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12 eCommerce Trends to Implement in 2024 and Beyond

As stated by a report from Statista, the worldwide eCommerce market generated about $6.3 trillion in sales in 2023. It’s a landscape that is constantly evolving, which means that you need to know how to implement the most recent eCommerce trend and keep up with the latest innovations in the online shopping space.

Laptop on a desk displaying a vibrant eCommerce website with a yellow sofa, alongside a coffee cup, smartphone, and magazine for a blog post on future eCommerce trends

If you think that having product images and an eCommerce plugin is enough to sell something in 2024 and beyond, you better think again. In this article, we have rounded up the top 12 eCommerce trends you need to transform your eCommerce business and set it up for successful years ahead.

1. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Will Continue their Rise

Technology that improves people’s lives and the shopping experience will be adopted by the most successful online retailers. This includes AR & VR too.

Approximately 16% of US shoppers consider augmented reality (AR) important for making purchases, and this percentage is expected to increase as technology advances and AR becomes more accessible for online businesses. Unlocking customer delight through immersive experiences can be a springboard for businesses seeking to innovate and stay ahead of the curve.

IKEA has proactively embraced this eCommerce trend by introducing IKEA Place, an app that enables customers to preview products in their own homes. This app effectively addresses potential pre-purchase concerns, particularly regarding how products would fit within their existing interior, thus reducing decision-making hurdles and allowing customers to make direct purchases through the app.

2. Predictive Analytics Will Help Avoid Inventory Shortages

The supply chain industry is currently in turmoil, affecting 68% of retailers’ capacity to meet customer demand. Consequently, there is a surge in product shortages, creating opportunities for competing brands to attract new customers, as 46% of consumers are reported to switch to competitors that have the desired products in stock.

Here’s how predictive analytical tools, trained on eCommerce-specific data come in handy. They use machine learning to forecast future demand, relying on a variety of data sources, such as global market and local economic trends, internal business data, seasonal patterns, and social media activity.

Predictive analytics and big data eCommerce solutions empower online businesses to build deeper customer relationships, proactively anticipating and addressing their needs before they even consider competitors.

3. B2B eCommerce is Finally Here

Business-to-business eCommerce transactions are expected to surpass $4,6 billion by 2025. This means that the number of B2B platforms like Alibaba and drop-shipping businesses that provide a solid online shopping experience will increase, and the buying experience will become almost as functional as in the B2C segment.

This is also aligned with social media trends, because word-of-mouth and communication are vital in B2B, and social media marketing is one of the best ways to market your eCommerce business online.

This is why featuring testimonials, pricing packages, and live chats is vital if you want to prepare your B2B commerce business for online success.

The possibility of on-site immediate sales will be more present than before on B2B eCommerce sites. Buyers today know a lead generation form when they see one, and if they want to use your services immediately, you need to make that available to them.

Only a decade ago, B2B websites wouldn’t move away from contact forms and sales questions. Today, more and more businesses provide a variety of pricing packages and purchasing opportunities, and there are no signs of the trend slowing down.

4. Chatbots Are Here to Stay

With AI and Machine Learning technology, chatbots will become more powerful than ever in 2024. The most basic function of chatbots is to replace people in the customer service segment. Thanks to recent advancements in AI technologies, chatbots can successfully imitate an actual human being who is on the other side of the conversation when a customer wants to ask a question or needs help.

As stated by Grand View Research, the chatbot marketplace reached 24.9% annual growth rate. More and more eCommerce companies overcame the hype and adopted chatbots, and there is no sign of slowing down in 2024 too because of the following:

  • Chatbots Sound Like Humans: Through Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbots start to act and respond exactly as humans do. This is excellent for businesses because chatbots can handle a lot of the legwork before the purchase.
  • Voice Activation: As Siri and Alexa become more integrated with voice search and other smart devices, we can expect that chatbots will provide answers to questions that are voice-activated.
  • Virtual Assistance: Smartphone use is at a historical high and has become routine before and after purchase. With automation, chatbots can combine apps to conduct business tasks and provide customer service.

5. Same Day Product Delivery

Same-day delivery has emerged as the newest eCommerce expectation from consumers. Nearly half of shoppers indicate that same-day delivery increases their likelihood of shopping online. This trend is driving the growth of a same-day delivery market projected to reach a value of $14.9 billion in 2024, as per Statista. This eCommerce trend means online businesses need to reconsider their fulfillment strategy with innovation in mind because same-day delivery won’t be an eCommerce trend that easily will fade away (chances are close to zero).

6. Swift Checkouts

The normal buyer doesn’t want to go through several confirmation pages to get to the checkout page. You have to make the process as quick and as simple as possible.

The abandonment rate of shopping cards has increased to 69.57%, with 57 % of shoppers stating that will abandon if they have to wait three seconds for a page to load.

To improve your checkout process, consider the following tips:

  • One Page: You will increase your sales success rate by accumulating 3 pages into 1. Make it simple by asking only the necessary information. Anything else should be optional. With one checkout page, you’ll reduce the hassle and reduce cart abandonment in the process.
  • Auto-Complete Fields: Cut out the need for the users to constantly input their data. By digital wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, or PayPal, at least once, the customer’s data will be used automatically when they choose their paying method.
  • Don’t Push for Registration: One of the constant turn-offs in eCommerce is pushing people to register before they decide whether they want to buy or not. People may not even be planning on returning to your eCommerce site again, so why push them away from the very start?

7. Mobile First Thinking Above All

As of 2023, over 79% of smartphone users have bought something online using their digital devices. Having a mobile-responsive eCommerce experience doesn’t make you ready for the future. According to a study from DynamicField, only 12% of customers are happy with their mobile shopping experience, which means that this trend has a lot more room for improvement. This is where your opportunity lies.

A mobile-first thinking is much more than just an improvement to your online store. Providing a flawless mobile shopping experience means that as long as people use smartphones, they can shop no matter where they are.

If mobile eCommerce continues to grow as predicted, you can expect that the more you invest in mobile-first thinking and website design approaches, the more chance you have of increasing your ROI and conversion rate.

8. Multi-Channel Presence

The buyers of today are everywhere, online and offline. This is why your eCommerce business needs to be present where your target users are. With an omnichannel eCommerce approach, you’ll be able to notify your customers about your latest deals and message them about every stage of the shopping experience.

According to a report by Braze, users who were contacted on more than two channels raised their engagement level with the brand by 800%. A multi-channel presence means email, social media, push notifications, SMS, chatbots, and in-app messages available 24/7/365. To make it work, you need to know how to tailor your messages for each channel, but also keep them cohesive across all channels.

Tailoring your multi-channel messaging requires a lot of personalization too. You need to send out specific messages that are based on the interests of the user, the buying behavior, and the pages that the user is browsing. One of the brands that understands the value of omnipresence in eCommerce is Steve Madden.

Right off the bat, Steve Madden attempts to win over first-time subscribers/customers with a special giveaway for the exchange of their email addresses.

When a buyer becomes inactive on their page, they immediately attempt to reactivate the buyer with customized messages that differ from the ones that they send to regular buyers.

To further connect the physical store world with the online experience, the brand also provides an app for users where they’ll be constantly notified and develop their own profile, which can then be used for customized messages and special offers from the brand.

9. Social Shopping Experience

Shopping is and will remain a social experience. No matter the year, or the trend, it’s about creating relationships, and providing value for the money, all the way from shopping malls to online stores.

The social nature of shopping is that it made platforms like Instagram and Pinterest start integrating shopping experiences within the platforms.

A few years ago, Instagram rolled out the option of tagging up to 5 shopping items for brands.

Pinterest already provides brands with the possibility to share and sell their products on the platform. The difference from Instagram is that the users on Pinterest actively look for what they want to buy.

The types of pins that you can use for your online store on Pinterest are:

  • Promoted pins: Normal pins, but just like in Facebook Ads, you pay for more people to see the pin.
  • Rich product pins: You can insert real-time pricing, availability, and where-to-buy information.
  • Buyable pins: The chance of purchasing the product without leaving Pinterest.

10. Subscription-Based Models

As long as you have high-quality and in-demand products and services, subscription-based models will definitely work for your business. Satisfied customers are willing to pay the price, as long as they’re getting what they are paying for and the price is justifiable.

Here are a few tips that you can follow when building a subscription-based business model:

  • Give your concept a test run. Give out sample subscriptions and services and see if your market will come back for more.
  • Provide discounts and special offers for long-term subscriptions.
  • Implement multiple and convenient payment options and make automatic renewal possible.
  • Offer exceptional customer service.
  • Research the demand and the pricing, and make sure that it is affordable.

11. Be Ethical and Focus on Sustainability

These days, consumers are becoming more and more socially aware of what’s going on around them. Even the government is focused on sourcing renewable energy for its people, so it’s no wonder that the citizens are following suit.

As a company, you should be aware of how you are sourcing your materials. Make it a point to buy from microbusinesses, independent, and small-time sellers, and eliminate the need for the middle man, i.e. wholesalers and retailers. Let your customers know about this through your mission and vision statements, and constantly encourage them to practice sustainability as well.

12. The Rise of Video Marketing

Video marketing has been around for years, but its popularity among eCommerce marketers just keeps on flourishing. These videos are easy to digest, faster to consume, and very informative. It can be challenging to create videos that will capture your audience’s attention, but the rewards are definitely exceptional.

The eCommerce trends in 2024 include the creation of tutorials, unboxing videos, UGC, explainers, advertisements, and more. A lot of companies are also turning to vlogging to increase their following and lead generation.

Wrapping Up

So there you have it: the top 12 marketing trends that we think are going to make a boom in eCommerce for 2024 and the years to come. Trends come and go, but one thing is for sure – every innovation needs to be implemented correctly to establish a relationship with the buyers.

If you have more questions and ideas about how to implement digital strategies in your online store aligned with the eCommerce trends from above, we would be glad to help you achieve your eCommerce goals and develop a strategy for the future.