Jumping on the band waggon and following trends does have its benefits, after all, they’re trends for a reason, right? Why reinvent the wheel when there are ideas, developments and best practices that already exist and are proving successful? When it comes to eCommerce, the rule still stands.
Looking ahead into 2023, some of the main eCommerce trends include:
1. Multi-channel shopping
2. A Bigger Role for B2B And Technology Upgrades
3. An Authentic User Experience
4. Social Media Commerce
5. Headless CMS Benefits
So, what are the big eCommerce trends for 2023 and how can they benefit your business?
1. Multi-Channel shopping
Multi-channel shopping, what is it exactly? It’s as simple as it sounds, it’s a business strategy that utilises different distribution channels to sell merchandise. So simplified even more, it is the selling of good and services through multiple sales channels.
There are plenty of businesses out there striving to reach their customers through different channels. This form of retail allows you to collect a lot more data on your customer purchases compared to a single channel. With multi-channel, you can tell which sales channels your customers seem to prefer and which ones they don’t, meaning you can focus on areas of your business that need a little bit of help, whilst also knowing where and how to best promote your business.
We’re going to test your knowledge now! Did you know there are 7.26 billion mobile phone users worldwide? Well, if you did then that’s impressive! Mobile commerce is a form of multi-channel shopping that is creeping up the eCommerce popularity ladder. It’s becoming a preferred way of shopping for consumers as it fits around an increasingly busier world. A busier world means less time for people to sit and scroll through your website – consumers crave quick and easy, on-the-go technology to still accommodate their needs (online shopping) whilst not disrupting their busy lives, and mobile commerce is the best way to achieve this.
2. Technology and Digital Marketing Upgrades
We are living in a very techy world, and this is only going to increase, but you can use this to your advantage. Understanding what technology is to come in eCommerce and digital could make all the difference to your business and how your consumers feel about your eCommerce brand.
When you think of digital marketing, one of the first things you may think of is social media. This form of marketing is quicky becoming a large slice of the marketing pie, and it’s due to get even bigger this year. In fact, 87% of online shoppers use social media when making shopping decisions. So, you’d be silly not to get on board with this. Retailers that can utilise a combination of available tools across various social media platforms will be the ones that can benefit most. As an example, social media platforms can streamline the discovery of items and remove barriers to purchase with the likes of Instagram Checkout, as well as helping to maintain communication throughout the delivery process through platforms such as WhatsApp.
As of recently, we’ve also seen the introduction of the Metaverse which has changed the way businesses can reach out and interact with their customers, through direct messaging and catered advertisement. Not only may it help you build a stronger relationship with your consumers, but it will also enable them to replicate many of the social aspects of shopping from the comfort of their own homes, with even fewer barriers to creativity. Though the Metaverse is still fresh to businesses, it will lead to next-generation brand experiences, the likes of which we have never seen before.
3. An Authentic User Experience
Expect to see less-fabricated advertising. Consumers want brands to be transparent with their consumers, and they’re a lot smarter than what you think! The more real the better. Authenticity goes a long way when it comes to eCommerce businesses. Your customers want you to show them the real side of your business, and for you to be ‘one of them’. The pandemic forced people to see the world in a different light and shifted business on its head. It put everything on hold, and as result, consumers didn’t want to be exposed to sales advertisement anymore, they wanted relatable, real, raw content. Brands were seen as out of touch if they were not relating to their audience and so the way businesses and marketing worked was flipped on its head! This relatability factor continues post pandemic. Your eCommerce business should be presenting a more authentic image – think relatable, not sales, every now and then in 2023.
We previously mentioned mobile commerce and how consumers are moving to this form of shopping, but it is also relevant when discussing user experience. When your consumers are using their mobile to shop their favorite products, they want it to be as smooth as possible. They don’t want to a confusing experience navigating your website on their mobile phones. Ensure your website is easy to follow and easy to shop, whilst also serving a nice looking, modern experience for maximum customer reassurance.
Another way to really build that authenticity with your consumers is through user-generated content on both your digital marketing and your website. Make sure to keep an eye out for this is 2023 as it can really boost your brand confidence and remove any concerns that shoppers have during their buying process. In fact, 91% of those aged between 18 and 34 trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations and 93% say reviews influence their purchase decisions. So, the numbers speak for themselves really! Your consumers want the honest truth, and it could be the reason why your products go into their basket after they’re done scrolling.
4. Social Media Commerce
As discussed earlier, social media is now one of the most important tools for businesses. Most social media platforms now offer some form of commerce functionality – from Facebook and Instagram shop, allowing you to import your product library, to in-app checkouts. But, although the instinct is to always promote your products on all channels, a customer-first approach is best.
It’s important to capture your consumers attention on the platforms they like to spend their time. Platforms like Instagram and Twitter allow your consumer to filter through content to only show what interests them, allowing for a really personalised feed. So how can you capitalise on this and make the most of the social media commerce trend? Well, first off, know what your consumers want. Once you know what sort of content they like to engage with, you can create content that fits. Consumers love to feel like part of a community, so by sharing relevant, engaging posts, your business will build that community and in turn, build a closer, more direct relationship with your customers to eventually drive sales. The key thing to remember when it comes to social media is understanding how to cater to which platform and how to use each platform to its full potential.
Build that relationship with the consumers that share that same interest or passion, don’t try and appeal to everyone or always push sales. Know your market, your brand and your customer, the sales will come!
5. Headless CMS Development
Headless CMS, sound silly doesn’t it? Well, it’s quite the opposite. So, what is it we hear you asking… A headless CMS, also known as headless software or headless system, is any type of back-end content management system where the content repository, the “body”, is separated or decoupled from the presentation layer, the “head”. Simply put, a headless CMS allows you to manage content in one place and still be able to deploy that content across any frontend you choose.
This trend makes it much easier to push content to your platform, saving you from having to manually reformat everything for different interfaces or duplicating your work by republishing content in multiple places. Headless CMS development is built to deliver content more seamlessly across many devices and platforms. This trend can be a massive competitive advantage in today’s multi-device world, because this means you and your business can easily engage with your customers on their own terms.
Every year brings new expectations and exciting new opportunities for eCommerce and digital, and 2023 is no exception. The things to look out for during this year are third-party marketplaces and omnichannel sales, personalisation, social media commerce, and headless CMS development.
Don’t be afraid to follow those trends and become part of the crowd. It could benefit your business after all!
