Commerce is an ever-changing industry due to the nature of innovation that surrounds it – from traditional brick-and-mortar storefronts to door to door sales tactics or promoters hounding consumers at malls, commerce has evolved into an omnipresent entity, present in all forms and on all platforms, both online and off.
From the clothes you wear to the devices you choose to purchase, it is all influenced in one way or another by marketing, mainly through technology – the social media platform you’re on, down to the newsletters in your inbox. Some tech trends that involve sales will take off in 2019, with a high predicted trajectory of success. With the development of the internet, there are tons of small ways to direct traffic online into a spending customer. Here are some of the eCommerce trends that we’ll see more of moving forward:
Video is something consumers want to see, especially ones that are entertaining or creative with content people can relate to or are interested in. People around the world are engaging more and more with the video trend, which was how YouTube took off with such large success. Videos can show consumers what product or service they’re looking at purchasing. It helps to paint a picture and invoke a feeling, making video a way for digital media to be more engaging. Scrolling through photos and graphics has brought social media users to crave movement in their feed. With that being said, there will be an increase in creative teams putting energy and focus into the perfect video campaigns. Videos will 100% be a huge driver of sales in 2019.
Other than that, user-generated content has become increasingly attractive to consumers as they are seen to be genuine and relatable. This has given rise to a breed of social media influencers who spend their time reviewing products and creating content to stay relevant to their audience. This trend of social media influencers is greatly picking up speed: from the small screen of your smartphone, to the big screen at the cinema. Some of these social media influencers are able to make it to the big leagues, opening doors to potential talents and, in effect, feeding the circle of consumerism.
AR has felt like a buzzword in technology because it hasn’t been as widely used just yet. It is a word commonly thrown around, but many companies haven’t figured out how to incorporate it. This year, there will be integration of 3D AR models into eCommerce stores. This will give web visitors a clearer visual of the product they’re buying, which could dramatically increase the likelihood of online shoppers making a purchase.
Imagine trying on whichever clothes you want to buy (or hairstyle, for that matter) in the comfort of your own home and without the hassle of removing your clothes and trying on a new outfit – you could simply blink and your outfits will change from one to the other, with no in-betweens.
How about going on a vacation? Tour centers could be able to create a virtual tour and take people through their itinerary prior to signing them up. The possibilities are virtually endless.
In the current market, Kylie Jenner has created an app that tries to emulate this technology, by allowing potential buyers to take a selfie and trying on her lip color virtually. While it is not as immersive as actual VR, it is a step in the right direction.
Having the best SEO gives eCommerce websites a clear path to being at the top of Google for their optimized keywords. This is a strategic way to have more website visits and make more sales. If your site needs some help, there are SEO services in Melbourne that can take care of the strategy for you. SEO is best handled by an expert agency because they look at the SEO of different companies for a living. Similar to how you wouldn’t be designing your own wedding dress (or tux), it’s usually best to leave it in the hands of professionals who have been trained to do these kinds of things.
For the best results, SEO companies look at what your business is after and how to best utilize what you presently have available. Depending on your budget, you might be able to optimize keywords to the first page of Google, improving visibility and exposure. Once your site is trusted by Google, it will be much easier to stay relevant. However, for companies just starting out, it is very important to sign up with an SEO company that truly shares your vision and will be able to help you realize your company’s goals.
Soon, we’re going to see more eCommerce sites have chatbots making sales than customer service representatives. This is a way to have someone write out all the potential questions and answers and program them into a chatbot to make the buyer experience go smoother. Companies that sell insurance like Geico have seen great success with chatbots. The automated program referred to as “chatbots” is a form of machine learning that developers are focusing on. With that being said, in 2019 there will be more chatbot website plugins and software companies that sell this automation.
While certain sites are currently employing the use of chatbots, only a handful of them are successful and, even then, still require someone to go through the responses (especially when the client is being picky or incredibly specific). Until the birth of A.I., chatbots will not be able to replace the need for a human being to pick up on the nuances of human speech and conversation.
If you own an eCommerce company, these are the trends that will get you more sales this year. Pick a trend that fits your service or product and start a team to put it in action. It would be well worth it to look into each of these facets and see which one you’re most keen on developing. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm: whoever is able to implement a seamless chatbot system or AR for the masses that’s both affordable and functional will definitely benefit the most from this young industry.
However, if you’re a new company looking to make your mark on the world with your new service or product, it will be worth it to put in the time and effort into marketing. The best product in the world or services that have everyone raving is nothing without exposure and publicity. People can’t talk about what they don’t know about; getting your brand name out there and having people talk about it is the hard part in this world of incessant chatter and content. If you want to stand out from the masses, you’ll have to do something unforgettable that everyone isn’t doing on the platform everyone else is on.