The world of eCommerce is consistently evolving and even though trends come and go, they pave the way for the future of your business, so they’re extremely important to keep up with.

Whether it’s technology, techniques, or public demand, the tides of online sales can change in a heartbeat, but they’re not impossible to predict.

If you’re hoping to take your business further and chase sustainability, profitability, and growth, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with your position in the market.

This means finding out what the market looks like currently, and perhaps more importantly, where that market is going.

It can be difficult to know where to start looking in the first place, but once you begin latching onto eCommerce trends, you can start to move forward in a positive light.

Here are some current trends to keep your eye on in the near future.

Augmented Reality & Product Interaction

While augmented reality (AR) has been around for a while, the technology that enables it is constantly improving.

No longer is it confined to the realms of interior design and manufacturing; plenty of eCommerce sites selling all sorts of products utilize this cutting-edge tech to give their customers a more interactive shopping experience.

Product interactivity is quickly becoming one of the top eCommerce trends to keep on the radar, so you may want to think about whether or not you’re offering your customers enough engagement opportunities on your product pages.

Adopting a Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

Utilizing multiple channels to market products is among the top eCommerce trends looking like it’s going to hang around for a while.

This is a great way to maximize your marketing reach, especially if you utilize all available social media channels, or at least the ones that are relevant to your audience.

It can be difficult to manage a range of channels when you’re busy with the day-to-day responsibilities of running an eCommerce platform, which is why many business owners elect to hire the services of an expert eCommerce marketing agency so they can take some weight off their shoulders.

Some examples of channels to utilize in an omnichannel approach might include:

• Social media
• Email marketing
• SMS marketing
• Guest blogging
• PPC ads
• Programmatic ads
• SEO ready content for multiple search engines

Social Commerce

Many eCommerce trends nowadays are moving towards customer connectivity, and social commerce is a prime example of this.

This is the act of selling products directly through social networks, and it’s effective because it relies on reposts and sharing from your customers.

It can be a good way to drive traffic to your page and give your profit margins a nice boost in the process, but it requires consistency to get right.

Supply Chain Technology

eCommerce trends aren’t solely concerned with marketing by any means, they also concern the logistical side of the business.

Supply chains need to be managed sufficiently in order to keep the customer happy and the profits flowing. The sale doesn’t finish when the customer presses the checkout button, far from it. This is where the second stage of the customer experience begins in many ways.

Online stores with a dependable supply chain are a force to be reckoned with and modern technology has done a lot to improve this area of the industry.

For example, inventory management software has come a long way in recent years and it can help you along every step of the supply chain journey, so it’s worth checking out your options.

Whether it’s a brick-and-mortar store or a fully online set-up, good supply chains can be used as leverage to grow your brand and impress your customers.

Focusing on Customer Service

In a world of remote work, long-distance social calls, and social distancing, the human element of online retail has never been so important.

eCommerce trends have been greatly influenced by the issues presented by the COVID pandemic, and some of these trends will likely stick around for the long term.

Focusing on the customer’s needs, their changing online shopping behavior (maybe your customers are more willing to spend money they would have otherwise spent on a vacation abroad, for example), and their expectations can take you far in the modern digital world.

AI Support

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been working behind the scenes in countless industries for a long time, and it continues to improve on a regular basis.

AI can be used to develop relevant ads, perfectly tailored, and timed advertisements designed to sell products to the ideal target.

This can help you boost your sales figures considerably, especially if you’re able to properly utilize behavioral analytics and interpret the data on your website correctly.

It’s worth noting that cookies are on the chopping block, and while they were originally scheduled to leave the digital world in 2022, this has been pushed back to 2023 by Google.

This could have some big repercussions on AI solutions in eCommerce trends for years to come, but it’s hard to say what these changes will look like just yet, so it’s worth keeping your eye on this particular area.

Contextual Real-Time Pricing

Many B2B eCommerce companies are adopting contextual real-time pricing to offer relevant and attractive prices to their customers.

This is definitely one of those top eCommerce trends to watch for the future, as it combines a great deal of techniques and tools to get right, such as behavioral analytics and machine learning integrations.

Contextual real-time pricing can be a good way to drive eCommerce sales simply because your dynamic pricing can allow you to stay immensely competitive at any given moment.

Often, this style of eCommerce is established by a third-party agency, but if you had access to the right tools and enough of a workforce, you could do it yourself.

Ultimately, keeping on top of trends can help you stay ahead of the drag curve and way in front of your competitors, so matter what stage of your eCommerce career you’re at right now, it’s always worth looking to the future.