E-commerce has undergone a metamorphosis over the years. It has completely redefined the retail industry. With people becoming more informed and technology easily accessible, E-commerce continues to evolve to make online shopping effortless for customers.
There has been a steady increase in purchasing power globally and internet penetration, majorly being through mobile devices. Each year, the E-commerce Industry witnesses progress not only in the technological front but also in the way the experience is delivered to the customers.
To stay ahead of the game, retailers should channelize their efforts into delivering an exceptional customer experience and being attentive to their responses so that customers experience the ease of shopping at every stage of the process.
E-commerce trends that are redefining shopping forever
It is essential that retailers closely monitor and adapt to the latest technological advancements to stay relevant and flexible to the volatile market dynamics. These technological trends arise from various factors. It majorly centres on how the customers shop, what they shop, and their response to the marketing efforts used by the business. E-commerce giants like Amazon, Alibaba, and Walmart are driving the adoption of the latest trends.Let us analyze how these trends are transforming the shopping experience of the customers forever.
Unified experience – deliver a seamless shopping experience across channels:
Nowadays, people are increasingly selective while shopping because of the ease of access to the best products, newest technologies, and unlimited varieties to choose from. However, they don’t always get the optimal experience during shopping online.
Retailers are now trying to deliver an Omnichannel experience to customers for a smooth and uniform shopping experience across channels. For this, retail businesses must be able to manage the integration across disparate systems, applications, distributors, and ecosystems. This can be executed by connecting the digital, in-store, and back end operations seamlessly. When the retailers aim to deliver a consistent, frictionless engagement across both online and offline channels. This will ensure an enhanced customer experience for customers and a smooth customer journey. The E-commerce businesses will have improved visibility across channels, better operational efficiency, and reduced costs. This will entail a rise in digital sales.
Adapting to newer Delivery models to combat market dynamics:
Online shopping has never been easier with customers doing purchases through the medium which they find most convenient. Retailers selling online are in the pursuit to craft the perfect delivery models which are most convenient and safe. Hyperlocal is a platform initiated to facilitate local offline businesses to reach out to their customers within a short span of time. This service model can connect local businesses to their targeted customers with a few meters to a few kilometres of their business. This enables customers to access to good quality products and services within focused geography enhancing the visibility of the local businesses.
E-commerce websites are striving hard to provide a seamless shopping experience on their site with a variety of delivery options for the customer to choose from. One such delivery model developed is Same-day delivery. This is one of the most opted E-commerce services globally. With this method coming in play, E-commerce firms have witnessed a substantial reduction in delivery time and therefore a major impact on shopping online. This has been opted majorly by online shoppers because of enhanced customer experience and reduced cost of logistics services.
Curbside pickup has emerged to be a preferred medium during the current pandemic where there is a great emphasis retailers ensure on delivering high quality products in the safest medium possible. Customers can place orders from the comfort of their home from their preferred stores and pick it up at their convenience. The ordered items are delivered safely to your car at the scheduled time. Other benefits of Curbside pickup are:
- Enhanced customer experience
- Brand loyalty is improved, as customers tend to stick to brands that offer such delivery models
- Low-cost delivery for retailers as they can save on delivery costs and avoid-free delivery that is mostly preferred by customers
The service model can connect local businesses to their targeted customers with a few meters to a few kilometres of their business. This enables customers to access to good quality products and services within focused geography enhancing the visibility of the local businesses.
E-commerce websites are striving hard to provide a seamless shopping experience on their site with a variety of delivery options for the customer to choose from. One such delivery model developed is Same-day delivery. This is one of the most opted E-commerce services globally. With this method coming in play, E-commerce firms have witnessed a substantial reduction in delivery time and therefore a major impact on shopping online. This has been opted majorly by online shoppers because of enhanced customer experience and reduced cost of logistics services.
Curbside pickup has emerged to be a preferred medium during the current pandemic where there is a great emphasis retailers ensure on delivering high quality products in the safest medium possible. Customers can place orders from the comfort of their home from their preferred stores and pick it up at their convenience. The ordered items are delivered safely to your car at the scheduled time. Other benefits of Curbside pickup are:
- Enhanced customer experience
- Brand loyalty is improved, as customers tend to stick to brands that offer such delivery models
- Low-cost delivery for retailers as they can save on delivery costs and avoid-free delivery that is mostly preferred by customers
Establishing Innovative Self Service models for both online and offline shopping:
E-commerce retailers are in the pursuit to simplify the shopping experience in the easiest manner possible. For this, they have come up with the Self-service delivery that involves minimum interaction and the easiest way possible for customers. This is powered by AI centred self-service Chatbots to assist customers to make the customer experience a memorable one. Chatbots have been introduced to simplify the entire online shopping process. Chatbots have become a powerful aid as they act as the personal shopping assistants. AI-powered Chatbots enhance the user experience by providing the customers with relevant personalized options. Chatbots are the future of personalized online shopping which organizations need to leverage this stay ahead of the competition in delivering an exceptional experience to the customers.
Self-service delivery at Brick and mortar stores tries to collaborate both online and physical store experience that will keep the focus on constantly making customer shopping convenient. This helps in delivering ease of service through contactless payments enabled at various stores where all payments are accepted online. There are also multi-location-centred digital kiosks that can be manned or unmanned which are installed usually at locations where there are high footfalls.This will help customers feel safer when purchasing because it is conducted in a manner where there are zero physical transactions.
Personalized shopping through Kartopia- Sonata’s cutting edge E-commerce Platform
Sonata enables E-commerce companies with enterprise E-commerce solutions in Retail, CPG, and distribution to grow faster through digital transformation. Through Kartopia, Sonata supports multiple E-commerce models: B2B, B2C, and marketplaces. The organization gets a single view of the customers, inventory, and order details. Sonata’s Kartopia has facilitated multiple clients to build engaging user experiences, served customers across channels, and developed varied E-commerce models with a single stack. Visit our Kartopia offerings page to know more about how we can enable you on your path to true digital transformation.