The world of e-commerce is getting more and more formidable by the hour. In 2018, the total worldwide e-commerce sales were in the value of roughly 2.8 billion, while it is estimated that this number will reach 3.3 billion this year. In just two years’ time (in 2021), this figure will be almost double of what it was in 2017, which is a huge leap for any industry. Still, these predictions are hard to make (at least accurately), due to numerous trends that are emerging every year. These trends are changing the landscape of e-commerce, making it more efficient or changing its public image. In order to better understand what we’re talking about, here are several such trends that are expected to be huge in 2019.
1. More Precise Up-selling and Cross-selling Recommendations
The thing about present-day e-commerce platforms is the fact that they are usually incredibly responsive and armed with high-end analytical tools. This means that they make both upselling and cross-selling more precise. You see, upselling is not that hard, seeing as how it consists of something that’s already closely tied to a previous purchase. Cross-selling is, however, a tad more complex but with this kind of data on your side, making an offer your customers can’t refuse shouldn’t be that hard. After all, tracking their online activity, coupled with the purchase they’ve just made will give you a full context, which will allow you to offer them a perfect additional item to buy.
2. M-commerce Is on a Stellar Rise
More and more users are using mobile phones to browse the internet and spend their time on social media, which is something that will enable a stellar rise of m-commerce. Product reviews, nowadays, usually start on platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn or get promoted via Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. If one adds a link towards an e-store in description, they’re making a direct sales funnel that one will be able to follow via their mobile device. Also, a greater emphasis on IM communication, rather than traditional email correspondence, is also making this a lot easier. As you can see, it’s not just about the number of mobile users; it’s also about the platforms and trends that can make mobile buying a lot easier.
3. Importance of Buying Behaviors
In the past, John Wannamaker, one of the pioneers of marketing stated that half of the money he gives for advertising goes to waste but that he can never know which half. Fortunately, the age of casting a wide net and hoping that you get your pray is long since gone. Nowadays, studying the psychology of your customers, especially their buying behaviors, can help you make a more effective outreach and a more functional website. For this to work, an owner of an e-commerce business doesn’t necessarily have to become a psychology expert or even enlist on a course on this matter. All it takes is for them to find the right study notes on the subject on a platform like Thinkswap and do some independent research of their own.
4. Voice Commerce (V-commerce)
Finally, we come to yet another term that’s still fairly obscure but might become huge in the nearest future. We’re, of course, talking about the use of the voice to navigate e-stores and make purchases. At present, almost half of all people use voice searches on a daily basis. This is due to the fact that voice command recognition has become a lot more sophisticated and precise in the last several years. However, how safe is it for online purchases? If Google voice assistant or Alexa misunderstands you, the problem is not always that big; nonetheless, the possibility of making a wrong order is a much more serious matter.
Of course, none of the trends listed above is new to 2019 and the reason why we focused on them is due to the fact that this year they’re expected to make a huge impact. Not only will they affect the numbers (in both total value and number of sales) but they will also reshape the way in which e-commerce is used and perceived.
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls and a passionate blogger. In her free time she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.
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