The future of ecommerce in 2021

More and more businesses are choosing to expand by moving their services online. The Covid-19 pandemic had a great impact in accelerating this trend. Online shopping is one of the flagship examples of the usefulness of the Internet nowadays. If you run your business, you certainly know that e-commerce can give you much more opportunities to attract new customers and automate processes inside your organization.

However, we want to focus your attention not only on the advantages of this solution, but also on key trends that will dominate the future of ecommerce market. There is a lot of talk today about UX (i.e. user experience), i.e. the impressions that the user experiences while using our website, which is obvious – the better they are, the more effective our website can turn out to be. Therefore, today special attention is paid to designing the customer path, i.e. recreating the most likely scenario of the “path” that a potential customer will want to go on our website in order to design the website as functional as possible. Therefore, we must deeply enter the emotions, feelings and impressions that will accompany the users of our website, so that they trust us and want to come back to our site. Today, it is not only lower price that counts, but also the speed and quality of the services provided.

What is ecommerce?

Let me use your example. From your perspective, e-commerce is simply your store transferred to your website, thanks to which you can reach an unlimited number of recipients and develop your business. Referring to the technological conditions, e-commerce means:

• modules with catalogs of your products,
• intelligent search engine for what you want to sell,
• a product basket, which is to ensure that your products are ordered, not abandoned
• a payment and delivery form that is supposed to make the user pay for products faster than taking a banknote from the wallet
• a notification system that will inform the user on an ongoing basis that he is in good hands and that his desired package is on its way
• Remarketing campaigns that will remind the user that it is easier to buy a product from you than to visit a brick-and-mortar store.

But it is not everything! What else can ecommerce become for you?

• an advanced sales platform that will allow you to manage your inventory and prices of your products,
• current product catalog and its visibility,
• orders that are ordered / in progress / shipped, which will give you more control over managed sales processes
• your system for generating sales documents: invoices and receipts,
• an advanced reporting module that will inform you on an ongoing basis what rhythm is beating the pulse of your business – how many orders you have, how much have you earned in the last week or month

These are only examples of the potential benefits. Of course, there are many more possibilities.

Why it is gaining in 2021?

Why is ecommerce doing so well in 2021? As I mentioned before, on the one hand, the transition of many industries to the online sphere has been successfully going on for several years, which has an impact on the further development of this trend. On the other hand, the pandemic that has forced many people to stay at home, imposed restrictions on movement and the freedom to shop, made a large number of stores decide to sell online.

What phenomena that we may not be aware of have become very common today? What is the future of ecommerce?

Looking at the current development of e-commerce, we notice a huge increase in sales of products created by individual units or small manufactories. Today, handicraft, unique, “customized” products, and therefore created especially for us, meeting our needs are highly appreciated. There is also a lot of attention to values, which is why many companies focus on sustainable development, producing, selling and delivering in an ecological and conscious way, which is appreciated by a huge number of customers, and this trend will certainly continue.

When it comes to technical considerations, mobile devices dominate today in electronic sales. No wonder, because we want to make purchases quickly and hassle-free, saving time, being up to date with promotions. Artificial intelligence supports broadly understood automation, which allows us to shorten the delivery time, find products that we like, or prepare special discount codes for us. More and more people are also using the voice recognition function, ordering selected products even faster. It is indicated that this trend will become even more important.

Omnichannel shopping will become more prevalent

What is “omnichannel”? It is nothing more than a collection of modern sales channels in which your website, mobile application, social media activities, a well-functioning customer service department, efficient mailing and all other forms of acquiring, supporting and serving your customers count. For all this to work, you must minimize the risk of dissatisfaction and disappointment of your client, ensuring that he can easily find what he is looking for, easily contacted for additional information, he can count on a quick purchase and no inconvenience in the event of a complaint and returns.

Why does this omnichannel matter so much for the future of ecommerce? Because it is coupled with an advanced remarketing system. What exactly does that mean? Your products become visible on advertising banners on Facebook or Instagram, thanks to which a person who is not looking for your product finds your website anyway because of their interests. With minimal effort, you reach your potential customers, no matter where they are and when they decide to place an order.

Social shopping is on the rise

Well, we come back to the topic of making purchasing decisions based on emotions, our sympathies or trust. That is why it is so important to base your online sales activities on efficiently functioning remarketing and retargeting. How does it work in practice? Popular social networking sites recommend you new products “that may interest you” based on your previous searches. As a seller, you can use any tools available on the web to look for new markets, building a network of satisfied customers who will recommend your brand on their profile.

Today, making decisions about buying a given thing or service is very common as a result of being recommended by a friend or influencer we observe. This type of advertising cannot compete with any other today. We can presume that this direction will continue to be chosen in marketing strategies, because today nobody wants to buy the so-called “A cat in a poke.” In addition, this phenomenon combines the ability to shop online with activity on social media, which we like to use so much. That’s for sure one of the biggest ecommerce future trends.

Mobile shopping revolution

Have you come across the term m-commerce? If not, I am already explaining it. M-commerce means making purchases using mobile devices, i.e. phones and tablets. It is estimated that currently more than 5 billion people around the world use them, i.e. over 60% of the entire population. We can be sure that these numbers will continue to grow and will have a significant impact on the future of ecommerce.

And along with the widespread availability of such solutions, the demand for the availability of services that we use in the offline sphere is growing. That is why users so willingly decide to shop online from the device held in their hand. It is quick, convenient and useful because we can buy the products we need while traveling by bus, standing in line or in the toilet. Who among us has never benefited from it, let it be the first to throw a stone.

New payment options will emerge

You are probably curious about which payment models are best to choose when creating your own e-commerce. At this point, users are primarily focused on the most optimal system possible. Research shows that users choose the fastest and easiest methods, where the checkout process is the least involved (i.e. paying and confirming the order).

In practice, this means that making traditional online transfers becomes passe. If the user can choose between Blik and online payment, he will certainly choose Blik, because he will not have to provide card details or log in to his bank. If the user has, for example, ApplePay, he prefers this form of payment in the store. Because this feature allows you to pay for purchases by scanning your face without requiring any other action. If you expect the customer to provide data during the payment process or fill out an additional payment form, know that users will not be satisfied with it. And you realize, based on your own experience, that we must minimize the risk of disappointing our customers.

Ecommerce Automation

An extremely important element that cannot be forgotten when creating your online store. Automating remarketing processes is to remind the user about an open order, new products or current promotions. It also allows you to constantly collect information about customers visiting your website. This, in turn, can help you improve the sales process, find potential gaps, and adapt your marketing activities to the real needs of your customers.

In practice, well-adjusted automation means efficiency, increased profits and minimization of costs. This includes thanks to a well-configured campaign, you gain new users of your website and you don’t have to worry about ranges. And this is also a great example of ecommerce future trends.

The Future of Ecommerce Marketing

As we well know, the marketing trade is standing. In what direction should we go with online promotion? First and foremost, create “quality” content. Choose an interesting description, be sure to include encouraging photos, preferably a short video. And good references from other users – who does not follow them? What if the product is recommended by a famous person on his Instagram profile? We can immediately count on increased traffic on our website.

Therefore, we must focus on interactivity – attract with form, and then impress with content. Depending on the industry, it is often worth choosing a blog where we can tell more about the specifics of our organization or the products we create. Marketing activities must also be actively conducted on social media today. It is worth using chatbots to stay in constant contact with our clients and not disappoint their expectations when they are looking for answers to their questions.

AI and Chatbots

Artificial intelligence will support the successful operation of your online store. Automating many processes inside your company will allow you to save time and money, translating into higher profits and greater satisfaction of your customers. You will reduce the risk of making mistakes, not meeting the deadline or delivering the wrong product. In turn, chat bots will guarantee you constant communication, answer frequently asked questions, help users get rid of doubts, and encourage them to take advantage of the offer.

Let us help you by opting for modern solutions that will take the burden of too many activities off your shoulders. Automation allows you to enjoy running your own business again, doing for us what requires a lot of time, consistency and effort. And new technologies can successfully support our business activities today, guaranteeing our development. This is where the future of e-commerce lies.

Interactive Products

What is this? What is an interactive product? It is said that this is the future of ecommerce in 2021. But let’s start from the beginning. What do you miss most when shopping online? You cannot touch or try on the selected product, check its actual size before purchasing, imagine it in a given space. And then an interactive product helps you visualize the ordered thing.

It is thanks to the animation that you will be able to enlarge or rotate the product, see it in different angles, almost feel its shape and volume. Modern computer graphics allow for experiences that can be compared with those experienced “live” when shopping in a traditional store. By choosing such a solution, you will be two steps ahead of the competition, because this is what users expect today.

Smart Shoppers

All the aforementioned trends combine into one whole – the satisfaction of the conscious user. People looking for specific products on the web expect solutions that are very tailored to their needs. When creating your own ecommerce website, we must therefore be aware that users visiting us will pay attention not only to the prices of our products, but also their appearance and modernity. Of course, everyone will be attracted by promotions, but if they then encounter a slow website, page errors or unintuitive design, the given user will not only not make a purchase from us, but will also not come back to our website. So the devil is in the details.

The future of ecommerce 2021 is therefore very colorful, which I hope I was able to justify in the previous paragraphs. There is no doubt that in the development of your own business, the decision to e-commerce may turn out to be a very good choice. However, it is worth avoiding obstacles at the very beginning and avoiding the most common mistakes. An online store can bring you great benefits, but for this to work, it must be fully operational. If you have any questions, want to dispel your doubts – please contact us. We are happy to advise you on the right solution.