We’re well into the year but it’s not too late – learn about the trends in 2016 that can help drive online shopping on your website.
From mobile-optimized to mobile-first
For the past few years, we moved from a world where businesses designed their eCommerce sites primarily for desktop shopping to one where best practices dictated an omni-channel development approach – enabling customers to shop seamlessly across different platforms. In 2016, that trend is shifting even further, where designing for mobile devices takes precedence before making an equal investment in desktop-based design. This is particularly important for businesses with limited development funds.
A Frost & Sullivan report
[i] forecasts that mobile commerce could reach $157.26 billion in APAC by next year. Consumers of all ages are engaging more and more in mobile shopping – whether it’s for purchasing or product research.
And, if you haven't even optimized your site for mobile, now is the time.
Cross-border selling will expand
A PayPal report
[ii] estimates that by 2018, about 130 million shoppers will be spending over $300 billion a year across the border, up from $105 billion in 2013. And, doing business internationally isn't just for the big enterprises anymore. International online payment solutions such as PayPal mean even the smallest sellers can reach a global market. And with policies like
PayPal Seller Protection, they can worry less about fraud and focus on expanding their cross-border business.
It’s essential to understand how customers in your target markets prefer to pay online. As you research payment providers, make sure they offer one or more payment methods – for example, debit cards or PayPal – that appeal to customers in your target markets.
Shipping internationally is becoming easier as many companies now offer all-in-one cross border solutions taking care of customs, documentation, and shipping logistics.
Contextual commerce is about to be the next big thing
Buying a bag, an airline ticket, or a camera is about to be as easy as liking someone's post.
"Buy Now" buttons will be popping up on more and more social media platforms, from Facebook to Pinterest to Twitter. This takes advantage of social sharing and peer recommendations within a consumer's social network, creating an innovative buying experience embedded where user communities are actively engaged.
In addition to social media, you'll also be able to embed buttons in your own channels, such as your blog and branded content—even directly within your emails—pretty much anywhere else you can think to drop a button.
The aim is to make buying online more convenient and seamless. The result is a much shorter want-to-buy path, helping improve conversion rates.
Branded video content will add richness to marketing plans
The value of branded video content is going to increase dramatically. This is due, in part, to the power of YouTube, which has more than four billion views per day, making it the second most popular search engine in the world (behind Google). It's estimated that by 2019, 80% of all internet traffic will be video
[iii].
Your branded videos can range from employee interviews to customer reviews and product promotions. And, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can repurpose some of your existing content just by converting it to video form.
In addition to the "About us" section, there are other places on your site where videos can make an impact. Add a video to your home page to introduce your business and leadership to potential customers. Product demonstrations and customer testimonials are great additions to your product category and product-level pages.
Fortunately, today there are many intuitive video solutions and editing platforms, giving small businesses the ability to create content quickly and easily.
From mobile shopping to rich media and selling solutions available to even the smallest of businesses, these trends should help guide your eCommerce strategy for a successful 2016.
Happy selling!
[i] Frost & Sullivan. Analysis of the APAC Mobile Commerce Market 2013. 13 June 2014.
[ii] The Neilsen Company (research commissioned by PayPal). Modern Spice Routes: The Cultural Impact of Cross-Border Shopping. 2013.
[iii] Cisco Visual Networking Index. Forecast and Methodology, 2014–2019. 27 May 2015