The Hottest Trends in Ecommerce Today
It’s a Buyer’s Market
Businesses need to be aware that the economy has shifted.
Instead of customers seeking out retailers and willingly paying their asking price for products and services, the roles have been reversed. Now it is the business who must seek out the customer and woo them with the promise of satisfaction and a fair market price.
Today’s consumer is not only savvy by nature, they are highly selective out of necessity. With nations all over the world fighting to stave off economic troubles, household budgets are growing increasing more limited; consumers still need and want the same goods and services, but they are either having to sacrifice some in order to have others, or they are searching for the best possible bargains, hoping to secure a little of everything that they were seeking in the first place.
This is where the intelligent ecommerce operator comes in. Businesses that are aware of these limitations for every-day consumers can market to them more effectively, there by increasing customer satisfaction and the potential for profits all in one go!
Trend #1: Shopping To Go
With the number of mobile devices capable of browsing the net increasing every day, it should come as no surprise that more and more consumers are taking their shopping on the go.
With so many demands placed on the average person, businesses would do well to appeal to the time-starved sensibilities of someone who knows they need to shop for something but does not think they have the time to do so. Imagine you sell greeting cards, and though you have an online shop, you’re not getting that much benefit from your attention to ecommerce.
Fast forward to the development of your new online platform, where you feature a new program at the very top of your online store: ready-to-send cards! A customer need only enter the address of the recipient, their own information, a personal message, and their payment details. The price of postage is included in the sale, and you guarantee that all cards will go out within 36 hours from time of payment. Now your customer can send all of the “Thank You” and “Happy Birthday” cards they like, all without setting foot in a physical shop! The true beauty of this scenario is that this customer can do all of this during the train/bus ride to work/school, or while waiting in line at the grocery store.
By making your ecommerce solutions convenient and visually appealing you are increasing your chances of making a sale and capitalizing on a hot trend in ecommerce today.
Trend #2: Ecommerce SEO
If you’re having any luck with your business’ website, chances are you’re already aware of the benefits of SEO. But have you given any thought to directing the power of SEO towards your ecommerce shop?
A majority of consumers admit to using the internet to do product research before looking for a place to buy. Why not give them both in one place? A web developer can add a review and feedback area to your shop’s product pages, and you can add in the descriptions of your products. Consider including a video or other type of media in addition to plain text for these descriptions. Both your own informative content and content generated by users of your site (the reviews and feedback) will then be placed to attract search engine traffic. When someone looks for information and reviews about your products, they are twice as likely to find your site!
Because SEO is so important, more and more businesses are turning to it to help maximise their potential for high rankings across the board; while is used to be the main event (the home page) of a website that was promoted and optimized, businesses are coming to terms with the fact that optimization is no longer optional if they desire to succeed in a fast-paced and ever-busy world.
