Businesses must remain competitive amid technological advances, better consumer services, changing demand and supply, and an increase in the number of shoppers. Among the sectors with a definite future is e-commerce, with online sales of $6.39 trillion by 2024. But what does it really mean to us? This certified course “Growing Your Business with Web Marketing” tells you more. But first, here’s a little preview of what awaits us…
expansion of conversational commerce
Conversational commerce, making it possible to build a more personal relationship with the customer, is set to evolve further. Indeed, e-commerce sites, which used to provide a purely transactional experience, now offer a more interactive approach. In 2021, the number of online conversations Average per customer grew 21% across all regions and devices (SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, on-site or in-app messaging, etc.).
Through marketing automation and CRM, you can automate your interactions and thus reduce your costs while increasing your profits. In addition to FAQ pages, conversational commerce is more reassuring for consumers looking for human answers. In fact, it attempts to compensate for the lack of humanity of online commerce as compared to offline commerce. A useful exercise for customizing offers for different types of customers.
Importance of Headless eCommerce
According to Google, about 60% of online shoppers make cross-channel purchases. Headless e-commerce, which by definition separates the front-end and back-end of your e-commerce site, promises an optimal experience across all digital media, and is therefore key to the future!
Seamless integration, competitiveness, flexible and easy to configure, better customer service… it has many advantages. Thanks to this system, customers can thus start their purchase process on one device and complete them on another, thus providing a quality experience. It offers web flexibility along with availability on all channels, in addition to an excellent experience that is optimized for users, regardless of the device they are using.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The use of AI has now become necessary for e-commerce companies. With the advancement of AI and machine learning, chatbots, as well as access to massive amounts of data, you will definitely be able to personalize your customer experience and increase your sales. In fact, Artificial Intelligence (AI) allows marketers to:
- successfully launch new products (49%);
- increase customer loyalty (51%);
- Increase sales (52%).
(Source: Forbes Insights and Quantcast study)
For questionnaires alone, AI is capable of providing personalized recommendations that are more likely to convert prospects into customers, automatically based on customer needs and preferences. And even without questionnaires, AI can analyze basic data and consumption habits,
3D Dimension
The 3D dimension will also be present in new e-commerce trends, especially in advertising. It is present in the cinema, in remote productions or in museums, but very rarely in private homes. For any online purchase, seeing and seeing the products helps in establishing proximity. Technologies such as virtual reality, holograms and others aim to improve the shopping experience in the future.
The content strategy can also be used to encourage sales through 3D content through product sheets in the form of photos or videos. Fortnite, for example, offers players the ability to purchase outfits to customize their gaming experience. Similarly, brands such as Ralph Lauren and Gucci have set up virtual clothing collections on the Roblox game. Appointment for a truer and more intense experience!
Here, a more engaging and immersive experience for the Metaverse awaits consumers. Over time, this will become a more complete and versatile highly immersive shared virtual world where consumers can interact with products and services presented in a more realistic and vivid manner.
It will also allow users to connect with others for more meaningful conversations and exchanges. Furthermore, there are many ways to take advantage of the metaverse in digital marketing.
Payment via cryptocurrency
Who Says The Future Of E-Commerce Says Cryptocurrency Too! Indeed, this digital currency, used through a decentralized computer network, is already used by 221 million users in the world. For example, in the United States, 57% of consumers say that major brands should start accepting cryptocurrencies as a method of payment (source: Fevad).
How to explain such enthusiasm? This digital currency lowers transaction fees with fewer intermediaries. The blockchain, or chain of blocks, linked by cryptocurrencies makes it possible to eliminate the need for payment gateways, networks of bank cards, and even bank accounts.
Arrival of the Customer Data Platform
The future of customer relationships runs through the CDP. These platforms collect information both online and offline and structure it to create customer profiles. Data is collected in one place and is more complete than CRM software.
CDPs give you the opportunity to have a complete and global view of customer data to allow for optimal personalization of marketing strategies. Furthermore, this flexible technology adapts to the data source!
Automation of Interactive Voice Server
In June 2022, Comarketing revealed voice statistics. While 70% of French people use voice commands, 28% use it on a daily basis. In this sense, the implementation of Voice Customer Service Automation Service (SVI) is being demanded not only by large companies but also by startups. Through a system where the callbot is installed, IVR makes it possible to reduce costs and respond more quickly to customer needs.
IVS also provides an experience equal to or better than a human advisor. This frees up customer advisors so they can focus more on more specific requests that require more support.
A trend that is gaining momentum in France, live shopping represents the new face of e-commerce. The latter combined with live video streaming allows for direct interaction with consumers.
Several brands such as Decathlon have already taken advantage of this opportunity and are showing 10x higher conversion rates. Forrester Consulting also predicts that by 2026, live shopping could represent between 10 and 20% of online sales.
It is clear that e-commerce is constantly evolving and the trends described here are not exhaustive. Given the technological progress, other new features will appear in a few months or years… so stay tuned!