8 Techniques for Influencing eCommerce Trends in 2021

Are you an eCommerce Merchant? Are you looking to dominate the market? If this sounds like you, you must prepare yourself to adopt the latest trends in the industry as soon as possible. Trends such as voice commerce, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and multi-channel shopping are expected to dominate in 2021.

Additionally, more and more eCommerce stores are expected to accept crypto payments to entice more customers. Sounds interesting, right? In this article, we examine top e-commerce trends in 2021 to guide your growth efforts. 

#1. Paid Media

Did you know that 43% of companies with online stores report significant traffic from social media? If you haven’t been using any paid media to reach your audience, then you might want to begin. Having a defined paid social strategy to promote your products or services is vital in the eCommerce space.

You need people to not only know your brand but also buy from it. Besides engaging your audience with content, shake things up by integrating the shoppable ad features on social platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Keep in mind that a good percentage of people use social media to research/find products to buy.

Tip:

Once you integrate the different sites to your landing page, which could be your website, you need to ensure it is safe. First, secure all the subdomains on the website, i.e., sales, media, and customer support, that all your potential customers from social media could land too. Next, invest in the right kind of SSL certificate for your website. Luckily, there are affordable options in the market.

A good example is the cheap SSL wildcard certificate that secures your main domain and multiple first-level subdomains under it. It is one of the easy and most affordable ways to tighten your web security.

#2. AI to Improve Search Functionalities

The use of artificial intelligence in online shopping is a trend that has inarguably established its position in the industry. It is playing a leading role in driving innovative solutions and customer experiences. Some of the primary uses of artificial intelligence in e-commerce are personalized shopping, inventory management, and intelligent product recommendations.

Chatbots, for instance, are getting more intuitive and enabling a better customer experience. They can interpret voice-based interactions with customers, address consumer needs, and even provide personalized or targeted offers to customers. 

#3. Voice Commerce Is Finding Its Space

Another e-commerce innovation driver that deserves attention in 2021 is voice search. Experts estimate that by 2021, 50% of searches will be voice-based. In addition, 20% of mobile queries are voice-based, thanks to millennials who conduct search queries through voice assistants. These numbers are estimated to rise because of the simplicity and efficiency the voice assistant’s offer.

I am sure you have tried using SIRI, Alexa, or Google Voice search and loved the simplicity of these technologies. Furthermore, due to the advancement of artificial intelligence, voice search can accurately understand queries and provide customers with the most relevant results. On the other hand, improving the response time of voice assistants inspires quick decision-making for customers.

#4. Humanizing The Brand

According to a PWC Global Consumer Insights survey, among the top three factors that influence customers’ decision to shop is “trust in brand’. Seemingly, many consumers don’t trust brands; instead, they view them as robots who are only interested in taking their money. To do it right, you must get consumers to trust your company.

The best way to go about this is to show the human side of your brand. Humanize your brand the same way your child gets a personalized bracelet combined with Mickey Mouse when they visit Disneyland. People connect with people, not companies, show a lighter side of you by telling stories that relate to your audience.

Below are other ways to humanize your brand in 2021

• Share user-generated content
• Tell authentic stories
• Show appreciation to your customers- send thank you emails, or gifts to rock star fans
• Put your members in the spotlight-shoot some quality photos of your staff members and display them on the website

Augmented reality will change the future of e-commerce.

Imagine giving your customers the luxury of seeing how the products would appear in their homes? Or allowing your shoppers to try different products before making a final decision, cool, right? Well, AR and VR is the future of eCommerce because it offers just that.

Brands including IKEA and SEPHORA are already monetizing from this technology. Have you heard of cart abandonment? Well, you should know that an appalling 78% of shoppers abandon their carts before completing a purchase. To bring these numbers down, eCommerce stores are investing in AR and VR to influence the purchasing decision of their customers. People want to touch, feel, and experience products before buying them. 

#5. Data-driven Measures 

Data-driven strategies in eCommerce are going to be prominent in 2021. Thanks to automation and behaviour-based retargeting, retail brands are naturally progressing. It is simple, increased, and advanced data allows brands to understand their customer behaviours, and in return, deliver more relevant content, products, and services. 

#6. New And Diversified Payment Methods

Gone are the days when an eCommerce store would thrive with only one payment option. If you don’t offer your customers a preferred payment method, don’t wonder why they are not purchasing from you. Other than debit and credit cards, accept digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Samsung. In 2021, we might see eCommerce businesses joining the Overstock bandwagon of using bitcoin as a payment method. 

Don’t worry about running the risk of cybercrimes because of the diverse options. Once your website is secured, you are safe. You can secure payments made through your website by investing in a good SSL like the SSL wildcard. This is critical because customers love to engage with a secure brand.

#7. Multi-Channel Experiences 

Multi-channel or Omnichannel retailing is another trend to watch out for in 2021. It refers to providing shoppers a seamless and consistent experience across channels and devices. Seemingly, customers use multiple channels during their shopping journey. Identify customer’s behaviour, track everything related to cash flow, then find ways of offering them the products they are looking for.

For instance, you can optimize your website for mobile devices. Offer various purchase options such as buy online, pick in-store, or buy online- get doorstep delivery. When using non- eCommerce sites, ensure all transactions are secured.

Again, you can use an SSL certificate like a comodo positivessl wildcard certificate to secure the transactions. A cheap, scalable, and future-proof security option, you can keep adding as many first-level subdomains as you wish without worrying about buying separate single-domain certs for each new subdomain that you add.

#8. Mobile Shopping

It is predicted that by the end of 2021, mobile devices will be expected to make 73% of the total eCommerce sales. If your website is not mobile-friendly, you might want to look into it. Focus on improving the customer experience for mobile users. Use Google Mobile-friendly test to examine if your website is mobile-friendly. You can also implement AMP to allow shoppers to visit your site on their phones faster.

Wrapping Up

As you update your strategy, you must take into consideration these booming e-commerce trends. Keep in mind that marketing is driven by what is going on in the eCommerce world, so keeping a finger in the pulse of these trends will set you up for success. Luckily, some of the trends discussed above are easy to implement and affordable, even for a small enterprise.