eCommerce is an ever-growing industry that’s always looking to be on top of innovation. This past year has been no different. Online stores are looking for unique and exciting ways to reach customers — and 2022 has brought around some wild new innovations that are changing the way we shop online.
Here are some of the most impactful and exciting ecommerce trends that we anticipate are going to be “the big thing” in 2023 and beyond.
Augmented Reality
utilized by the ecommerce industry to make shopping more immersive. Basically, the goal is to allow customers to virtually walk around a store — whether it’s a car dealership or clothing store — while interacting with employees and checking out items like they would in real life. But the beauty of AR is that you don’t have to leave your house to go shopping!
A recent poll showed that 35% of people surveyed said they would shop more online if they could virtually try on a product. They’d also be less likely to shop at a brick-and-mortar store if they could use AR instead.
Voice Searching
Smart speakers are becoming really popular and can be found in most households. Some studies have predicted that 75% of US households will own a smart speaker by 2025. These speakers can be used to shop online, utilizing voice search to order food and purchase items without lifting a finger. eCommerce companies will have to use keywords and content to come up with these unique types of searches.
Influencers
Online celebrities are becoming more and more famous as time goes on. People often know TikTok stars before actors these days. Utilizing influencers on your ecommerce site or on social media campaigns can make a huge impact, reaching new demographics. Fans will trust influencers’ opinions and want to also get their hands on the product.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is making it even easier to learn about shoppers’ likes, dislikes, and behaviors. AI collects data on how customers shop and when they buy certain things. This is a technology that can’t be replicated in-store. This is why online shopping has become a lot more customized and seamless. AI can also make customers feel cared about, since they get a more customized and personal experience.
On-Site Personalization
Online shopping is a lot more personalized than in-person shopping thanks to personalized product recommendations from AI data collections. When the shopping feels more personalized, it increases revenue by up to 25%. Imagine going to a store and only seeing products you love!
Chatbots
To make shopping online feel even more personal, many sites use chatbots. Chatbots can help customers in a variety of ways, making shopping easier. It’s similar to using a self-checkout kiosk in a way. But chatbots are becoming more intuitive and personalized as time goes on.
Customer Feedback
Sites will often send an email following a purchase, asking a customer to provide feedback about their shopping experience. This is a way to better understand customers’ behavior and the reason behind their purchases. This can better help you create a personalized and enjoyable shopping experience.
Mobile Shopping
As if online shopping wasn’t convenient enough, people can shop from just about everywhere thanks to mobile shopping. More and more ecommerce sites are making their websites mobile-friendly. Statistica recently revealed that over 70% of ecommerce sales come from a mobile phone.
More Ways to Pay
A lot of online sites offer a wide variety of payment options these days, ranging from debit and credit cards to PayPal and even crypto. The more options customers have, the more likely they are to make purchases. Customers can also save their preferred payment method, which makes it even easier to check out instantly.
More Videos
More and more ecommerce businesses are utilizing video on their online stores. Since people can’t see the items in person, videos help them visualize the products — seeing them from different angles or in action.
Videos can engage customers and keep them on the site longer. They can create more purchases by explaining and showcasing products more impactfully.
Subscription Services
Subscription services are becoming bigger and bigger in eCommerce.
Many eCommerce sites focus exclusively on subscription boxes, which are automatically sent to customers every month or so for a monthly fee.
From beauty and healthcare to clothes to mystery boxes, it’s no surprise that people love receiving packages with curated items. You should expect subscription services to get bigger and bigger in 2023 as merchants figure out more ways to provide value to their customers.
Sustainability
Customers care about the environment. Creating recyclable and sustainably sourced products is a huge trend right now since customers can feel confident and guilt-free when making purchases. Less packaging is another big component, with many people wanting to reduce plastics in landfills and in the ocean. Eco-friendly packaging is a huge trend to look out for.
eCommerce SEO
eCommerce sites are focusing more and more on SEO. Appearing on Google searches can make all the difference.
If people are searching for shoes or makeup, you’d obviously want your shoe or makeup store to show up near the top. Many sites utilize SEO experts who can optimize websites and create SEO-based on content that further expands the eyes that reach your site.
Aren’t these ecommerce trends wild? Walking around a virtual store seems like something from the future — but it’s happening right now. There are also AI chatbots to talk to, completing the experience.
There are more ways to pay than ever before. And more and more customers are demanding eco-friendly packaging and products. Just remember, this may all change come 2023. eCommerce trends are constantly changing, so make sure you frequently check our trends section here at Genius eCommerce, where we continuously cover this subject and more.
