Ecommerce trends, or online shopping trends, are the ever-changing common habits of customers online. While the early days of e-commerce would have made straightforward features like 360-degree product viewing a trend that brands could jump on, modern customers expect a lot more from the companies they support. And they expect a lot more support to view your content, as studies show some customers now use up to five devices to access the internet and your brand must be reachable on all of them if you hope to offer reliable engagement. These expectations and trends change with every passing year and help shape the content and products brands need to create to keep up with the modern tastes, as well as the competition.
What trends will be important in 2023?
Online shopping trends dictate the way your customers expect your business to act. Here are the top 10 trends to consider as you plan your business’ e-commerce growth over 2023.
1. Online may lose its lockdown crown The pandemic saw e-commerce gain unrivaled access to a captured customer base. Brands that never had an online shopping portal stepped up their game to survive lockdown and customers who previously favored brick-and-mortar stores were forced to make new online habits. But as we move closer to a life free from lockdown restrictions, these off-line stores are enjoying a healthy rebound. In fact, brick-and-mortar stores have enjoyed a growth rate of 6.5% from 2020-2021, the most since 2016.
Brands can’t rest when it comes to using their online presence to make up for a lack of customer presence in stores. This year will be vital for establishing omnichannel marketing plans that make both your online and offline channels hold the same appeal. From buying online, pick up in-store options to ‘experiences’ that are the perfect source of social media mentions and shares such as in-store champagne shopping evenings or even yoga sessions.
2. Social media giants are unlikely to be disrupted Between Facebook’s first sign of decline and Twitter’s ownership drama, it may seem like social media giants are losing their shine in the eyes of users. But despite this, it’s unlikely a disruptive social media alternative will be arriving in 2023, so businesses should keep all bases covered.
Facebook may not be the preferred platform of the young and trendy today, but the e-commerce statistics suggest it is still the must-have channel for a general engagement. While a decline was reported in 2022, this is barely a dent in the wider up-take of the platform, which has increased by over 40% since 2017 with that in mind, brands should work to keep their Facebook channels as fresh and updated as Instagram and TikTok
3. VR takes over Virtual reality has become increasingly accessible over the past few years, and increasingly accepted as not a mere fad but a genuine tool by customers. In fact, 71% of customers said they would be more likely to shop with brands that used VR. But this doesn’t mean customers have to put on a VR headset to enjoy the virtual reality experiences of your brand.
Examples of how VR is being used to lay the way for this e-commerce future include furniture brands that allow customers to view their products within their homes. There are also fashion brands that allow for things like spectacle try-on using a phone camera, or beauty brands that do the same with shades of hair dye. This use of 3D technology that gives customers a virtual ‘hands-on’ experience has been reported to increase conversations by as much as 40%.
4. Users are the new content creators
User-Generated Content continues to grow, with 41% of US consumers saying they stream more user-generated content that TV shows or movies. That’s a notable e-commerce statistic considering TV and movie streaming services are rarely free and yet is free-to-view UGC that remains the priority of those same paying customers. 80% of US social media users check their channels daily, so brands should aim to have fresh content always ready to greet them.
One of the most common ways to do this is to tap into the power of influencer marketing. By aligning with social media users who have sizable followings, your brand awareness can grow in an authentic way i.e. through the gaze of a real customer. The power of the influencer is recognized worldwide, for example, in Brazil alone, almost 90% of the population follows at least one influencer online. Advertisers can collaborate with these personalities and the vital link they have to their targeted customer base to build credibility and trust. As well as reach a massive audience in a single post with advertising tools making it easy to see every campaign’s total impact.
5. New, older customers will need to be convinced
The pandemic forced a new set of customers online, most notably, older customers who may not have been particularly interested in shaping an e-commerce future for their shopping habits. Now that these older shoppers are online, though, it’s important that businesses consider their needs as much as millennials or Gen Z. One of the biggest areas of concern for more mature customers is in security, and it should certainly be a priority for any business.
Of these mature shoppers, 70% cite secure payment methods as a key reason why they might shop with a certain brand. However, even among Gen Z, Gen X, and millennials, this was noted as a key concern for at least 49% of all demographics, increasing in importance as customer age increased. This taps into a mentality that all age groups can share and that is a sense of transparency. Be clear on how you process user data and how you secure your website for safe payments in a way that is easy to understand for all age groups.
6. Deliver on delivery
Another of the lockdown e-commerce trends, the expectations customers have for delivery have increased. A vague suggestion of ‘3-5 business days may no longer be enough. Studies have shown that when businesses fail to be most accurate about the delivery date of orders, almost 70% of customers would refuse to order from that business again. But deliveries that deliver on customer satisfaction are about more than being on time.
Brands should aim for transparency and constant engagement, so customers can know at any time precisely where their product is in the process. For some brands, that may mean being able to track a driver on an app; for others, it may mean email updates with accurate time slots. You may also want to consider new ways of adding convenience to this part of the purchase cycle such as giving customers the freedom to split purchases into multiple packages, send them to different locations, collect items in-store, or pre-order new items. Free and easy returns are another thing that is quickly becoming standard among any respectable brand.
7. Purchases aren’t a trade-off of personal information
An interesting e-commerce trend that seems to buck it entirely. While personalization is becoming increasingly important for customers, whether that’s Gen Z looking for social media shopping that speaks to them or baby boomers seeking sites that share their values when it comes to quality and security, not everyone wants to share intimate personal details.
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With e-commerce and your advertiser tools, you can reach your customers in a new way and enjoy deeper engagement that will help you align your brand to the online shopping trends people are looking for in 2023.
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