It’s safe to say that the world of online retail is in a state of transformation. Evolutions in purchasing behavior and new developments in technology have prompted a significant shift in the way that people approach e-Commerce strategies. e-Commerce is booming overall, and according to the latest article published by ecomsuccessacademy.net, retail sales online are expected to reach a value of about $4.5 trillion by the end of 2021. That’s a massive uptick compared to 2014.
There are plenty of technologies out there that can be connected to the boom in changing eCommerce over recent years, from the growth of PPC advertising to the increasing popularity of email newsletters. Even content marketing, SEO, and social media have all played their part. There are several training courses on the market which help newcomers to eCommerce to learn about new approaches and methods used in online business. GFKamerica has just published a review of the best selling course by Adrian Morrison called 7 Figure Cycle here: http://www.gfkamerica.com/ecom-success-academy-review
While these technologies will continue to be important in the years ahead, we feel that the following solutions will also help to take eCommerce into a new era for 2018.
1. Discovery Shopping
For several years now, modern businesses have been focused on pushing their customers towards their product by any means necessary. However, the rise of a new trend means that traditional search-based platforms for shopping like Amazon will soon be completely different.
Rather than connecting customers with the specific products they’re searching for, discovery shopping is about attracting customers who aren’t specifically looking to fill a need. These solutions are designed to deliver fun and interesting experiences by displaying discounted items that customers can bid for. Essentially, it’s about having fun while you shop in a rapid-fire auction format.
In an era where most companies would struggle to fight back against marketplaces like Amazon, rapid-fire solutions like Tophatter are getting some serious growth.
2. Crowdsourced Shipping
Designed as a method of working around high-costs for shipping, while offsetting the expenses of travel, sites that deliver crowdsourced shipping have emerged as more popular over the years, using existing infrastructure instead of allowing it to sit idly. By combining businesses with a huge pool of potential shippers, crowd shipping means that businesses can deliver anything from fresh foods to documents.
You can even integrate options for crowd shipping onto pre-existing e-commerce websites, and, businesses can decide whether they’d prefer to use professional couriers for their service, or hire freelancers who want to make additional money.
So far, we’ve seen the crowdsourcing trend work for everything from transportation to hospitality and fundraising. Now, it’s giving us a new delivery solution too, without the huge costs.
3. Email Commerce
If you’ve ever spoken to a marketer, then you’ll probably know all about the potential benefits of a good email campaign. The truth is that emails still have a great return on investment, and many studies find that email continues to be more effective than any other channel for long-term success.
However, there are still ways that companies could be getting more out of their average customer’s inbox. Many email campaigns are focused on driving additional traffic to a website, while companies like Rebel allow customers to buy items recommended to them without leaving their mail application at all. With an interactive email, you can even encourage your customers to take surveys or write testimonials for your brand.
4. Omni-Platform Commerce
Finally, according to Google, about 85% of people on average begin shopping online with one device, them move onto another before they complete their purchase. Although a lot of retailers today are building their presence on multiple devices and channels, a growing trend for this year is sure to be the development of new integrated experiences for the average consumer.
True integration will involve providing a constant experience for anyone who visits your brand across any channel, through visual design and branding, along with messaging, payment processing, and sales solutions too.
