7 Emerging Ecommerce Trends To Watch Out In 2016

eCommerce has evolved into a giant planet of buy and sell. It’s a virtual platform, where millions of people around the world are served with their favorite products and services. The trends of an ecommerce industry keep changing when there is a change in the technology that endorses it. In addition to the basic trends for moving ahead in online horizon, there are prevailing trends that need to be followed for a business success. The owners are curious to know and get prepared for the challenges they have to face in 2016. Significance of Mobile shopping Mobile phones have become a mandatory part of our lifestyle. The purpose of owning a smart phone is not limited to calls and messages only, as people like to browse products and buy things online on their handheld devices. Keeping in mind the surge of such users, getting your online store ready to cater mobile shoppers seems to be a mandatory part of your strategy rather than considering it an optional feature. The Outerboxdesign reports that about 125 million US consumers own smartphones. It clearly communicates that you will lose a great number of consumers for undermining the importance of mobile shopping. The number of smartphone users will further increase this year, which is a good omen to get your online stores optimized for better shopping experience. Multiple channels for shopping Apart from smartphone users, a great number of people like to shop on their tablets. In this new era, shopping via desktop computers and laptops seems to be outdated, as tablets are most innovative form of computers. Most of the people like to own a phone that gives an experience of tablet as well, known as a phablet. In the presence of different technology gadgets with variety in screen sizes, an online store has to be optimized for multiple channels. Let’s take an example of a common man, who finds your product or service appealing at the workplace. He takes a note of it on a smartphone and drive back to home to search the product on a tablet or laptop. He may then shop on a desktop, laptop or tablet as he seems comfortable. Multi channel users are likely to spend more than a single channel user. To keep them interested in your products or services, your online store need to be optimized for a great variety of screen sizes, so that they enjoy supreme shopping experience regardless of the device they use. Flash sales Setting up discounted offers for a time period is known as flash sales. It can last for a few hours, days or weeks. Flash sale is not a new concept for boosting sales and revenues. In fact, a great number of customers expect discounted offers through flash sales. The store owners often receive a warm welcoming response from customers when they have a flash sale. Customers are more likely to spend in a store having lowered prices for products and services compared to other ones. To be successful in the year 2016 by following such trends, you must be careful in retaining your brand identity and prestige. Differentiate between strategies that specifically apply to your industry and the way in needs to be implemented. Online stores having a quality conscious fan base have to be cautious in offering a discount, as a slight decrease in prices may negatively communicate a compromise in quality. Real time analytics The conventional methods for analyzing consumer behavior have been left behind in 2015. To equip your store for the challenges in this year, you can unleash the usefulness of real time analytics. With the help of real time analytics, you are informed of the consumer actions as well. For example, the traditional analytics straightaway provide a percentage of people leaving the cart, whereas the real time analytics finds out why a customer leaves the store. After knowing the real cause of cart abandonment, you can take preventive actions that prevent customer loss. Hiring Virtual Sales Force Normally, sales forces are hired to cater the needs of customers when a sale is completed or a customer inquire about a product or service before making a purchase. This kind of customer care system is workable once the customer is willing to purchase or have already purchased products. To educate or encourage visitors to make a purchase, ecommerce sites are now utilizing the benefits of pop-ups, live chat and other tools that are governed by a virtual sales force. This method is quite acceptable for customers as well, as they can grab information from a popup window and click the link, or ask the admins. Fast and Reliable Shipping Customers are curious to receive their favorite products as soon as the orders are placed. To serve them with instant deliveries, most of the stores have started offering same day delivery. In line with fast delivery and better customer services, most of the companies started offering same-day delivery to retailers. Today, customers have a horizon of retailers and services. They are more informed by the endless possibilities in eCommerce world and it takes no time for them to switch to other brands, products and services. For a great majority of customers, timely shipping matters a lot. ‘Crowd sourced delivery’ is another name for delivering products and services the same day. This concept has revolutionized the online shopping experience. The implication and use of this method may vary between countries, but the urge for instant delivery will still be the core purpose. The use of crowed sourced delivery may soon be seen in practiced by the prominent eCommerce site Amazon, which has announced hiring of the agents for same day delivery. Contextual shopping Your customers can only decide to purchase a product or consume service if they are provided with a complete description, helpful videos and quality images. To convince them about the products or services, personalization is considered a norm for various mediums. Whether you need to write a product description or social media post, the content must communicate a contextual meaning. In 2016, consumers are in search of informative, relevant and valuable content for the products and services they require. It requires online stores to tailor content according to their expectations rather than setting annoying banners or auto-play videos. Conclusion The world of ecommerce keeps on changing with the technological changes that are affecting online shopping experience. The increased use of mobile gadgets is facilitating customer to browse products and services as they feel comfortable. Along with the screen sizes, various other trends and marketing strategies, also have a deep impact on your online store’s success. The entrepreneurial spirit is further injecting the idea of offering something new and innovating to your customers that does not necessarily counts the capital you have invested in your business. It requires you to step ahead out of the conventional methodologies and adapt prevailing trends.