2020 was an exciting year for e-commerce marketing and so far, 2021 is just as interesting. Thanks to the pandemic, e-commerce has seen a surge of activity and new consumers. In the past few months, we have seen growth that normally would have taken a decade to achieve. Since the world is on lockdown and people are scared to leave their homes, shopping online has become the new normal. 

If you're hoping to get more traction for your e-commerce brand, drive more traffic and convert that traffic into buying customers, then it's important to know the latest trends shaping the industry in order to scale up your business strategy. 

Big data plays a big part in creating personalized experiences

Profiling a customer has become both more comfortable and more complicated. Given the acceleration of the online shopping trend in 2020, the key to success will be a robust engagement strategy built on a foundation of first-party, permission-based customer data.

Running through customer identity and consent data management solutions, this accurate, high-quality data can form the core of each profile or account. Other types of data – behavioural, offline, in-store, and more – can be associated with a real person who has explicitly consented to those communications or marketing activities. Hence - buyer persona.

Customers much prefer when their experience is tailored to their unique needs. Smarter HQ has learned that 72% of customers only engage with personalized messaging. While personalization was initially limited to email marketing, customer expectations and technology capabilities have changed what is possible.

 By knowing who their customers are and how they want to engage, retailers will be better equipped to segment and optimize increased spend in digital channel look-a-like campaigns. They’ll also be better able to enhance and personalize customer experiences while respecting their preferences and privacy.

Adjusted Purchase Journey

Historically, the consumer journey when buying a product involved both online and offline activity. A growing number purchased through their mobile devices, but offline activity motivated them to follow through. 

Consumers expect online shopping to be fast and convenient. It goes without saying that the more seamless your user experience is, the more conversions you get. There are a few ways that you can accomplish this:

• Checkout Experience needs to be very quick and pleasant. Automate promotions and deals so the consumer does not need to search hard for them. Use predetermined shipping totals based on what the consumer chooses.

• Augmented Reality gives customers a ‘real-feel which can add another positive dynamic to the online experience. This is especially comforting for those new to shopping online. 

• Livestream Shopping Events allow customers to chat with sales reps in real-time and easily select an item for purchase. This way, consumers have the ‘shopping experience’ without waiting in a checkout line.

Shoppable video Ads on Social Media

Social media consumption won't slow down in 2021, and brands will begin to advertise in different ways on channels such as TikTok and Instagram. Video marketing proved to be a great way to engage customers and it's not going away anytime soon. Creating videos for your website is a great way to instantly grab and engage a customer and inform them about your product or service.

As Facebook launches Instagram Shops and Shopify partnered up with TikTok, videos provide another dimension when it comes to marketing your business. The use of podcasting and short video content augment the opportunity for buyers to learn about how an e-commerce brand’s products and services provide the solution to the opportunity, challenge or problem a buyer is looking to answer.

However, your videos do not necessarily have to be that classical short audio videos. Now we begin talking more and more about shoppable TV. We’ve all been there, watching the latest movie or series on Netflix and thinking “that’s a nice shirt”. Well, soon enough you’ll be able to click, find and purchase that damn good shirt.

Late last year, NBC rolled out shoppable TV ads that connect programs to a mobile phone app, enabling viewers to purchase what’s on-screen. And it looks like this technology will soon be directly incorporated into smart televisions, giving a whole new worry to sitting on the remote. Shoppable TV will finally connect viewing and shopping into a seamless experience that benefits both shoppers and retailers.

AI and AR become more and more popular

Augmented reality (AR) has been a complete game-changer for e-commerce. With this type of technology, shoppers can truly see the item they're shopping for, which helps them make a buying decision. AR really changes the shopping experience in specific industries, such as fashion and home decor because the customer can get a better feel for the item without seeing it in person. AR grants a person the ability to not just see a 3D model of a product but lets a user see how it looks if they were actually wearing it. Some products and industries lend themself better to traditional shopping methods, but AR is going to shake things up sooner than later

As for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, this service makes it possible for the customer to have automated, personalized shopping experiences. AI is continuously collecting data on how a customer shops, when they buy purchases and what they're looking for in a product or a service. It's a piece of technology that really can't be replicated in-store. People want to know that brands care about them, and AI will be programmed accordingly. On social media, where AIs learn from humans’ more negative remarks, it’s highly likely that consumers will crave the impact. If bots can learn how to form sentences to convey an emotion, companies can soon teach them to offer comfort and products based on customers’ moods.

These are some of the newest things that are happening or are going to happen in e-commerce. One thing is for sure, it's never too late to jump right in, learn something new, and evaluate if it's right for your business. And if you have a digital marketing agency by your side, you are sure to always have an up to date strategy, ready to use.