It’s always essential to keep up with changing trends in any industry. Those who own businesses in the ecommerce sector should especially watch how things develop. Technology and consumer habits change and grow each year. You should make sure to understand what is trending now and what is likely to become more important in the future. As 2017 approaches, some things that rose in importance in 2016 will continue to grow over the next year. New things to focus on are also evident and can help ecommerce companies get an edge on their competitors. Pay attention to the following trends for next year.
Instant Messaging and Chats
Providing excellent customer service is vital for any business. In ecommerce, customers often want information and help as soon as possible. Social media has been growing as a way to provide instant answers to questions and comments online. However, many ecommerce businesses are taking customer service back to their website. Using instant messaging allows customers to chat to someone and get immediate answers. Another trend is the use of chatbots, which use algorithms to provide answers to common questions. This allows for customer service without having to have the staff there to supply it.
Mobile Payment
Each year, mobile use has become more important in the world of ecommerce. As well as focusing on mobile web design, businesses should think of other ways that customers use their phones. Contactless payments by card and mobile devices have grown for use offline. Online, people are shopping and paying for goods with their phones too. People can use store apps and integrated payment systems such as PayPal to buy things when they’re on the move. Having a mobile app is a great way to meet demands for mobile-friendly service.
Personalization
Making everything more personal is a trend that has been on the rise over the last year. Businesses of all types have been using data to deliver personalized experiences for customers. It can be used to do things like showing customers products they might be interested in based on previous purchases. If you want to make your store more personal, you can use a Magento agency for your website design. Magento is one of the leading ecommerce design platforms and can give you all the tools you need. It will deliver reports on customer behavior, which can be used to create personalized content.
Same Day Delivery
Another thing that has been growing is the use of same-day delivery. Retail giants such as Amazon have committed to delivering many items on the same day they are ordered. This often comes as an extra perk with a subscription service like Amazon Prime. Of course, same-day delivery is much more difficult for smaller ecommerce companies. They don’t have the power or resources – or so many might think. However, it could be possible to provide this service to customers by outsourcing the delivery to a company like UberRUSH or Postmates.
If you run an ecommerce company, keep an eye on the important trends. You can ensure your business is at the cutting edge.