The e-commerce industry is growing very rapidly. Over the past years, it can be seen that the share of e-commerce in retail is growing almost exponentially. This roughly means that the number of e-commerce transactions and the volume of turnover generated by online stores doubles, and in some cases increases even faster. It is no wonder then that the eyes of many large companies, known so far only from offline sales, are turning to e-commerce and are considering using this sales channel. However, it is worth remembering that e-commerce is changing very dynamically and while there are elements of the industry that have not changed significantly over the years (such as the need to ship the product or payment service), in many areas changes occur extremely quickly, often in a surprising way. So what are the directions of e-commerce development? What trends in the industry are visible and which are beginning to disappear?
Mobile first - a concept that appeared in the industry a few years ago and has permanently settled in the jargon of e-commerce specialists. And while until recently it was just a marketing slogan for many, it is now gaining a completely new meaning. In the era of smartphones, whose number in the world is approaching 3 billion, the friendly interface of the store or e-commerce portal for mobile devices is becoming a priority. It is hardly surprising - sales from mobile devices are growing rapidly, and the number of visits to online stores from smartphones or tablets has long overtook traditional computers and laptops. If we add the growing popularity of mobile applications, the mobile first password becomes something natural.
Omnichannel/Multichannel - just like mobile first, the concept has been known for several years, but it has only recently become important and becomes a necessity. The way users reach the product or service has expanded greatly. Online stores, traditional stores, mobile applications, social networks - the multitude of channels makes the user feel lost, if his feelings in one of the channels will be different than in others. The most popular example, which many sellers sleeplessly, but is an integral part of sales, is the return of the purchased product. Buying a product in a mobile application, and a return in any stationary store is a great example of an omnichannel.
Personalization, which touches us at every step, has also moved to the online channel and is achieving great successes there. In the era of "lack of time" for everything, the user often expects that he will be offered products or services he needs at a given time, without having to break through hundreds or thousands of offers. Personalizing content has become an integral part of marketing, and statistics confirm the effectiveness of such activities. An investment in a good recommendation engine or marketing automation tools will pay off for sure.
The same day delivery - the slogan, which just a few years ago was just a voice "from overseas", is slowly becoming a fact. More and more sellers as the main goal is to optimize the supply chain of their products. This is often associated with higher logistics fees, but customers are becoming more convenient and delivery time builds a competitive advantage.
Unique Content - Duplication of content on the Internet is very common since the Internet exists. For search engine robots, such content is always much less attractive, and based on the copied content, we will not achieve success in positioning. That is why you should take care of the unique, custom-written content that will give you a completely free customer acquisition channel.
Looking to the future, one should also mention mobile payments, virtual reality VR or social media, which have become the dominant channel for building brand awareness. Specialists do not predict that in the near future there will be a total revolution in the world of ecommerce, but following the latest innovations in this industry and deriving experience from the best is the best way not to stay behind.