Sales from the retail industry continue to trend upwards, and as brands attempt to remain competitive, customer experience and efficiency remain the top priorities in digital marketing today. With innovative technologies and the emergence of data analytics, the eCommerce industry is delivering better customer experiences. Online businesses have developed successful digital marketing strategies based on what customers buy, how they shop, and how they respond to technology.
eCommerce thrives mainly because more and more companies keep up with the ever-changing technology and take seriously meeting consumer expectations. A recent report by Statista revealed that global retail sales will hit $4.8 trillion by the year 2021, and if you want to maintain a competitive edge, you have to keep looking ahead. To stand out from your competitors, you need to step up your game by taking advantage of the top eCommerce trends of 2019.
Voice Search Content Optimization
Voice search is the latest trend in the digital marketing world and it is here to stay. Digital assistants such as Cortana, Siri, and Google Assistant have changed how we interact with mobile devices. Search engines are now tailoring search results that match speech. This means that SEO and conversational writing is now more effective than keyword targeting.
To get ahead of the game, ensure that your headlines are written in the form of questions that people can ask their smart devices. Concentrate more on creating content that can help your clients to care or use their new purchase. To capitalize on this trend, you will need to optimize your site for voice search.
Visual Search is Changing How we Browse
Just like voice search, visual search has become more popular because of the increase in the number of smartphone users. Due to improved smartphone technology, people are now foregoing language for graphics. Online shopping is intangible, and customers have to do a lot of guesswork before they get what they are looking for. This is why you should adopt this new trend.
Unlike voice search, visual search may be beneficial for some industries like fashion because it creates the opportunity to connect with consumers. Through visual search, you can present items that match the style of your customers.
Augmented Reality has Revolutionized eCommerce
Tangible products make up the largest portion of eCommerce sales. However, most people are still trying to overcome the biggest psychological obstacle that most consumers face when shopping online. Large numbers of sales are delayed or lost on a daily basis due to a consumer’s inability to evaluate products.
Augmented reality helps bridge this gap by assisting shoppers to visualize products that they are considering to purchase. Users are able to visualize these products in the physical places they will be used in. This has helped make eShoppers more comfortable and enthusiastic to make purchases.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Battles the Abandoned Cart
Your eCommerce business is a great place for browsing products, but it is difficult to stop customers from deliberating and make a purchase. In fact, over 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts before making a purchase. Clothing retailers have a more difficult time because most customers are used to speaking to sales associates when they purchase from brick-and-mortar stores. AI can help throughout the customer journey from identifying a prospective customer to providing after-sales services.
Chatbots Increase Sales and Customer Retention
There’s no single path for online shopping. Instead, customers have different ways to make online purchases, for instance, through email, social media or apps. The variety of options can be confusing to your customers if there isn’t a clearly defined route for reaching your business. Fortunately, you can use chatbots to communicate with customers and also resolve issues on different platforms.
Chatbots are automated programs that are able to perform mundane tasks at a faster rate than humans. They actually pretend to be humans, and your customers can interact with them through voice or text input. Because chatbots aren’t human, they may not always be able to answer questions correctly. For that, you need a hybrid chatbot that can be trained by an agent during operational processes which make the chatbot smarter after completing each interaction. Hybrid chatbots can store more information than the human brain and can quickly dispense information such, as delivery dates on items.
Don’t Be Left Behind
The eCommerce landscape is growing at a blinding pace, and it will only get bigger and better. According to Gartner, online businesses that redesign their websites to increase user experience will skyrocket their digital commerce revenue by 30 percent. As an eCommerce business owner, you should keep track of these trends and capitalize on those that will take your business to the next level. Visit Wagento today to get professional assistance on the best 2019 strategies that will make your business more successful.
