2015: The Year of E-Commerce

E-tailers are becoming the new retailers. Today’s consumers are growing confident of making their purchases online, thanks to a raft of technologies that inspire greater confidence between online businesses and their audience. We see customers looking over elaborate product information. We see them making better decisions thanks to the steady stream of customer feedback and comments. We have live chat support that connect potential leads with customer support representatives from the comfort of their web browsers.

And in 2015, eCommerce will take advantage of this positive momentum, rolling out their A game and getting customers to rely on online retailers to serve most of their needs.

Here are some of the trends that will ensure the customer keeps coming back for more and purchase more products online.Consumers don’t live in one channel anymore. 53% of mobile web/app users in October shopped Amazon on their smartphones,which roughly adds up to 76.1 million unique monthly visitors 

Walmart, on the other hand reported a whooping 70% sales coming from mobile devices the Cyber Monday shopping spree in 2014. Mobile commerce is now a reality that needs to be addressed by ecommerce companies. And having a mobile responsive site is no longer enough. You will need a mobile app to cater to the rising demands of mobile experience.

Services such as Apple Pay have proven to be the catalyst behind the adoption of mobile payments solutions in the US, according to Bryan Yeager, e-Marketer and analyst.By 2015, the industry estimates that  physical goods will reach a volume of $14 billion in the US alone, thanks to social commerce. That’s a jump of 93% from 2014. By socializing and reaching out to their customers, brands can stand out from their competitors in a unique way.

For example, a customer posts a query about a product on your Facebook page. That’s an opportunity for social customers to convert the customer. And then there are consumers who can review your products online and in social media. Based on the quality of customer support and satisfaction, they can endorse products and lodge complaints. Brands that are adept in allaying customer complaints tend to enjoy higher social media approval ratings.Brick and mortar stores had an obvious advantage over online stores – they delivered products immediately at the customers’ doorsteps. But that will change with 2015, as advances in eCommerce technology, deeper integration between inventory and courier services can make same day delivery a reality. Zappos was the first to offer overnight delivery, and the timings have started to shrink since then. Companies have also started to outsource shipping to third parties like Amazon, ensuring that turnaround times for order fulfillment is faster. The customer can now see exactly how much stock is left on the website, and this in turn can ensure that the customer doesn’t have to wait for a restock.These are just some of the e-commerce website trends that will become commonplace in 2015. Features like social commerce, mobile commerce and same day delivery options can offer strategic opportunities for retailers and more value to customers. 2015 really is an exciting time to adopt these features in your e-commerce portal if you haven’t done already.