The Important Ecommerce Trends into 2017
Ecommerce has a bright, shiny future. As of the present, the average consumer spends at least $1,800 per year on the internet, a number that’s only going to increase as time progresses.
Along the way, there will certainly be some trends that set new benchmarks and that create a new baseline for ecommerce as a whole. Feeding this industry are software solutions that have paved the way for a more enriched customer experience and a more robust backend for retailers.
So what’s the latter half of 2016 have in store, and what will be a game-changer in 2017?
Live-Action Customer Engagement Will Dominate
Another plausible trendsetter for ecommerce in 2016, and well beyond, is live-action customer engagement. According to Gallup, there are three types of customers: actively disengaged, indifferent and fully engaged.
According to recent polls/studies that this think tank has conducted, fully engaged shoppers drive 44% more visits per year to online retailers and spend an average of “$373 per shopping trip.” As compared to disengaged customers, who spend a lesser “$289 per trip.”
According to a Small Business Trends report, there are several methods that retailers can use to actively engage customers.
These include:
- Quoting them in your blog to help drive repeat customer visits and encourage interaction.
- Answering their questions via a video or a written post.
- Sending them important updates via email or newsletter.
- Posting valuable content with frequency to help keep customers up-to-date.
- Sharing valuable links and content throughout social networks.
- Creating an interactive ecommerce design.
- Advertising special offers to the most loyal customers first.
Retailers are now adding to this fervor by incorporating live customer service software like zendesk. This solution actively engages customers and allows them to ask questions via an online chat system, social media, phone, message and more. Tickets are created that the customer support team can respond to in real-time. What’s more, retailers also have the ability to offer live-chat support to any customer during the shopping process. Comparative services include: Groove and Desk.com.
According to an Econsultancy report, 83% of customers want live support during the shopping and checkout process at an online store. In instances of customers being inept with online shopping or new to the experience, this number increases to 90%.
The report further reveals that:
- 51% of shoppers will try one time or just give up if they do not have support during the shopping experience.
- 76% will try at least one time post-shopping to get the support they need before giving up.
Mobile Engagement Will Reach New Heights
More shoppers are using their smartphone handsets and tablets to shop online. But mobile engagement has been lackluster in catching up to consumer demand. That is, until now. According to think tank Gartner, mobile engagement and the mobile behavior of shoppers will skyrocket ecommerce-driven mobile revenue by at least 50% by the year 2017.
Gartner is also predicting that over “$2 billion in online shopping will be performed exclusively by mobile digital assistants.” This includes expediting checkouts by automatically filling in the name and address for the shopper, and even furnishing the credit card information to facilitate a purchase.
Mobile engagement will reach beyond the ecommerce store, however.Forrester says that “Mobile will act as a catalyst to transform businesses in the Age of the Customer.” Their report says that the average consumer reaches for their smartphone 150-200 times daily, and that just 14% of companies are cashing in on using mobile as an engagement platform.
As you can see, 2016 has already been a healthy year for ecommerce. As we head into the second half of the year, many of these trends are already being cemented as the new standard moving forwards.
Indeed, 2017 will bring much innovation and leave us wondering what’s in store next.
