According to many researchers, 2015 is going to be an amazing year for an e-Commerce industry. In 2015, online store owners (or retailers) must bring their A game in order to survive in this competitive e-Commerce industry. Today, customers are not only knowledgeable but know what item they want on what price by doing a price comparison. Customers are also interested in knowing product reviews, availability of the product (or inventory) and expect free as well as fast shipping.
People are shopping online more than ever before. This makes it quite critical for online retailers to know what online shoppers are interested in buying and how they would like to buy. So, it is important for all retailers to keep an eye on all the ongoing trends.
Here are a few key trends for the year 2015:
Mobile Commerce
Mobile commerce is a term used for online transactions that are done via wireless / mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and other hand-held devices. Now customers are more comfortable shopping online via mobile devices as compared to using a typical desktop. Customers do not want to be limited to only one channel (i.e. desktops); switching devices like tablets, smartphones and computer is a part of today’s shopping experience.
Mobile centric strategies should be a priority for all online retailers.
- Make your online store site responsive because a responsive design delivers a better and consistent user experience across multiple devices
- Supporting secure mobile payments
- Use trusted platforms (like nopCommerce) that supports multiple payment methods
Wearable Technology
is emerging as a top trend in 2015, it means more people are getting access to internet on their fingertips. There will be an increase in the number of online shoppers that are browsing online store sites on their wearable gadgets which means e-Commerce industry is getting more exposure. Wearable devices will add another new channel for online retailers to take advantage of. According to a Nielsen study, 70% of consumers are already aware of “wearables,” and about one in six (15%) of them currently use wearable tech—such as smart watches and fitness bands—in their daily lives.
Free shipping, easy returns and real time availability
Today, the internet speed is fast enough to empower the customers to view and place the order right away in a few steps. Once the order has been places, customers want the item with free shipping and they want it right away as nobody likes to wait. Offering free and fast shipping is not a game changer anymore because it has become a norm in today’s e-Commerce industry and online shoppers expect you to practice it. Amazon prime is one of the best examples that show how customers are willing to pay more if they see the speedy delivery options. Amazon Prime membership, the service that includes unlimited free two-day shipping and tends to boost customer spending at Amazon dramatically, has doubled in less than two years. This trend of fast shipping will continue to be successful in 2015. For more information, please read: http://business.time.com/2013/03/18/amazon-prime-bigger-more-powerful-more-profitable-than-anyone-imagined/.
Just like the fast and free shipping on the order placed, customers also get tempted if retailers offer easy and free return shipping. Statistics shows that majority of customers end up getting frustrated when they come to know that return policies are complicated and will cost them more money.
As a retailer (or store owner), it is your responsibility to ship the item as soon as you receive any order. In order to keep customers happy, e-Commerce companies are trying their best to display the more accurate inventory visible on the store site to the online shoppers. Real time stock availability option is one of the best ways to show transparency because nobody likes to hear back from an online store that their order has been cancelled due to product unavailability (or item is out-of-stock).
Interesting Facts
The number of internet users worldwide will surpass 3 billion in 2015, according to new figures from eMarketer, increasing 6.2% next year to reach 42.4% of the entire world's population.
This year, the internet will reach more than two in five people in the world for the first time as online audience hits 2.89 billion users globally. By 2018, eMarketer estimates, nearly half the world's population, or 3.6 billion people, will access the internet at least once each month.
nopCommerce has a wealth of features and capabilities designed to create online store that includes all the necessary tools required to build a successful ecommerce store. nopCommerce offers a responsive design (if enabled) that works on any mobile device, without requiring extra development or add-ons, regardless of device type. nopCommerce also offers great inventory management features allows store owners to discern physical stock and available quantities. You can easily manage backorder and pre-order status for each product. Multiple warehouses supported. Partial deliveries are also supported. And stock management by product attributes (such as, color and size).
Author: Lavish Kumar