In recent years, eCommerce has experienced a huge boom. We remember all too well the early days of lockdowns and business closures, inhibiting us from shopping in-stores for daily essentials. But with grocery delivery and online shopping, it was easy to get accustomed to the convenience of buying almost everything from the comfort of home.
While life has more or less resumed business as usual, shopping online has yet to experience a comedown. More and more sellers have transitioned to eCommerce retailers to accommodate this trend. But with so many brands entering the online shopping sphere, it’s becoming even more difficult to stand out above the competition.
In a world where you can get almost anything delivered to your home with just a few clicks, eCommerce merchants must be mindful of development trends affecting their industry.
From the experts in all things marketing, we’ve compiled a guide to help you better understand what the eComm development trends are, why they’re important to your own business, and how you can implement them into your online storefronts!
It’s no secret that the online landscape is constantly changing. eCommerce retailers who fail to keep up with new trends can experience serious consequences concerning their site’s performance and user experience. If you’re falling behind and losing leads to competitors’ sites that are much more “with the times,” it’s time for some development updates.
Staying up to date with eCommerce development trends will better position your brand to remain competitive and attract new customers to your store.
Naturally, an eCommerce retailer needs to have a website, but what else factors into a successful online store? Let’s explore some development trends to watch and implement on your site.
While shoppers may not have as strong of a desire to shop in stores, they still want to be able to experience your products (to the best of their ability) from behind a screen. Capturing their look, feel, and performance is vital to gauging a customer’s interest.
One recent trend that’s taken the eCommerce world by storm is video consultation features. In these cases, shoppers can browse an online store, find a product, then reach out to a representative to get a live introduction to the product. This is especially helpful if you have a clothing store, as the customer can actually see what each style looks like on different body types.
Online video consultations enable more significant interaction between you and your audience, giving them space to ask questions and allowing you to showcase your products effectively. While this trend may not work for all brands and shoppers, it can really elevate and personalize the user experience and buyer journey for your customers.
Call center support can be incredibly costly, with long wait times and (more often than not) pre-recorded representatives. Voice chatbots, on the other hand, can offer a personalized experience to customers at a fraction of the cost and with quick response times.
Utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to your benefit when it comes to frequently asked questions, cross-sales, and questionnaires that help you learn more about your leads. Of course, if a bot has trouble understanding what a customer wants, it can always connect them to a live customer service representative.
Progressive web apps are pushing the internet forward by bringing website surfing closer to native mobile apps. PWAs are one of the latest and most advanced web development technologies, helping eCommerce brands focus on improving their users’ experiences.
These apps run on browsers but still give users the experience of native apps by offering key features such as:
Unlike native apps, which require their own app development and maintenance, PWAs allow you to offer your customers a similar experience with less development cost and time investment.
AMPs were first launched in 2015 to provide mobile users with super fast digital experiences, which helped to reduce bounce rates. They can also help improve core business metrics, such as the number of conversions that take place on an eCommerce retailer’s website.
SPAs are JavaScript-based web applications that load a single HTML page in a person’s browser, then dynamically update content when necessary without the need for the page to be refreshed. They’re cost-effective and fairly simple to create. They also consume less server space and give users information efficiently on a single page, eliminating the need to navigate from page to page.
As your buyers begin to expect faster and more seamless app experiences, SPAs are finding their way in the world as a win-win for both consumers and developers.
Development should always put your users at the forefront of any design. In doing so, you’ll be able to attract more customers to your online store and keep them browsing longer with a site that’s easy to navigate and make purchases from.
When you keep your audience in mind, you’ll experience decreased bounce rates, which will ultimately help boost your search engine optimization efforts, generating more leads and brand awareness.
If you’re struggling to keep up with the development trends that could enhance your eCommerce business, we’re here to help! Connect with the development team at Zero Gravity Marketing to learn more about our services.