The future of online shopping: 7 changes e-commerce stores need to make in 2021

Are you ready to update your e-commerce store in 2021? Boost your online sale with the following trends and changes this year.

by Jessica Richards - Business Development Manager
The future of online shopping: 7 changes e-commerce stores need to make in 2021

The future of online shopping: 7 changes e-commerce stores need to make in 2021

The e-commerce world is changing very fast. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is one of its notable examples that led the online shopping sphere to witness a significant boost in 2020. E-commerce is proliferating and by 2022, it is expected to grow to $6.54 trillion from $3.53 trillion in 2019.
Looking ahead to the future, e-commerce stores need to shift to current trends and changes in order to boost their sales. To help you stay ahead of the e-commerce game, here are some changes and ideas suggested by one of Melbournes ecommerce web design companies.

1. Optimise voice commerce

The modern-day shopper is hugely relying on voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant. People have smart speakers these days that allow them to shop products and services through voice. Voice commerce sales are predicted to reach $40 billion by 2022, which is a good sign for online businesses.
Voice commerce is thriving because of its growing accuracy and convenience. Both Google and Amazon are pushing local languages in their voice assistant devices to help shoppers shop with less hassle. Thus, it is quintessential to optimise your e-commerce store for voice search.

2. Leverage omni-channel shopping

Omni-channel provides customers a seamless experience across all channels and devices. In 2021, it is going to become bigger and better. With the increase in the adoption of electronic devices and voice assistants, we can visualise that the number of omni-channel customers will skyrocket in 2021.
Thus, businesses should start using analytics tools to get detailed e-commerce analytics and understand changing customer behaviours. Also, this will help you analyse products that are high in demand and track your profit and loss. After all, it can be enticing to be everywhere. But you should focus on those chief channels where your customers go and buy the most.

3. Integrate AI and chatbots

Leading on from our previous trend is the implementation of AI and chatbots, which will help your customers get what they need on your site easily and instantly. These technological advancements will be on the rise in 2021 and are going to benefit e-commerce, for sure.
When it comes to chatbots, they have been around for a few years and are used to help apps and websites answer customers’ questions. This concept is helpful if you don’t have enough resources and staff AI assistants are also important as they can manage your stock levels, reordering and much more.

4. Integrate more payment options

One of the leading web design companies in Melbourne suggests that payment gateways or options are a key reason why online shoppers choose a specific brand. If you are not offering them preferred payment methods, they won’t purchase from your online store. It is a matter of preference and a sense of security that customers seek from payment options on an e-commerce store.
Today, most e-commerce businesses accept and provide digital wallets apart from debit and credit cards. In addition, cryptocurrencies are slowly but firmly making their place in the e-commerce sphere. We might see more online businesses accepting cryptocurrencies for transactions in 2021. The ideas are still in pipeline for many countries but 2021 seems like a good year for more convenient and safe payment options.

5. Personalise customer experience

E-commerce stores are constantly optimising the shopping experience for their customers. They are focussing on displaying products and services that they believe customers are most likely to buy. This is where the need to provide your shoppers with a personalised shopping experience arises.
Add personalisation into your marketing and start building better relationships with your shoppers. Address them by their name whenever you’re contacting them and send sneak-peaks of your latest products and services. Don’t forget to ask them for their valuable feedback. This technique to personalise your store will go beyond in making a stronger customer-business bond.

6. Focus on visual commerce

Visual commerce is all about using imagery on your entire store to attract, engage and convert customers. This year, visual commerce is going to become bigger. This is because today’s shoppers would rather watch product visual content than read descriptions when shopping online.
By incorporating high-quality images on your product pages along with shortcuts to buy the product directly, you can sustain the current digital change. Adding video elements to your product listings and marketing strategy is a must for your success. So, along with your products, you can add product videos, explainer videos, or review videos for marketing the product more effectively. Also, push your visual content on different social media platforms to generate more conversions and sales. This moves us to the last and the most notable point.

7. Connect with more customers using social media

The future of retail is social media. This is why online stores are selling across social media platforms and connecting with their loyal customers where they are spending most of their time. Also due to the pandemic, e-commerce has been shifted hugely to the social media platforms.
For instance, ‘Facebook Shops’ enable businesses to create a customised online storefront, which allows shoppers to find, browse and purchase products through Instagram and Facebook. All in all, the idea of social commerce will be an exciting sphere to watch in 2021.

Concluding thoughts

The future of e-commerce is undoubtedly bright for both brands and buyers. Online businesses are looking to dominate the market by preparing themselves to adopt the latest changes and trends as soon as possible. The best advice of our experienced e-commerce website design agency in Melbourne is to keep on learning and trying to consume as much information as you can about the ever-evolving e-commerce sphere. To learn more about such trends and implement them for your e-commerce store, get in touch with Digital Pieces – a creative digital marketing agency.

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