ecommerceE-commerce is one of the world's largest growth markets that is growing every year by more than 20%. By 2020, sales are expected to flourish to over US$4 trillion, nearly doubling the status quo. Who wants to get a share of the pie, should therefore keep an eye on upcoming trends, such as:

Mobile conversion - It is no secret that the number of mobile devices is still growing rapidly. According to Statista, about 40% of all purchases are made via smartphones. But if you add the tablets, it's even more than 50%, making clear that the mobile age is here to seize power. Although most retailers have by now a responsive website, that will not be enough in 2018, since this year it will be all about how mobile users convert best. Simplicity, such as a simplified checkout process and a barrier-free payment process, will have to become an implicitness. Of course, Google's AMP standard for extremely short load times will need to be implemented by digital retailers to stay competitive across the search engine optimization channel.

Chatbots – Increasingly, customers expect the same support online as in brick-and-mortar shops, and that this problem will not simply be solved with "manpower" should be clear. That’s why chatbots will play a special role in 2018, and they will be better than ever and finally enrich the shopping experience. Because, whether on Facebook or on your own homepage, chatbots can be much more than a forwarding system. They can suggest suitable products, based on the customers’ needs, recommend special coupons for a better conversion and help them with content tips in search of the perfect product. Finally, these bots are a great opportunity to gather information from the crowd itself, which analysis programs cannot bring to light.

Excellent video content - The online buying experience needs to be terrific to turn even skeptical customers into regular digital customers and the easiest way is with product videos. No matter what item you sell, a product video will boost sales. Deploying 360-degree videos are in general a relatively easy way to experience a product and dealers should think about how they can benefit from the coming virtual reality trend, too, if they haven’t done it yet.

Voice Assistant - Be it Siri, Alexa or OK Google, all are currently very present in advertising. The leading technology companies want to press their language assistants mightily into the center of society. Looking at the sales figures of Amazon's voice assistants alone, the plan seems to work. According to a Salesforce study, for instance, 40% of the Millennials use language assistants when trying to find information about a product, proving that slowly but surely the mouse and the finger get competition. Online stores need to adapt to this trend, ensuring compatibility and keeping the structure as simple as possible.

By MediaBUZZ