Businesses, both online and off, are still struggling to stay on top of eCommerce trends – and for good reason.
It seems like just as soon as one trend seems to sort of solidify, the next batch of new things comes along, and the first one becomes old news. Although there’s plenty of uncertainty still out there in the world of eCommerce, there are a few trends that are more than just fads.
These four really matter and will continue to make a difference to your business well into the future:
Content marketing. It’s an old tune that you’ve heard a million times, but that should bring some amount of comfort in the ever-shifting sands of eCommerce.
Content marketing is still king. Sure, it’s harder than ever to rank on Google and paid listings can’t hurt, but if you don’t have content to back those ads up, you’ve got nothing. Content is the ultimate romance factor for your customers – that’s what’ll make them swoon and come back for more. What that means is up to you and your business, but give them what you do best, be that video, visuals or text.
Focus on the customer service experience. 2016 may well go down on record as the year of the customer service experience (CX). CX isn’t just a matter of having someone to answer the phone when it rings, it means really caring what your customers have to say when they contact you, be via telephone, social media or carrier pigeon. Most of your customers should be absolutely, unbearably pleased when they interact with your staff.
Frictionless shopping. Omnichannel is still a thing, but now we’re calling it frictionless shopping. This is probably a better name, since that’s really what it is. Your customers still want to move flawlessly between devices, and you need to remember that they’re going to do this with or without you.
If you have the budget for a well-done app, make it happen, but a nicely designed mobile web page is a great alternative. The idea that anything is better than nothing is wrong, though – poorly executed mobile is definitely worse than nothing.
Faster, smarter shipping. Amazon is moving itself into a place to be able to execute order fulfillment in under 24 hours for 27 major markets this year. Although no one can reasonably expect you to be able to do the same, you’ve got to be quick and you’ve got to be smart. Smart shipping is not only fast, it’s also cheaper and more agile than traditional shipping, allowing your packages to be handled by the carrier that is best able to get the job done on time and under budget.
It’s going to be important that you keep on top of the changing fads of eCommerce, but it’s equally important to build your business on a solid platform. These four trends are a great place to get started with putting a sturdy foundation under your eCommerce business.
