E-Commerce Trends: What Can We Learn from 2017?

There is a wealth of information available to guide you on your ventures in the world of e-commerce. But if we can take anything from the last year, it’s that there is no single rule to follow. The key to any success story starts with an exploration into new and upcoming e-commerce trends and a willingness to delve into the unknown. Above all, though, success is about having the dedication to create an enjoyable shopping experience that is constantly evolving in order to accommodate the changing marketplace and demands of your users. But e-commerce success doesn’t stop the moment a sale has gone through; exceeding your customers’ expectations means being there before, during and after every single purchase.

In this blog, I’ll be looking at two of the biggest e-commerce trends we saw in 2017 and how we can continue to develop on these points for success this year.

Content is Key

It has long been known that updating your website with fresh, engaging content is important. And while we often focus on the role that content plays in your website’s ranking, blogs and other copy can greatly contribute to your selling success, too. Think about it this way: you have a chance to be a market leader, share your insight and create shareable content. If people enjoy what they’re reading on your blog, they’re much more likely to stick around, refer you to a friend and make a purchase.

With e-commerce platforms, in particular, written content is invaluable. Before customers make any kind of purchase, they need to feel informed. And how do you achieve that? With a compelling, creative and informative product description. Each and every product or service on your website is a chance to bring customers in. Not only can you optimise these pages to rank better, but you can develop an enjoyable shopping experience that goes above and beyond the sales themselves.

Looking forward, it is important to learn from and grow with the trends. Video content is developing rapidly and is set to account for 80% of all internet traffic by 2019. With that said, focusing on ways you can integrate video into your content marketing strategy could be a golden opportunity for increasing sales.

2016 Report.

Everything in an Instant

More than ever, companies are looking for new ways to out-compete their rivals. Doing this in the ‘Express Era’ means perfecting the art of speed. Today’s customers are looking not only for the best deal at the best price, they are on the hunt for companies that will deliver the fastest, too. 2017 has seen the ‘Same-Day Delivery’ trend grow even more and this is certainly an area to focus on when it comes to improving your sales.

According to 365 Retail, there are currently only 15% of online retailers, globally, who offer same-day delivery but this is definitely an area set to increase. 365 Retail also noted that a sizable 49% of customers would be more likely to shop online if same-day delivery was an option. It is undeniable that speed is a winning angle to adopt when looking to bring in more customers.

But even for the big leagues, I’m talking about the Amazons of the e-commerce world, logistics can put a spanner in the works. If you are a smaller company, how exactly can you keep up with one-hour drone delivery options and the like? Some good alternatives could include instantly-actionable things that don’t require the same level of staffing or cost, such as downloadable voucher codes that can be redeemed immediately. Essentially, you need to ask yourself how you can offer your customers instant gratification when it comes to their shopping experience and then look to expand that as your company grows.

Source: Pok Rie

Clearly, there is no hard and fast rule to e-commerce success but staying atop the e-commerce trends can play a big part in securing a loyal customer base and achieving more sales. Later on in the year, we’ll look at the role of social media, cross-device analytics and the changes that GDPR could bring about with regard to areas such as email marketing. If you would like to know more about anything mentioned in this blog or find out about the services we offer, why not get in touch with us? We’d love to hear from you!

FSM.