1. Augmented Reality a game changer
Augmented reality (AR) has changed the rules of the game for e-commerce as we have come to know it over the last couple of decades. The advent of AR has allowed shoppers to truly see the item they're shopping for, helping them make informed choices while making a purchase online. AR really changes the shopping experience for specific industries including sectors such as fashion and home interiors and furnishings, as the customer is afforded a better feel for the item without actually seeing the tangible product.
2. Voice search in the here and now
As more homes globally adopt smart speakers, more consumers are expected to be seen utilising voice search to shop online, order food and organise their lives. Studies in the US have even predicted the rise of voice search creating perfect opportunities for ecommerce businesses in terms of keywords and content.
3. Personalised shopping will hold the key
Technological advances in the realms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are making it possible for the customer to have automated, personalised shopping experiences. With AI continuously collecting data on how customers shop, when they buy purchases and what they look for in a product or a service, it is increasingly being seen as a form of tech that possibly cannot be be replicated in-store.
4. Chatbots will improve shopping experiences like never before
Chatbots interact with online shoppers about the same way in-store sales associates do with their customers. Shoppers today look for instant gratification and the ability to find and buy a product in just a few clicks. If this is not possible, they get easily irritated. It’s in instances like this that the chatbot could possibly save the sell.
Experts predicted 80 per cent of businesses using chatbots in the US alone in 2020. The numbers have only increased in the last couple or three years with heightened online retail sales during the pandemic years, helping validating the trend of increased chatbot usage by businesses.
5. More ways to pay
Customers have individual needs when it comes to payment methods, but they might cancel a potential sale if they can't pay how they want on an ecommerce website. Offering a wide variety of ways to pay is a good way to increase conversion rates on mobile devices, a thumb rule that online retailers are expected to accept as a matter of course.
Again, if customers get to save their payment information on a site, they get to checkout even faster the next time they make a purchase. It’s a win-win for the seller and buyer.
