E-commerce has become a new normal during and after the global pandemic. The world saw an unprecedented rise during the time of lockdown. The ecommerce giant, Amazon, has been the biggest beneficiary of the pandemic whose revenue rose 26 percent to $75.45 billion USD, beating the expected $73.7 billion. Almost all other ecommerce businesses amassed heavily at a time when brick and mortar business were on the verge of collapse. 

The global ecommerce market saw an increase of approximately 18% in 2019 and reached $3.5 trillion USD. Analysts expect this figure to double by the year 2023. Dubai Ecommerce alone grew by at least 20% in 2019. 

These figures are clear indications of ecommerce being the future which will replace a lot of traditional ways of doing business. Let’s have a look at a few insights and try to understand what the future holds for ecommerce. These insights will also help online retailers implement the things in their stores so that their stores are ready and optimized for these trends. 

1. Increase in Mobile Shoppers

In 2016, it was estimated that around 50% of shoppers were on mobile devices. There has been a rapid increase in mobile users and so mobile ecommerce sales continue to grow. Some statistics expect this to be more than 70% by the year 2021, 72.9% to be exact. 

If you are heading to start an ecommerce business, make sure your store is mobile friendly and looks good on all devices. If it’s not, you will see a huge decrease in conversions because more than 70% of visitors will try to access your store from mobile devices. 

2. Video Content Still a Priority

Video content will continue to surge, and for good reason. We have been seeing this trend since 2017. All online platforms including Google and Facebook are continually emphasizing on video content. A 2 minutes explainer video has the power to outdo a few pages content and people love it. 

A study by Animoto found that as many as 73% of customers are more inclined to purchase a product after watching an explainer video about it. And up to 71% of consumers say video content gives them a positive impression of the brand.

3. More Transparency for Customers

You see a huge rise in people incorporating social causes in their branding like a portion of proceeds going to a specific cause or products being ethically sourced. This is huge for showing transparency of what goes on behind the scenes of a brand. This reassures customers that the money they are spending is going to help people. 

We can also see transparency in terms of a brand showing behind the scenes of an order placement. Amazon does this and tells you where your product is every step of the way. People really expect this level of engagement in their shopping. 

4. Focus on User Generated Content

There has been a great focus on user generated content recently. You see product reviews, social media integrations; influencer’s recommending products on every ecommerce site. This is a great way to build customer trust and directly connect your brand with customers. 

The following insights will highlight the importance of UGC. 

•   More than 86% of companies today use user generated content as part of their marketing strategy. 
•   84% of online shoppers now read online reviews. 
•   Placing user-generated content directly on product pages can improve conversions by up to 64%.

The more people you can get their hands on your product and reviewing it, the better. 

5. Rise in Voice Search

Like everything else, the way people search online is also going to alter. In 2016, one of every search online was done through voice. This is going to continue to increase and some statistics say that 50% of all searches will be voice searches by 2020. 

This means that you actually need to have your site setup and optimize for voice search. This in turn means that you need to optimize for long tail keywords for SEO and think about what people may be searching for when they come across your product, any questions they may have that can lead them to your product. Create content both in product posts and blog posts that answer these questions. 

6. Rise in Chatbots

Your support team can’t be around 24/7 answering customer’s queries. This is where chatbots come in. You can set them up to have programmed a list of responses based on what the customer is asking and the chatbots give automated messages. 

The use of chatbots is on the rise. If you would like to know how many businesses are using them and how they are helping businesses, the following insights will give you an idea. 

•   35% of people use chatbots to resolve a complaint or problem, or for getting detailed answers.
•   Chatbots can help businesses save up to 30% on their customer support costs. 
•   64% of businesses said they enjoy the 24/7 support that chatbots provide the most among many other benefits.