Game-changing eCommerce trends to watch out for in 2021

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it may be true, but keeping this mantra in business might see you being left behind. Taking the time to watch and study global market direction in eCommerce trends is one of the best ways to ensure you are innovative with your eCommerce agenda and able to reap the benefits.

Here are some of the best eCommerce concepts to consider for 2021.

Exploding D2C market

Direct-to-consumer (D2C or DTC) trading has been picking up momentum, but it looks like 2021 will see this trend really taking hold.

The way people value your brand is a crucial aspect of making the direct sales channel successful for you. Consider Nike’s pivotal transition to the D2C market. According to Common Thread Collective, Nike has adopted DTC as an “ethos”, not just as a new sales channel, and they immerse the consumer in their philosophy so expertly. It’s well worth reading more about it.

reCommerce

According to Modern Retail, the resale of pre-owned luxury items and secondhand wares might be making a comeback in the online trade. People are making more conscientious choices in their shopping trends, and are highly interested in both sustainability and economy. The interesting part will be watching which vendors will lead the reCommerce path. Could this be an option for you?

Omnichannel marketing

Omni-channel marketing seems likeliest to score the best return on investment for many, and instead of focusing on strictly online or strictly brick-and-mortar models in 2021, being fluid in your marketing approach could be the stand-out choice for this coming year. Mobile marketing in particular is set to explode. If you can communicate effortlessly between all channels and foster a smooth and dynamic customer experience to which multi- and cross-channel marketing were precursors to, you may be set for increased profits.

Creative Content

A brand’s story and vision should conscientiously underpin their image and products. People want to know the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the products they purchase. If it’s not fair, sustainable, and conscience-driven, your competitor’s may win more business.

If you can concentrate on weaving an interconnected, compelling, and consistent story between the people behind the product and the people using your product, the results will speak for themselves. Again, Nike is a prime example in making its assets, athletes, and celebrities more publicly accessible through their rich, creative content.

Personalisation

Personalising your platform’s serviceability according to demographic, gender, age, interests, and shopping habits to enhance consumer experience is vital to forging brand loyalty, maintaining your storefront’s foot traffic and converting browsing into buying. Expect to see more examples in 2021.

eCommerce tech gems to watch

Having a customisable tech stack of tools to intuit your customers’ desires and to keep up with on-point trends will boost your sales conversions throughout the financial year.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Does AI customer sourcing scare or excite you? AI is a fairly new tech concept to be utilised in the eCommerce tech game which advances consumer experience through personalisation bots and more, and sourcing your customers will be made easier by this technology.

Another bit of eCommerce tech that incorporates AI and personalisation continuing its steep, upward trajectory through and beyond 2021 is the smart home assistant The total number of smart home devices supported by voice assistants increased to almost 90,400 as of May 2019 and Amazon Alexa is the platform that supports the highest number of devices, with recent estimates reaching as high as 60,000 being supported.

Payment gateways and cryptocurrencies

A 3dcart article suggests that new pay ways, such as cryptocurrency, are a 2021 trend to behold. Pay gateways and digital wallets, e.g. Apple, Samsung, and Google Pay, are crucial for converting sales. Looking for ways to mitigate the exorbitant costs of transaction fees through multiple payment gateways, especially if your chosen platform’s shopping cart is limited will no doubt feature heavily in 2021.

Augmented and virtual realities (AR and VR)

A recurring complaint with eCommerce shopping is that a consumer cannot inspect the product they are purchasing nor can they try it on which is why AR and VR technologies are forecasted to play a major role in 2021 to enhance the consumer experience online or offline.

MyFeelBack showcases Shiseido’s Makeup Mirror virtual reality (VR) concept in-store as an example of omnichannel marketing, working bilaterally through the use of VR technology. The virtual application of cosmetics to the consumer’s image enables them to experience what products work for them without having a real makeover in the chair.

mCommerce

An online article reports that during lockdown mobile-generated sales increased by 30% to Q1 in 2020. The mighty mobile device sales channel is projected to hit 72.9% of all retail eCommerce sales worldwide by the end of 2021, according to Statista. In 2016, those sales numbers were 52.4%, and have steadily increased ever since. 2021 is not likely to be an exception.

Making sure that your platform is mobile-friendly is a must. If you haven’t gone for a headless tech system, you should seriously consider upgrading for 2021.

PWAs (progressive web apps) and plug and plays (PnP)

PWAs are an intermediate step you can take to fix your website’s ability to optimise for mobiles, as well as address sales and customer experience issues. PWAs are more economical than building native mobile apps.

As more people see the need to move to online sales and people seek reliable, cost-effective, and result-oriented ways to do so, we will also see a rise of plug and plays. How tech-savvy are you? Do you need an eCommerce platform that is plug and play? Or would you like to customize your site yourself?

These will be two questions many ask, and with over a billion websites live and counting, we forecast more people wanting plug and play platforms that work for them. BetterCommerce can offer the best option eCommerce technology that can cater to the needs of sellers and buyers alike. Take a look here.

The bottom line

It’s important to be aware of what’s trending for 2021 in the eCommerce universe. There are a lot of exciting ways to enhance your business using modern tech and concepts, and if you’re not pivoting, you’re not winning.

BetterCommerce can help you pivot and advance your business with our bespoke eCommerce platform modules to suit your specific enterprise and help make your brand ambitions become reality. Let’s have a chat about what your business needs are to have a profitable and successful 2021.

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