Due to the year that was 2020, eCommerce has proliferated. And it’s only going to get bigger. It’s time to start looking forward to the eCommerce trends of 2021.

There is a move underfoot. Traditional sellers are making their way onto the internet. While new up and coming entrepreneurs are making their mark in the space. It is getting so huge that by 2022, it is predicted that eCommerce revenue will grow to over $6 trillion.

And there is space for everyone.

The eCommerce space is ever-changing to keep enticing and converting sales. Every year new trends and technologies emerge to help your business grow and leap ahead of competitors.

Here are five of the top eCommerce trends to watch for going into 2021.

1.  Voice-activated eCommerce

People find Alexa, Google Home, and Amazon Echo fun to turn off lights and tell you the weather forecast. But now it seems we are waking them to buy products online. It has been predicted that voice commerce sales are going to reach $40 billion by 2022. It is thought that around 20% of smart speaker owners use them for shopping – whether that’s ordering or conducting research into a product. This figure is expected to jump to 52% in the next few years.

The voice eCommerce trend is becoming big because it is convenient…for everyone.

For that reason, you should optimize your online store for voice search to increase your chances of appearing in voice searches. You do this by optimizing your top-level funnel content to incorporate answers to common FAQs about your services or products. That way, people will be able to find you when they put a question to Alexa. You can also offer voice-based navigation on your site and design a simple process where your products can be easily purchased with a voice command.

2.  Focus on Visuals

High-quality images or videos with shortcut links to purchase the product will be an eCommerce trend focus on over the next year. Not just on the product pages but throughout the entire store to entice and engage users.

Some ideas to leverage this focus on visual content are creating 360-degree images or videos of your top-selling products. You can also invest in a visual search tool to allow customers to search for products using images. You can also change your default products from JPG to JPEG2000 format to improve quality and loading speed.

3.  AI and AR to enhance the customer experience

Artificial intelligence (AI) will only grow in 2021 with chatbot sales assistants and personalized offerings and recommendations. AI will know exactly what to show your users based on past purchase history and browsing behavior.

Unlike in bricks and mortar stores, online shoppers can’t try on their product. This is where augmented reality (AR) steps up and helps the customers visualize how a product would look on their body before they buy.  Implementing these two into your eCommerce store will see a decrease in return rate and increased conversions.

4.  Mobile-Friendly eCommerce

It is incredible to think that by the end of 2021, over 70% of sales are expected to be made over mobile devices. That means that if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, carts will be abandoned. For this reason alone, you need to focus on improving the customer experience for mobile users.

To check out if your site is mobile-friendly, go to Google Mobile-Friendly Test. This page also pinpoints if there are any loading issues with your page. Make sure you have an easy and smooth checkout process for mobile devices. You can also consider creating a progressive web app for your online store. This loads faster than a website and allows customers to view pages without the internet.

5.  Dynamic Pricing Software

This isn’t new, but it is vitally important to stay ahead of your competitors and ensure a generous profit margin. You may sell the best product in the world, but if you don’t price it correctly, people will not buy it. If you price it too low, you don’t get any profits.

Using dynamic pricing software helps you to establish the best price for your products. The software gives real-time data into your competitors’ prices, the current market demand, and your products’ perceived value. This will help you ascertain the optimal cost and largest profit margin.

This past year has let us know that we need to prepare for the unexpected. Now is the time to adapt to the emerging trends so you can capitalize on the money that will be spent during 2021.

If you require a low-cost eCommerce storefront that will entice and convert customers, book a call today. We can develop and deliver a ready-made, easy to use site to help you convert product tire-kickers into raving fans.