Page 18 - AeM_Jan_2018

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

E-commerce trends that will impact 2018

with a vengeance

E-commerce is one of the world's largest growth markets suitable products, based on the customers’ needs,
that is growing every year by more than 20%. By 2020, recommend special coupons for a better conversion
sales are expected to flourish to over US$4 trillion, and help them with content tips in search of the perfect
nearly doubling the status quo. Who wants to get a product. Finally, these bots are a great opportunity to
share of the pie, should therefore keep an eye on gather information from the crowd itself, which analysis
upcoming trends, such as: programs cannot bring to light.

Mobile conversion - It is no secret that the number of Excellent video content - The online buying experience
mobile devices is still growing rapidly. According to needs to be terrific to turn even skeptical customers
Statista, about 40% of all purchases are made via into regular digital customers and the easiest way is
smartphones. But if you add the tablets, it's even more with product videos. No matter what item you sell, a
than 50%, making clear that the mobile age is here to product video will boost sales. Deploying 360-degree
seize power. Although most retailers have by now a videos are in general a relatively easy way to
responsive website, that will not be enough in 2018, experience a product and dealers should think about
since this year it will be all about how mobile users how they can benefit from the coming virtual reality
convert best. Simplicity, such as a simplified checkout trend, too, if they haven’t done it yet.
process and a barrier-free payment process, will have to
become an implicitness. Of course, Google's AMP Voice Assistant - Be it Siri, Alexa or OK Google, all are
standard for extremely short load times will need to be currently very present in advertising. The leading
implemented by digital retailers to stay competitive technology companies want to press their language
across the search engine optimization channel. assistants mightily into the center of society. Looking at
the sales figures of Amazon's voice assistants alone,
Chatbots – Increasingly, customers expect the same the plan seems to work. According to a Salesforce
support online as in brick-and-mortar shops, and that study, for instance, 40% of the Millennials use
this problem will not simply be solved with "manpower" language assistants when trying to find information
should be clear. That’s why chatbots will play a special about a product, proving that slowly but surely the
role in 2018, and they will be better than ever and finally mouse and the finger get competition. Online stores
enrich the shopping experience. Because, whether on need to adapt to this trend, ensuring compatibility and
Facebook or on your own homepage, chatbots can be keeping the structure as simple as possible.◊
much more than a forwarding system. They can suggest
By MediaBUZZ
18 January 2018 - Trends and Predictions