There’s a lot of stuff happening in the ecommerce world – and it gets tough to keep tabs on what you really need to focus on.
If you aren’t already too busy putting out the fires of inventory management, staffing, or something else – then you are usually scrambling to figure out what products you need to add to your growing business. It’s rare that eCommerce business owners have time to figure out what the next big eCommerce secrets are.
I reached out to some experts in ecommerce so that I could get a grip on the upcoming market trends for my own online store, and I figured I should pass these awesome ecommerce predictions on to you so that you could be prepared as well.
I asked them what their biggest predictions were for ecommerce that will likely take place before the year’s end. We’re 5 months in now, so let’s make the most of the last 7!
Prediction 1: Better, Faster A/B Testing for Small Businesses
“Ecommerce is evolving faster than ever; we are already seeing more traffic and conversions from mobile, better user experiences and personalization.
The most exciting thing to happen in eCommerce before this year’s end will be personalization of offers and content. Bigger etailers are using companies such as Dyno.io to personalize content which is A/B tested on conversion rate optimization platforms including Experiment Engine and Optimizely.
This personalization and CRO optimization was limited to large companies with a ton of resources, but as these platforms evolve, more ecommerce stores will be able to compete with Amazon, who has the ability to change their pricing every 15 minutes.”
– Luiz Centenaro, Chief Hammocker, Hammock Town
Prediction 2: Even More Mobile Focused
“I think the biggest developments are likely to be around mobile, in the growth of device usage, the increased use of larger phones which should make mobile commerce easier, and easier mobile payment solutions.”
– Graham Charlton, Editor in Chief, Econsultancy.com
In fact, to back up what Graham mentioned – we’ve already experience Mobilegeddon from Google, and now Bing has their own version coming out too. There is an industry wide push to be even more mobile focused.
Some countries have huge populations that are entirely mobile commerce, like South Korea, so making sure the mobile experience is optimized is becoming more and more important.
Shopify even reported last fall (almost a year ago) that mobile traffic had surpassed desktop for their ecommerce stores!
Prediction 3: Drones Enhancing Delivery of Products
“The implementation of RC drones/quadcopters in the ecommerce delivery and supply pipeline would revolutionize the way people shop and businesses operate. What used to be a niche hobby is now making weekly global headlines. We’ve reached a point where the technology is capable of making a Jetson-esque world not only possible, but likely. It’s just a matter of time.”
– Nathan Peck, Marketing Director, Dollar Hobbyz
Nathan went on to tell me that since Dollar Hobbyz actually sells several drones, that if there is any way possible for them to beat Amazon to the punch of delivering product to their customers via Drone – they would do it.
Prediction 4: Engaging Customer Experience
“Large numbers of ecommerce businesses that don’t have a strong brand and offer an engaging shopping experience will die off. They already are.
Picking a template from off the shelf that 5000 other stores also use, with copy/pasted product descriptions just won’t cut it.
Businesses who understand that their customers want engaging ecommerce experiences and a memorable brand will continue growing and capturing new orders.”
– Danny Halarewich, Founder & CEO, LemonStand
Prediction 5: The Wearable Transition
“I think the Apple Watch and its ability to pair with mobile apps is a huge opportunity. Retailers and ecommerce sites need only to think of which features/content are most suitable for the “glanceable” experience, but it will be exciting to see what apps and features marketers come up with to enhance the mobile/wearable experience.”
– Linda Bustos, Director of Ecommerce Research, Elastic Path
I absolutely love everything Apple – and I have been drooling over the Apple watch since it came out. I’m not alone – the wearable trend is really taking off – and it will likely have a huge impact on the future of e-commerce, m-commerce, and w-commerce (Wearable Commerce).
Bonus Prediction: Instagram Influencers
“I believe more brands will realize the power of ecommerce on Instagram. More brands will create Instagram stores, which allow followers to find products that are featured in the photos. Brands will collaborate more with influencers to drive sales. You don’t have to be a big brand to work with influencers. There is a big ecommerce community on Instagram, and any brand can join. Instagram hashtags are the new shopping catalogs. Online window shopping will be more fun and social.”
– Cammi Pham, eCommerce Marketer, ThinkRenegade
Conclusion
There are lots of changes coming to ecommerce, many of which will likely start happening within the next few months. I know how busy you are running your store, but make sure you are running towards the future, and towards success, not running it into the ground.
Hopefully some of these ecommerce predictions will give you the motivation you need to buckle down and take care of a few growth projects for your online store.
Have your own ecommerce predictions that you think merchants should know about? Share with us in the comments below!
