This year is coming to its end, and it’s time to start planning for the year ahead. According to Statista, e-commerce sales in 2019 amounted to 3.53 trillion US dollars, so it’s safe to say e-commerce is a huge industry. As e-commerce has become more popular, trends have evolved for better selling. Here we have put together the top trends to keep in mind going into the new year.
SERP Zero Rank
The goal for online businesses is often to rank as number one on search engine result pages, but number one is no longer the best you can do. If you enter a question into Google and the search results provide an answer at the top of the page without needing to click on any of the effects, that is referred to as position zero. For many search queries, Google provides an answer to what the searcher is looking for with no clicks required. This position of zero results can have an impact on e-commerce and content marketing; searchers no longer need to click on your website when the answer is in plain sight. This means it is no longer enough to achieve the number one ranking place, but you now must earn the featured snippet. Winning the featured snippet or answer box is done with different optimization strategies than used for the top search result.
Chat Bots
It seems like more and more websites now offer a chat option that is easily accessible and with good reason. Chatbots are designed to answer customer questions automatically without needing a customer service rep to be involved at all times. Chatbots can answer questions, make product recommendations, offer discounts, and more. This Artificial Intelligence solution has been very popular with e-commerce stores, and this trend will likely increase in 2024. Some popular chatbots include LivePerson, ZenDesk, and Chatfuel.
Voice Search
With the help of Alexa, Siri, and Echo, voice searching has become more popular in the last few years. As a marketer, it is crucial to understand how voice searches are conducted. Individuals who use voice search often use different wording to find answers to their queries. For example, someone in search of a dog groomer might enter “dog groomer near me” when typing into Google. However, when conducting a voice search, they might use more words and phrase it as a question, “What is the best dog groomer in Los Angeles?” Understanding the way voice searches are done is important for improving your SEO strategy.
Social Selling
The top three social sites all offer options for e-commerce sales. Selling on social sites can make the shopping process easier for your customers. Most e-commerce website platforms offer integrations for making the social selling process easier for you on the backend.
Instagram Shopping
Twitter Product Pages
Facebook Store
Flexible Payments
Allowing your customers to have as many payment options as possible can improve your sales, especially if you sell big-ticket items. For customers making big purchases, offering a flexible payment option can result in more closed sales. Solutions such as Klarna, Afterpay, and Affirm are all ways to offer payment options.
Mobile Payments
In addition to flexible payment plan options, allowing mobile payments can be very beneficial. Many people are shopping from their phones, so offering mobile payments is a must. Mobile purchases will increase in 2024 as mobile payments become more secure. Accepting payments from Apple Pay and Paypal can help you improve your sales.
Fast Delivery
It is necessary to offer fast shipping options at a low or no cost, to keep up with Amazon and your competitors. The shipping options and prices can often be the deciding factor for customers looking to make a purchase. Offering fast free shipping is a trend that is quickly gaining popularity.
Customer Review
As online consumers, we rely on product reviews from previous customers to help us with our buying decisions. Displaying product reviews encourage potential customers to purchase as they increase trust. It is important to have authentic reviews on your products. The way you handle any negative reviews is also essential; negative reviews should be taken care of immediately and polity with a solution.
Product Images
Online shoppers don’t get to physically handle your product when shopping, so you must provide high-quality images to help them clearly see what they are purchasing. Poor-quality images can negatively affect your online sales. Make a point to display multiple angles of your products and point out features you want your customers to be aware of.
Product Videos
While a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth even more. Product videos allow your shoppers to see and understand what flat images can not. Create product videos that show off your product and explain all the features and benefits. Video can help answer customer questions and make a significant difference in your sales.
Create your eCommerce Strategy
Ecommerce trends have evolved a lot in the last few years, and it is crucial to have an e-commerce strategy for 2024. These trends we have listed are only some of the top things to consider. If you need help with your website or advertising, contact us for more information. At Right On Tech, we have years of experience helping e-commerce companies in B2C and B2B, and we’re ready to help you too.
