website’s performance and make any necessary tweaks, changes, and optimizations to get better performance.

This doesn’t only relate to the font, color, layout, and size of your website, but your loading speed, checkout page performance, and all other crucial factors.

#6 Improved mobile shopping tools

As mentioned earlier, people nowadays rely heavily on using their mobile devices for shopping.

Not only is this a far more convenient way to shop – as it can be done even on the go, but it also leaves plenty of room for making the entire shopping experience significantly faster.

However, if your website is not properly optimized for mobile, your potential customers won’t have a good time. So much so that the majority of them will most likely abandon your website altogether and move onto other websites that are better optimized.

That’s why you need to make sure that your website is properly optimized for mobile, the loading speed is optimal, and that you even include the voice search options to enable your mobile audience a more seamless and enjoyable shopping experience.

#7 A variety of eCommerce channels

Long gone are the days where consumers needed to go to brick-and-mortar stores in order to purchase a product. Similarly, the days of having to visit a business’s website in order to purchase a product are also slowly dwindling.

Nowadays, aside from a business’s website, consumers can purchase their products directly through social media.

What’s best is that the majority of businesses enable their customers to make a purchase without ever needing to leave the app. So, make sure you implement such channels into your offer if you haven’t done it already.

The easier you make it for your customers to make a purchase – and, thus, convert – the more likely they’ll be to do so. Therefore, make sure you don’t miss out on such a great way to boost your sales and conversions.

#8 Multichannel customer support

Since customer satisfaction is one of the key features that determine business success, you really need to ensure that you do all in your power to boost it.

One of the best ways to do so is by implementing multichannel customer support options. Since not all of your customers are the same, you can’t really expect them to prefer the same types of customer support.

That’s why you should offer your customers a chance to reach your business via live chat, phone call, email, social media, or text.

Moreover, by implementing chatbots into your offer, you’ll significantly reduce the workload of your customer service while simultaneously improving your customer experience and satisfaction.

#9 More personalized offer

Personalization plays a huge role in the world of commerce. Luckily, this is another area where machine learning comes into play.

Every time your customer logs onto your website, you can rely on machine learning to make various useful and personalized recommendations.

For instance, notify your customers of all the latest special deals and promotions you have going on, particularly the ones that relate to the products they’ve previously browsed on your website.

Even more so, you can even put special emphasis on products they’ve browsed but never ended up purchasing.

Simply put, thanks to machine learning, you can make the whole shopping experience far more customized and personalized, which will not only satisfy your customers but will also help them find more value in your offer(s).

#10 Sustainability is the name of the game

Aside from the technical part of running an eCommerce business, business owners have another trend they need to pay special attention to. This trend comes in the form of sustainability.

Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword. And considering the fact that customers mostly vote with their money, you need to make sure that their vote goes to you.

So, see if any of your current business practices could use some tweaks that will – ideally – make them more sustainable.

Additionally, pay special attention to how you package and ship your goods. In the modern-day, there simply is no room for excess plastic waste, for instance. This is why you need to find new and more sustainable (and eco-friendly) ways to package your products and goods.

#11 Mobile vs. desktop usage: What percentage of internet traffic is mobile?

www.allconnect.com/blog/mobile-vs-desktop

Final thoughts

The more you make sure you stay on top of all the changing eCommerce trends, the easier it will be to implement them in your business practice.

Keep in mind that trends do tend to change with time, so don’t think of it as a one-and-done type of deal.

Instead, conduct regular research and tests to see if your current practices are up to par and make any necessary changes as soon as you notice a growing need (or demand) for them. That’s the only way to ensure that our eCommerce business continues to thrive.

Author bio

Rick Seidl is a digital marketing specialist with a bachelor’s degree in Digital Media and Communications, based in Portland, Oregon. With a burning passion for digital marketing, social media, small business development, and establishing its presence in a digital world, he is currently quenching his thirst through writing about digital marketing and business strategies for Find Digital Agency.