Currently, it is a must-have to be active on social media and to operate in the e-commerce sector.
E-commerce is a process where parties buy & sell products and services or send information by means of an electronic network, the Internet. The sales aspect of e-business depends on it. As far as commercial profile is conсerned, there are 6 types of electronic commerce. This covers Business-to-Consumer (B2C) operations, and it is also involved in:
- Business-to-Business
- Consumer-to-Consumer
- Consumer-to-Business
- Business-to-Administration
- Consumer-to-Administration
Today, clients are in charge of the market, as they have a lot of offers to pick from.
You stand out from competitors not only with the help of your product but with a customer-centric shopping experience which is built around your brand to keep customers. Everything has an influence beginning with an order process and payment possibilities to fast delivery. This requires a lot of effort. It is here that new e-commerce technologies and applications offer solutions.
In the modern world, all popular brands can be found online in deferent forms. They do this because they want to bring online customers.
These are the trends which influence the e-commerce industry.
Social-commerce, a Subset of E-commerce
Naturally, social commerce is the use of social networks for online shopping transactions.
Social media is embedded in our daily activities. This fact effectively changes the buyer-seller landscape. Brands stay in touch with their clients via popular social networks to create a personal relationship. More advanced technical features are integrated into social media that are directed to shorten the buying cycle. In the future, the one-click "Buy" button will likely be adopted by most social networks.
M-commerce
M-commerce (mobile-commerce) stands for the usage of the application on smartphones and tablets to buy and sell products. Nowadays, the percentage of consumers using mobile devices constitutes a half of all internet traffic, meaning it is of high importance that e-commerce shops adapt to mobile screens and, in some cases, even build a separate app for the specific purpose to reach these consumers and to follow mobile e-commerce trends. Solely the presence of a website or mobile app does not guarantee tremendous success. But it is important to make sure that you have created the best conditions for online shopping experience. Client engagement and retention are the key aspects to focus on.
Meanwhile, the more advanced functionality embedded into mobile apps sets up some new game rules. The invention of the devices such as Beacons and Dash Buttons has actually shown the value of having a branded e-commerce mobile app.
Omni-Channel is the New Normal
According to Google, around 85% percent of users begin their shopping journey on one device and continue on another. It can start with an Instagram advert and end up at a leather jacket store down the street. This message from consumers has set the trend of aligning online and offline sales channels.
This approach is called omni-channel, means that all interaction with customers should provide the feeling of one entity. Each detail of a particular company, its brand, marketing content, and ads should communicate the same concept.
In order to stay competitive, enterprises will need to employ an omni-channel strategy. This complex system implies a high-load backend to maintain and merge data from all the sales and social channels.
Even still, there's more to expect in the future of e-commerce sector.
The successful cases of virtual reality, drones for delivery, voice assistants, and crypto-payments in the e-business spheres show that our journey of purchasing goods could exceed our imagination.
You will find out additional information related to this topic here: What is the Future of E-commerce?