When the whole world literally came to a halt in 2020, but rather than causing any destruction in the retail world – it provided a boost to this industry in the online world. The entire volume of retail growth reallocated to the E-Commerce channels, which enjoyed an 18% bump in total growth. This growth cannot be accredited solely to the pandemic. The world has seen steady progress towards the online for well over a decade. In the aftermath of a year filled with social distancing and quarantines, the retail industry looks to emerge as a changed entity. Let’s look at what the future holds for the E-Commerce industry:
Voice commerce uses voice assistants such as Alexa or Siri to give shoppers a hands-free shopping experience. In a world of contactless and social distancing, voice shopping will be a great addition to E-Commerce.
Voice commerce has enjoyed success in the E-Commerce industry. However, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the older demographics, as they are required to adhere to strict quarantine measures. But they still need groceries and essential items. This will encourage the use of E-Commerce solutions and hence the use of voice commerce.
E-Commerce has undoubtedly been a life raft for many who were stuck at home. It’s probably been the only surviving tool. Although it is very convenient and quick, – at its core it is a very impersonal experience. E-Commerce and voice commerce will find its applications for enhancing online shopping experiences.
E-Commerce has become a significant retail channel. Technology does not stay static for long. Modern devices with advanced capabilities will enable a lot more AR functions. AR is one of the technologies that will be a game-changer for the E-Commerce industry in 2022.
Predictions cannot be 100% accurate, but it’s true that 2022 with set the stage for new and advanced features that will take E-Commerce experiences to the next level.
Today, it’s hard to imagine shopping without the help of ratings and reviews about the products and services. According to consumer research conducted by Deloitte and Touche LLP, the majority of shoppers (around 75%) use reviews to discover and evaluate products. From food and beverage and apparel, to health and beauty, reviews play an important role in the buying process for customers.
Shoppers today not only view ratings before they make a purchase, but also leave a review after they have purchased and used a product. Studies show that the number of reviews submitted increased nearly 11% year over year since 2019. With reviews, shoppers are not only converting faster, but are known to spend more money too. This lift in revenues per visitor has seen a steep rise in recent years. But, increasing sales and profits aren’t the only thing that reviews can improve for your business. Brand retailers have reported that reviews have an impact beyond the product pages online. Many times a good review directly converts into increased in-store sales too.
A vast majority of shoppers research products online before going to the store to purchase them. Consumers often turn to ratings and reviews when they are in the decision making phase of the final purchase. Reading a positive review from an existing customer gives them the confidence that the product they chose is working well for others too. Studies have also shown that reviews have the ability to influence consumers to buy a more expensive product than they had planned.
Don’t forget to check: Gain Greater Business Reach With Lokaly Buyer App
You may be surprised to find that it’s not only the positive reviews that influence purchases. Many shoppers say that negative reviews are just as important in their decision to buy. It helps them build a pros and cons list (mentally, subconsciously) and the final decision to buy a product is based on complete information. This increases their confidence in their purchase and your product.
Having reviews displayed on your site is a great first step to winning over your customers. It improves one of the most valuable assets a business can have in today’s retail landscape – trustworthiness.
In today’s world, technology transformation is inevitable. But while we keep our businesses up to date with the latest technology and the latest trends in the market, we should also ensure that we plan ahead for the future too. Bullet-proof your business with the right scalable and flexible technology.
Technology keeps evolving and businesses need to plan ahead. With the latest technology today, it will be easier to scale in the future and adopt something more futuristic. Adopting AI and ML based mobile applications today will make it easier to step into the future.
No matter how great your forecasting model is, future is unpredictable. It’s important for businesses to invest in technology that can help adapt to the future developments in IT. For example, invest in scalable bandwidth and develop mobile applications with the latest technology.
The world of technology is constantly changing and businesses need to be able to adapt. Make sure that your hardware and software are up to date with the latest trends. It ensures that your business is set up for success.
With technology your business will be well equipped to handle any future circumstances. It’s a good idea to frequently review your processes and implement technology solutions to streamline the operations.
Customers keep a business alive. It is essential for businesses to analyse what technology the customer uses the most and ensure that they get the right information at the right time in the purchase process. This establishes good customer experiences for your business.
You can also read: Keep Up-to-Date your Business with Latest Technology
In order to bullet proof your business for the future, you need to ensure that you use the right technology for the right processes – a mix of mobile applications, eCommerce, web interfaces and more. These will ensure that you are ready!
Developing an excellent product and a great sales strategy is only half the battle won for a business. Providing good customer support after you have sold a product is also important. Shopping is not merely a transaction – the entire experience counts. By providing excellent customer support you can offer your customers better experiences while shopping with your brand. Shoppers that ‘feel good’ while making a purchase, will definitely be back for more.
Customer support empowers customers through the entire purchasing process and post purchase experiences. It helps you better assist customers who are interested in purchasing your product by offering quick and accurate answers. Next, it is also useful during the purchasing process. You can provide customers with orders, errors while placing orders, or provide better package tracking details. Lastly, you can offer customers with support if they face any issues post purchase. You can make cancellations and returns easy to process or offer the ability to exchange faulty products.
A good product or service can only get you so far. If you add good customer support to the equation, the value of your offering as well as your brand instantly increases. It also has the potential to reduce negative reviews. This added value translates to increased revenue and customer retention.
With customer support, businesses can offer a lot more than sales transactions. You can give them a reason to love your products and your business!
Local departmental stores are the most popular businesses and dominate the market in a particular area. The main reason is their accessibility and simple approach, hassle free buying experiences, friendly behaviour and most importantly, emotional attachment of the customers.
Especially for regular customers, it’s a matter of trust and loyalty. However, this model of operation is highly contact-based.
Times have changed and there is a need to change this model of operation too. With the increasing emphasis on contactless operations for local businesses, how can local businesses maintain their existing customer base’s loyalty and trust?
The answer is – by offering them with easier and convenient means to contact them without actually visiting the store. Lokaly offers exactly this.
In a contactless safe distancing world, Lokaly helps take your local store online and helps keep your regular customers. You can instantly take your products online and accept online payments too.
Here’s what you get with Lokaly:
create your very own store. You can completely rebrand Lokaly with your specific branding requirements.
Although you can simply download and use it as-is, Lokaly can also be customized if needed. You can add your store specific features that caters to your customer base.
Many people believe that mobile applications are usually expensive. Lokaly challenges this notion by offering affordable alternatives. With Lokaly, you can pay as you go!
If your business requires features not built into the product, we can customize it to include the features you need.
Apart from your regular customers, a mobile store will enable you to increase your customer base and revenues!
Ensure your business continuity in the Lockdown or stay home period – sign up for a solution that can take your business online within a few clicks!
Attracting customers to your online store requires smart marketing techniques to engage and convert them to long-term buyers.
Over the past 12 months, online sales have skyrocketed – mainly because, the whole world has been locked down and people are confined to their homes.
The regular stores had been shut down too. The online marketplaces however thrived. So, if you already have an online store, here are some smart marketing tips to keep your existing customers and attract new ones to drive epic growth for your business.
Ecommerce purchases have accounted for 16% of all the sales in the US last year. The eCommerce sales are predicted to keep growing even in the post COVID era.
Content personalization – If your store is online, it is very important to note that content is the main driver for your customers. So, content personalization is one trend to look out for.
Audience, Competition, and trends – create your marketing strategies with your audience in mind. It’s also essential to do complete competition analysis. Check the latest trends and create a comprehensive plan for your products.
Social media – social media is one of the most trending places today. People share what they purchased, how they found it, and what were their experiences while they used the product.
Emails – emails are more powerful than we think.
They can target new customers, retarget old ones, and remind customers of abandoned shopping carts. These are a powerful means of getting people to buy more.
So, if you have already taken your store online – there were a few smart ways to do more with your store to drive sales.
