The Internet has revolutionized the way people buy goods and services and, with it, e-Commerce. As technology gets more sophisticated and developed, new trends in e-Commerce tend to emerge rapidly.
So, to stay ahead of the curve and remain competitive, any e-commerce business owner needs to know the significant changes coming in this year to plan your strategy accordingly.
As we know, it might be hard to keep up with them all; we’ll explore in this post the top 11 trends that will help your online store succeed this year!
The top trends in eCommerce in 2023
There are trends that you should follow to upgrade your online store. According to experts, these trends will rule e-commerce this year:
1. Provide a personalized shopping experience
Personalization is the key to success in every industry, and it works great on eCommerce as well!
Personalizing each customer experience based on customer data – their previous orders, demographics, location, or browsing history, for instance – can increase your sales. Commerceshop mentions that 73% of online shoppers prefer a personalized experience.
Customers want to be treated as individuals, and it’s your job to make that happen.
How to apply this eCommerce trend to your business?
Do not show too many products at once! Customers may be overwhelmed if they receive a plethora of options. As a result, it’s preferable to show those relevant to them based on their prior purchasing behavior.
The same applies to your email campaigns. Make sure you’re retargeting them with the products they liked to see on your website rather than random products.
This will increase engagement rates and encourage visitors to make a purchase as well.
2. eCommerce Businesses will keep focusing on Sustainability
What is good for the planet is also good for business, and this philosophy has been embraced wholeheartedly by eCommerce businesses.
With the arrival of new generations and the urgency of the environmental situation, consumers have become more environmentally conscious. They want to buy from eCommerce brands that share their values.
What can you do as an eCommerce store to make your business more sustainable?
This year, we can expect to see even more sustainable initiatives from online stores.
Think about using recycled materials in packaging for shipping goods (more on that below!) Reusable wrapping tissue, producing small batches or a fair quantity of goods needed, donating a part of your sales’ benefits to a charity, etc.
3. Online shopping on Social Media Platforms
The latest eCommerce trends also include Social Commerce.
Social media is changing every year and will only grow stronger as time passes.
Have you read our eCommerce stats blog post? If so, you should have come across the fact that 84% of US customers would check a brand’s presence on social media before they make a purchase. So, if you’re not using social commerce yet, you’re definitely missing out!
It has become a necessity for any business that wants to succeed online to be active on social media platforms and focus on what we call “Social Commerce.”
What is Social Commerce?
Simply put, it’s the combination of social media and eCommerce. It refers to social networks to generate sales directly from any major social platforms or to drive traffic to a company’s online store.
Users now include social media into their customer journey, and more and more frequently, buy items straight on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, or other platforms:
- Facebook Shops allows global companies such as independent businesses to build their eCommerce stores, accessible on the Facebook and Instagram platforms.
- Tiktok partnered with Shopify to offer an opportunity for online retailers to sell on its platform.
- Twitter is still testing a shopping module but is ready for live shopping.
In 2023, shopping online is also a synonym for shopping on Social Media. According to Forbes, in 2020 in the United States, Social eCommerce sales were worth around $27 billion and are expected to reach nearly $80 billion by 2025!
4. The future of eCommerce for shipping
Updating your shipping options for your online store can help satisfy demanding potential customers, but new trends are also emerging.
Get started with eco-friendly shipping
Eco-friendly shipping is a growing shipping method that customers appreciate because of the sustainability trend.
Many alternatives are now available, from optimizing shipping routes with Optimoroute to shipping your product in 100% compostable packaging with Tipa!
Is 30-minute delivery for 2023?
Some companies have tried drone deliveries to reach an ultimate reduced-time delivery promise.
That’s the case of Amazon Prime Air, which, thanks to Artificial Intelligence, worked on building this future shipping method to deliver safely and autonomously its packages in less than 30 minutes!
Drone shipping technology will be matched with Artificial Intelligence that’ll have the capacity to predict more precisely when customers will receive their purchases and schedule the drop-off accordingly.
Keep in mind that if you need help comparing and setting up new shipping options, you can look at our discounted shipping rates.
5. Mobile Shopping
Many eCommerce stores have recently seen their online shoppers shifting from desktop to mobile devices. Yep… Mobile commerce is growing fast, and it will continue to do so.
As smartphones become more entrenched in our lives, ever-evolving shopping habits and mobile screens show higher resolution every year – to name just a few reasons, we can only expect mobile commerce to keep growing during 2023.
How to get ready for this eCommerce trend?
If you haven’t yet, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and has a responsive design. All online retailers should now think mobile-first when developing a new page or website.
If needed for your business, you might include a mobile app as well! eCommerce apps encourage customers to shop on the go and receive notifications and updates about your products or services. It’s a great way to activate prospective customers right where they are and ultimately boost your customer acquisition!
6. The Use of Voice Technology
In the near future, voice search will become more and more prevalent.
Siri, Google’s Assistant, and even Alexa have been around for a few years now. They have become an easy and natural way for many consumers to achieve fast daily tasks. It’s faster, easier, and helps people look for specific items without typing everything in.
As time goes by, they will also take a considerable place in online shopping. Searching for a new pair of jeans, ordering your dinner, or buying a movie online will become more convenient by talking to your phone or home smart speaker for many of us.
How can you prepare your business for voice search?
There are a few things that you can do to make sure that your business is ready for voice search.
- Make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate on a small screen.
- Optimize your pages for key phrases that people are likely to use in voice search.
- Use natural language throughout your site, making it as user-friendly as possible.
7. Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
What if you could try on clothes before you buy them? What if you could see what a piece of furniture would look like in your home before you purchase it?
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) allow us to shop online while getting an impression of it in the physical world.
What are VR and AR?
Virtual Reality allows the user to be completely immersed in a virtual world, usually thanks to headsets.
Augmented Reality is a form of computer-generated sensory input that enhances the elements of a real-world environment, such as sound, video, and graphics.
How can you prepare your business?
Let’s be honest, AR and VR might not suit all businesses. They sometimes represent massive investments and technology to develop in-house solutions.
But say this eCommerce technology could be valuable in your industry; you may want to make the jump through a mobile app or include this function on your website!
8/Shopping in the Metaverse
Let’s go further… What if you started to sell digital products?
Metaverse, one of the significant eCommerce trends for the following years
More recently, has emerged what has been called the future of eCommerce: Shopping in the Metaverse. This should be a major eCommerce trend this year, so let us tell you more about it.
What is the Metaverse?
The Metaverse is a simulated digital world facilitated by the use of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Physical Reality offering a seamless and immersive experience between the virtual and real worlds.
How can you shop in the Metaverse?
In the Metaverse, you can shop for digital products like games, music, avatars, movies, and books. You can also purchase virtual goods and services such as clothes, digital art, furniture, or pets.
Any way to get ready for this new eCommerce trend?
Whereas online shopping in the Metaverse is still in the very early stages, some brands are already getting ready.
Nike bought the RTFKT brand that creates NFTs and virtual shoes. Gucci invested in a time-limited virtual collection to be showcased on the Roblox online gaming platform.
Will you be next?
9. Live Shopping
Another eCommerce trend that should be considered for this year is Live Shopping.
With the Covid-19 situation, customers have been looking to enhance interpersonal communication, even when staying safe at home. And that’s basically how Live Shopping emerged – a fun, live, and sociable shopping experience.
In the eCommerce industry, Live shopping allows customers to buy products directly from their favorite influencers or brands without leaving their favorite social media platforms, where they are typically already engaging with brands daily.
Whether you’re a small brick-and-mortar store wanting to boost your eCommerce sales by doing a spontaneous live video shopping session with your customers or a renowned brand organizing your live sale in a studio with a technical team, the Live Shopping eCommerce trend is here to stay.
What can you do to prepare your business?
Whatever format you want to launch, just try it out! You don’t even need to invest in new technology as most live streamers use their smartphones and free tools to broadcast, such as Instagram Live.
You just have to make sure you have a well-defined strategy for your live shopping sessions, including what products you’ll promote, the tone of voice you want to use, and when you’ll broadcast.
10. eCommerce Businesses going Omnichannel
Not new, but still here in 2023, we can’t talk about eCommerce trends without mentioning the continuous appetite for Omnichannel.
What is Omnichannel?
Omnichannel retailing refers to integrating online and offline shopping experiences so that customers can shop however they want, whenever they want, and have their purchases seamlessly delivered to them regardless of how they made their purchase.
From brick-and-mortar stores offering a pickup and delivery service for online orders or digital experience in-store to websites that allow customers to try products in their physical stores, omnichannel is still a must in 2023.
11. New Payment methods to be seen on eCommerce Sites
As eCommerce trends keep changing, new options are popping up to improve our customers’ online shopping experience.
Offering those new payment options will improve the customer experience on your eCommerce website and make their online purchase journey as simple as possible.
Start by updating your online store payments options
New payment modes can be added to your checkout process, such as:
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay
- Bitcoin or other Cryptocurrencies
- Buy now – pay later
- Pay in several installments
Here you have them! These 11 trends in eCommerce will help you stay ahead of the game and succeed in 2023.
The main thing is to keep an open mind towards all these trends and adapt when needed. Remember, test and learn, and then test some more.
