The last two years have been volatile. Entrepreneurs were on a roller coaster ride with their business highs and lows. For E-commerce, the pandemic was a blessing in terms of increasing the volume of online shopping, and a curse caused by supply chain and delivery issues.
Fortunately, the economic system is slowly regaining its footing, and businesses are embracing the changes brought by the pandemic.
The good news is online shopping is here to stay, from 12% of all retail spend in 2019 to 20% of all retail spend in 2021. That’s a massive increase in just a few years. It shows how robust e-commerce is, and will become, in the future.
We can expect that e-commerce will continue to make a chunk of the dollars that people spend.
We are also seeing the rise of the “super shopper”. These people buy 2-3 times a week on average, know what they want, and don’t tolerate crappy websites and purchasing processes.
Super shoppers are actively looking for brands to fall in love with, and they take up 50% of the overall retail spend. Here are seven e-commerce trends to incorporate into your marketing strategies to engage these super shoppers, and keep your business moving forward.
Globally, there is a trend toward people wanting to support local businesses. They pay a bit more to ensure that their favourite local brands stay in business. As e-retailers, we also have the responsibility to look for local online products. Where possible, choose ethical, locally produced products and give them a badge or banner on your website.
Think about creating a category on your website specifically for locally sourced or produced items – that alone may increase your conversion by up to 50% because shoppers today are showing a preference for locally produced goods.
During the pandemic, people have adapted to different work life. Many have gone from a 40-hour week to working from home. Many corporations have adapted to this work arrangement. This means that e-commerce peak periods of 7-9pm, when people are done for the day, no longer apply.
The new peak time now is between 3-5pm. During this time, working people are already bored and have sent a couple of messages to their team. It’s the perfect time to rest and go online for some shopping. So, what can you do? Change the times you post on social media, send your email campaigns and put out your ads throughout the day to tempt your customers when they’re most likely to be ready to buy.
3 out of 4 online shoppers consider sustainability from an online store before purchasing. How can you leverage this?
Make some plans on sustainability or ethical angles to your brand and deliver. This may be in your delivery and packaging, it could be the products and materials you source, or it could be aspects of your product that allow your customers to live more sustainably. Then, tell your audience about it and show them how you’re implementing eco-ethical standards in your business.
Online shopping shouldn’t be boring. Thus, every part of the purchasing process should be an experience – from ordering the products to receiving and opening the products.
Change your mindset from being a product provider to becoming a service provider. Don’t just provide the product but show up and serve your clients and customer an excellent customer experience. Think about how you can create an experience as a brand that leads to an impression your customers will remember.
Statistics show that traditional sales periods aren’t dead – in Australia most retailers traditionally stuck to end of financial year and Boxing Day sales, but many are now also embracing Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
There are also several emerging promotional periods such as payday sales, AfterPay Day, Click Frenzy and Mothers Day sales etc. While I don’t advise being on sale constantly (as this will encourage your customers to simply wait for your next sale), identify the sale periods that resonate most closely with your brand and make sure to plan adequately for these and promote them across all your channels.
Prepare options for super shoppers. Studies show that super shoppers buy from across categories. When they jump online to purchase items, they’re not going to check out just one thing. They scroll and buy more from different categories.
Take this opportunity to add different related products across categories. People want a one-stop shop where people can buy everything from baby products to make-up products in just a single checkout.
Your brand is essential, but delivery is much more. Efficiency and convenience matter most. 42% of shoppers like to improve delivery options. They don’t remember the freight company name, but they remember brands that poorly deliver. It’s not the freight companies that are blamed for inefficient delivery systems. It’s the brands that take the blame. What can you do?
⦁ Speed – quickly get your products from the warehouse to the end customers. Aim for same-day delivery if you can.
⦁ Transparency – be clear in communicating to your customer what delivery looks like. Create a banner of what the process looks like. Don’t let them wait for over a week for the products to be delivered. If there are delays, tell them right away. Provide good tracking information. Keep them updated at all times and be nice about it.
⦁ Give them express options. People want flexibility and let them make the decisions as to when they can get their delivery. So, give them options to pay extra to get their items quickly.
There you go! These are the seven tips and e-commerce trends you should know about. Incorporate them into your marketing strategies in the next six to twelve months for impressive sales growth!
Podcast on itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/e-commerce-uncomplicated/id1616750205
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