6 eCommerce trends that will pick up pace in 2018

by Clara Ghosh Senior Business Developer

As the year of 2017 winds down, it is time for businesses and establishments to look back and evaluate how they have fared in terms of improving the efficiency of their services. While the industry of online commerce has been soaring higher than ever thanks to better e-commerce sales, it is important to examine the future and look forward to trends that expected to enter mainstream next year.

Here are a few trends that can be expected to play a greater role in the e-commerce sales as we progress through 2018:

1. Big Data Analytics: Leveraging the explosion in user-generated content, Big Data Analytics can help businesses segregate their consumers more narrowly and effectively, and use the information to serve them in a more personalized manner. It also helps get better RoI on Ad spends.

2. M-Commerce: mCommerce apps are slowly taking over the turf of the erstwhile eCommerce store. As more and more customers engage in shopping on their smartphones, businesses will have to move from a layout that is more suited for mobile screens and apps rather than desktop screens.

3. Cognitive Supply Chain Management: Supply chain is the one domain that needs a major overhaul and is in the process of going through one. Businesses are leveraging the power of Automation and Data sharing to develop an SCM system that is dynamic, customer-centric and keeps the processes highly efficient.

4. Micro-Moments Marketing: Consider these as FAQs. More consumers today want to know about the specific functionality of a product by researching for reviews and user forums. By tapping into the curiosity of customers, businesses can solve their queries and improve sales. This is known as micro-moments marketing

5. Voice Assistants: Thanks to the work of tech giants such as Amazon and Google who have developed revolutionary products such as Alexa and Google Home, voice-based product searching is expected to take off in a very big way. Tomorrow’s ecommerce stores will be voice-searchable

6. ChatBots: The market for ChatBots that face customers and handle their queries autonomously is expected to be a high volume market as they bring several important functionalities to the process. ChatBots that are integrating with apps such as Messenger and Telegram will disrupt the market.

If your business intends to be a power player when these trends mature, hire an ecommerce expert who can help you identify the best features that will improve the utilization of your services. Get in touch with Openwave, a reputed eCommerce solutions provider.