Mobile Matters – Important eCommerce Trends to Embrace

Ecommerce was a seismic shift in the retailing landscape, allowing consumers to shop from the comfort of their own home. Now mobile commerce (mcommerce) has expanded that freedom even further as smartphones and tablets turn any location into a virtual marketplace

By 2021, mcommerce is projected to make up more than 50 percent of all retail ecommerce sales. Are your ecommerce fulfillment services optimized to meet the demand? Stay ahead of the competition by implementing these mcommerce trends and innovations.

Mobile First

In the earlier days of ecommerce, the norm was to design websites that were responsive to mobile. As mcommerce has risen in importance, online retailers are reversing the practice and designing for mobile first and optimizing for the web.

Speedier Checkouts

Convenience is the biggest advantage of ecommerce. Studies show payment options such as one-click checkout and mobile wallets generate up to 10 percent more mobile conversions.

App or Website?

When Apple and Google launched their app stores, industry experts predicted that mobile apps would be the dominant form in the future. While apps definitely have grown in popularity, mobile browser users still outnumber mobile app users approximately 2 to 1. Give careful consideration to which option will better serve your audience.

Augmented Reality

Brick-and-mortar stores still offer a more tactile experience than ecommerce, but innovations like augmented reality help close the gap. Augmented reality apps use cameras, touch screens and other sensory elements to integrate real images for greater functionality. One of the more successful examples is IKEA Place, which lets users virtually “design” a home, office or other space with 3D true-to-scale objects.

Chatbots and Messenger Apps

When your online customers have a question, do they have to ask it via email? Savvy shoppers don’t want to wait, and they’ll head for another site that’s more responsive. Provide real-time interaction with chatbots and messenger apps for prompt customer service and a more personalized experience.

Omni-Channel Marketing

Ecommerce is the most recent spoke in the multi-channel wheel which offers customers a variety of ways to browse and shop. Mobile commerce helps e-retailers go beyond a multi-channel model to an omni-channel model that breaks down boundaries to present a single, unified user experience. Products are at the core of the multi-channel model, but the omni-channel model is centered on the customer.

Improved Page Speed

It’s no surprise that page speed, which is inextricably linked to ease of use, is a primary driver of customer loyalty. Nearly 50 percent of shoppers won’t wait longer than three seconds for a page to load before leaving.

If you need another reason to ramp up page speed, Google rolled out their mobile-first indexing in 2018, which means rankings now give preference to mobile sites instead of desktop sites.

Ecommerce Fulfillment Services for Today and the Future

Is keeping up with the demands of ecommerce fulfillment taking valuable time away from growing your business? We offer customized ecommerce fulfillment services that scale along with your company. Contact Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics to learn more.