Online shopping has gone beyond a trend to become an established and lucrative retail channel. Demand has become so great in fact that new trends are emerging that will feed consumer thirst to shop conveniently online.
The eCommerce industry continues to change and evolve as sellers learn more about consumer habits and preferences. Here’s a sneak peek at the trends expected to shape the direction of eCommerce in 2019.
Personalized Experience
While online shopping might seem impersonal, electronic data gathering methods are sophisticated enough to let sellers tailor the eCommerce experience to meet each consumer’s preferences. Targeted content replicates brick-and-mortar shopping more closely while retaining digital convenience.
Multi-Channel Retailing
The online buyer’s journey can take them through both traditional and non-traditional outlets including brick-and-mortar, social media and eCommerce marketplaces. Multi-channel retailing involves selling your product where, as ShopifyPlus puts it, a customer is “never more than a click or clerk away from buying.”
Integrating multi-channel retailing can be costly. It requires a highly focused strategy and an infrastructure scaled to seamlessly accommodate various outlets. But with studies showing 73 percent of shoppers use multiple channels, the expense is worth it.
Customer Service Automation
Would you be surprised to hear it’s predicted that 85 percent of all customer service interactions will be handled without human agents by 2020? Customer service automation is now a matter of when, not if. A majority of people are likely to abandon a seller after only one bad customer service experience, so streamlined automation can be invaluable for customer retention.
Mobile Platforms
Whether by phone or tablet, most Americans are only a few clicks away from eCommerce outlets at all times. Consumers use mobile devices throughout the sales journey, from research to final transaction.
Mobile commerce is expected to reach 69 percent share of total purchases and 45 percent of total eCommerce revenue by 2020. Even retailing giant Walmart realized a 98 percent increase in mobile sales by optimizing their site’s function and design.
Same-Day Delivery
Savvy consumers, used to the immediate gratification of brick-and-mortar shopping, aren’t willing to sacrifice that feature for the ease of online purchasing. Nearly three-quarters of consumers say they would shop and spend more if same-day delivery was available.
Unsurprisingly, roughly the same percentage of warehouses name same-day delivery as their biggest challenge. Meeting the demand has led to a search for creative solutions, including unconventional delivery methods such as drones.
Fulfillment Warehouse Services that Grow Along with Your Business
Our fulfillment warehouse services based in Los Angeles, California are scalable to accommodate your business through new trends and innovations. Contact us to learn why Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics is the #1 choice for successful eCommerce retailers.