As technology advances, customer demands for the latest tech increase too. For businesses, keeping up with the latest tech trends ensures that you can give your customers what they want. It also help retain a competitive edge and embrace the fast-paced changes to stay relevant in the industry. If your business does not keep up with the changing technology, you face the risk of being left behind.

Here are a few ways in which you can keep your business up to date with the latest technology:

Be prepared

It is essential to offer you’re your customers with products and services built with the latest technology. Innovating and improving products and services with the latest technology prepares your business for the future. Web technology, Mobile applications and new features such as AI, VR and AR can dramatically add value to customer experiences.
 
Don’t forget to check: How To Bulletproof Your Digital Business With Technology

Follow trends

Technology update is not a one-time thing. It keeps evolving. New trends are constantly around the corner. Having all this information gives you an insight into what you should include in your business growth strategies. Following latest trends will ensure that you are ready for what the future may bring in terms of technology.

 

Check out the competition

With competition getting fiercer, it is getting more and more important to understand what technology are others in a similar business using. This will ensure that you and offering similar or better services to your customers with advanced technology solutions. Checking out the competitors will help you strategize better about your tech strategy.

Keeping your business updated with the latest technology is beneficial in many ways. It enables businesses to offer better services to their customers and stay relevant in a fiercely competitive business world. Latest technology will ensure that your business is future ready.

As smartphones become more accessible and high-speed internet is no longer a premium infrastructure in many countries, users are now directly connected to the internet. This easy access to the internet has given a boost to mobile shopping. Many brands are hence embracing mobile commerce on top of the eCommerce platforms. Shopping apps with easy to browse catalogs are becoming more and more popular.

The emergence of mobile commerce changes how brick and mortar businesses operate. It’s important to note that mobile commerce growth is steadily increasing hitting an estimated $284 billion or 45% of eCommerce at the end of 2021. The mobile payments market is also catching on. This means that the likelihood of people making mobile purchases on their smartphones is also huge.

Wide audience

The sheer number of mobile users is reason enough to motivate businesses to embrace eCommerce and introducing mobile shopping as a part of their sales strategy.

Enhanced user experience

Use experience is one of the main reasons for increased conversions. Various technologies can be used like AR that makes shopping experiences more immersive and interesting.

Customer support availability

With the aid of a chatbot and messenger app, business owners can support their customers even outside business hours. Customer support bots have grown in intelligence and intuitiveness making these bots more efficient in dealing with common queries.

Variety of payment methods

Customers have a number of payment methods when it comes to M-commerce. Whether it is a conventional credit card or PayPal, it can be integrated into the mobile store.

You can also read : Mobile App with Online Ordering for Your Local Business

With the entire world owning some or the other kind of mobile devices, businesses cannot afford to not have a mobile strategy. Mobile shopping is definitely becoming popular by the day and most businesses are reaping the benefits from going mobile!

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 will catch on

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.

New demographics will embrace this trend

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.

Increased socialization with E-Commerce experiences will be expected

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.

AR shopping to emerge

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.

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.

There are 4 key reasons why customer support is important for your online business

  • It adds value to your product
  • It increases customer retention leading to recurring revenue
  • Results in positive brand image
  • Boosts employee moral
  • Adds value to your brand

What exactly is good customer support and why is it essential?

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!

White label software comes as monthly or annual subscriptions. They are mostly available under the SaaS model. The seller company brands the model and offers it to clients and users as their own. Important tips for choosing the right software are given here.

  1. Decide on the type of software
  2. White label Design and programming Products: web design products, website builders, and web app design programs fall under this category of software.

  3. White label marketing software tools
  4. They range from lead generation tools to social media management, SEO tools, PPC tools, and reporting tools.

  5. Be on the same page
  6. Look for shared values and beliefs in partner agencies. Successful partnership build-up depends on smooth interchange and exchange.

  7. Consider the services provided
  8. Be aware of the range of services you can access and how they integrate with your needs. Look for systems that allow direct communication in your name and on your domain.

  9. Logo on reports
  10. Telephone conversations, online chats, and reports all carry your logo although they come from the parent agency.

  11. Plans for client interaction
  12. A conference bridge plan provides a neutral interaction space without revealing contact numbers.
    Direct calling plan offers a special contact number customers recognize as a company service number though managed by the parent agency.

  13. Confidentiality
  14. Ensure contractual obligation to maintain confidentiality during the contract and beyond. Look for a no poach clause.

  15. Trained professionals
  16. All client interaction comes from the parent agency. There is no scope for outsourcing such interaction. Only trained professionals employed by the parent agency are involved in client interaction.

  17. Extended non-disclosure
  18. Professionals involved in client interaction are under the same non-disclosure contract as the agency.

  19. Referrer blocking
  20. Brand protection needs referrer blocking systems to be put in place. Browser level blocking prevents source tracking. This ensures no trails are left for analytics to pick up.

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 those who are regular customers, it’s a matter of trust and loyalty too. But, 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:

Completely White-label solution – create your very own store. Lokaly can be completely rebranded -with your specific branding requirements.

Customized & Branded Solution on App Store – Although you can simply download and use as – is, Lokaly can also be customized if need be. You can add your store specific features that caters to your customer base.

Your own Marketplace subscription model – It’s usually a notion that mobile applications are bound to be costly. This is where Lokaly differs from the expensive development options. You can simply pay as you go!

Customizable Features – If your business requires features that are not built in the product, we can customize it and include the features you wish.

Increase your revenue – 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. When you display products that are relevant to the customer buying at your store – they are urged to buy and you get increased sales.

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. Ensure that your products are talked about on social media!

Emails – emails are more powerful than we think. They can be used to target new customers, retarget the old ones, and also used as reminders for 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.

Using the latest technology in e-commerce significantly boosts a company’s chances to become a market leader. The latest technology can offer innovative solutions for enticing customers online. One such technology is Flutter, which takes cross-platform app development to a new level. Some of the main benefits of selecting flutter for e-commerce mobile application development are:

Faster time to market: In today’s competitive business landscape, speed matters above all. The use of cross-platform app development allows reducing the time to market. The product can be released sooner and the app will be available on two devices – Android and iOS while performing like a native app – stable and reliable.

Easy maintenance: It’s known that the release of the application is just the beginning. Maintenance of the application is a large part of the process. It’s time consuming and it costs you too. Flutter’s apps solve these problems as well. In Flutter, adding new features and fixing bugs is easy. There are plugins and widgets available to accommodate any new features you want to.

Cost efficiency: This is one of the most important advantages of Flutter. Because it is cross-platform, two separate teams need not be hired to develop the e-commerce app. So, it saves costs. Developing an app on flutter requires less financial, human and material costs than developing a native application.

Customizable advanced UI: With the focus on the end user, many companies focus on immersive user experiences. Flutter has a wide range of tools and widgets to help design flexible and advanced UI features.

Easy integration with the existing apps: Many companies are apprehensive about creating new apps and discard the old ones. Flutter is flexible and enables you to embed code even in the native mode. Flutter has many more benefits. The transition to cross-platform development is gradual, but a less painful process for businesses.

Flutter is stable, reliable and definitely an option for businesses who wish to move to mobile e-commerce – soon!

Lokaly is an e-commerce app and built using Flutter technology.