The rising trends for customer experience in e-commerce
The market for ecommerce and online shopping is growing at an incredible rate. By 2025, experts predict the global market will exceed $7.3 trillion in value, driven by the whirlwind of consumer behaviours over the last couple of years.
Though ecommerce opportunities have been growing steadily for some time now, the pandemic ignited the need for every generation to explore the benefits of shopping online. During 2021, ecommerce accounted for approximately 18.1% of all sales, and the numbers keep growing.
Of course, to continue increasing their online purchasing activities, customers need an online experience as convenient, efficient, and personalised as the interactions they expect in-person. For companies in the ecommerce space, it’s never been more important to invest in CX.
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen endless evidence that a shift to more digital and hybrid shopping landscapes is underway. Online shopping in 2020 registered an increase of 21.6% compared to previous years. Even when restrictions to prevent in-person shopping were lifted in 2021, over $8.9 billion in sales occurred online.
Going forward, ecommerce brands are in an excellent position to leverage the momentum created by the pandemic for a more digital shopping environment. By delivering more immersive and impressive customer experiences, ecommerce companies can ensure consumers continue to do more of their shopping online. However, to achieve the right results, organisations will need to focus on a number of important concepts, such as:
Rapid shifts in buyer behaviour and changes to the supply chain in the last couple of years have undoubtedly created a number of challenges for business leaders. Fortunately, the agile evolution of the ecommerce environment is also paving the way for a new era of innovation in CX.
Rapidly, companies are embracing AI technology and digital-first solutions in an effort to provide their customers with the ideal experience in an online shopping environment. As we move ahead into 2022 and beyond, there are several trends that may begin to make an impact on the space.
Today’s consumers are becoming increasingly more reliant on ecommerce solutions as a way to access all of the essential tools and services they need. However, they’re also judging the experiences offered by all ecommerce providers, by the highest standards.
Companies like Amazon with same-day delivery and ultra-fast order management have pushed customers to expect the same from every brand. This means business leaders are under increasing pressure to keep up with huge expectations, whether they’re selling B2B or B2C.
85% of customers say they expect their customer service interactions to be faster today and an increasing number of customers are looking for more efficiency from their online shopping experiences. Companies are going to need to invest in innovative ideas to stay ahead of the curve.
Everything from AI bots capable of understanding customer sentiment during the service journey, to self-service portals which give clients more control over their online purchases, will play a part in transforming the ecommerce environments of tomorrow.
All the while, as companies continue to implement new features into their ecommerce stores, websites, and apps, they will still need to ensure they’re keeping track of other fundamentals. For instance, enhancing your website with a chatbot can’t come at the expense of fast-loading product pages.
Now more than ever, ecommerce companies are in an excellent position to start paving the way for phenomenal growth. Customers from all landscapes are open to the idea of shopping online more frequently than they used to. However, they don’t want to compromise on an excellent customer experience. Investing in the right tools to ensure excellent CX will be crucial to ongoing success.