60 Future E-Commerce Trends You Must Understand to Succeed in 2019!

Are You Selling, or Planning to Sell Online?

This is one of the first questions we ask new clients. Not that long ago the answer would have been negative. Many businesses and even product brands believed that e-commerce was well beyond the reach of small to mid-sized businesses. But that has changed considerably in a few short years. Today many businesses sell products or services online. And if that includes your business you need to be aware of future e-commerce trends.

Here is the thing to remember; you don’t need 100s of items to start your e-commerce presence. Here at the innovative web design agency, we have clients who sell a single downloadable item, or only a specific service. That may not sound like much, but that product or service may be key for their business success. And paying attention to future e-commerce will help attract and convert more online consumers.

A (Very) Brief History of E-Commerce

What exactly is e-commerce, and why has it become so entwined with modern consumer behavior? Many folks we talk to believe that e-commerce started with some online retailer in Seattle, but it actually has been around a bit longer than that.

Electronic shopping, as it was called back then, was introduced in 1979 by English inventor Michael Aldrich. He basically connected a modified TV to a transaction-processing computer via telephone line and opened the information systems for secure data transmission. This technology became the foundation on which e-commerce, as we know it today, was built.

The E-Commerce Effect

Today, we use e-commerce on a daily basis. To most modern consumers living without it seems complicated and inconvenient. Case in point; we used to have a neighbor who bought toilet paper on Amazon and had it delivered. As modern consumers get ever more sophisticated and impatient brick-and-mortar stores are having a harder time just keeping up.

As new technologies and innovations are changing and improving the e-commerce consumer experience and transparency more and more online consumers feel comfortable to shop online. This results in an increase in online stores, which in turn makes the e-commerce arena even more competitive. Therefore it is essential that you adapt to future e-commerce trends now, and get ahead of your online competitors!

How Future E-Commerce Trends Will Affect Your Online Business

It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced online e-tailer or just starting out with your e-commerce presence. Modern consumers are demanding and sophisticated, and you better meet their user expectations, or they will simply move on to one of your competitors. And this is exactly why you need to pay attention to future e-commerce trends.

If you are working in e-commerce you should ask yourself these questions:

• What is the scope of e-commerce today?
• What are the future trends in online shopping?
• Which guidelines should you follow to build a successful e-commerce business?
• Will you need to invest in a new e-commerce platform, or will your existing online store suffice?
• How will changing consumer behavior affect your e-commerce success?

A Few Future E-Commerce Trends to Consider

• Personalized customer experience
• Marketing automation
• Same-day delivery
• Crypto payments
• On-site and in-app mobile optimization
• Product reviews in video format

The Future of E-Commerce, and What It Means for You

By the end of 2018, global e-commerce sales will reach approximately $2.8 trillion and in 2021 it will hit $4.5 trillion. With e-commerce evolving at such a rapid pace, it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends.

With e-commerce evolving at such a rapid pace, it can be hard to keep up with future e-commerce trends. We actually know a few folks who are still trying to catch up to last year’s e-commerce trends! But if you don’t adapt your online store and e-commerce strategy to meet consumer expectations you are bound to fail at e-commerce. Sorry to make this so blunt, but it is essential you understand that!

One major obstacle is actually knowing what future e-commerce trends are, how they will affect your e-commerce presence, and how to actually implement them. Opinions diverge greatly, depending on who you ask: Focus on mobile commerce! Implement voice search! Do video marketing! Optimize for local consumers! Is your head spinning by now?

To help you do better by implementing future e-commerce trends and get ahead of your competitors we want to make you aware of a few e-commerce statistics, facts and trends that will affect online consumer behavior in 2019 and beyond. Therefore, we are sharing this excellent e-commerce infographic from Subscriptionly.

60 Future E-Commerce Trends

Infographic courtesy of Subscriptionly

Final Thoughts on Future E-Commerce Trends

Yes, we know you are super excited now that you have a better understanding of what lies ahead for e-commerce in 2019. But implementing every last one of our future e-commerce trends is not going to help your e-commerce presence. Instead, you must decide which of these future e-commerce trends will actually benefit your ideal online consumer?

For instance, if you are marketing to an older target audience accepting Bitcoin payments is not going to make a big difference. As you can see, cryptocurrency payments have a transaction rate of only .03%! Same-day delivery sounds like a great service it may not be a feasible option for a small business. So maybe forget about drone deliveries for now!

On the other hand, you may want to focus on video as studies show that the vast majority of online consumers respond favorably to that strategy. Maybe your product or service lends itself to a subscription or membership pricing model. And the basics such as a fast loading site, relevant content, and easy checkout will always be in vogue with your target audience! Here are some other e-commerce essentials you should consider.

Need Help Implementing Future E-Commerce Trends?

Not sure how to make these future e-commerce trends work for you? No worries, we are here to help! Here at ESPRESSO.digital, we offer a full range of innovative web design services, including website design, e-commerce solutions, search engine optimization, and website support services. Reach out to us to learn more about our innovative web design solutions, and how our team can help you implement future e-commerce trends.

How Did It Go for You?

Which one of our future e-commerce trends was most appealing to you? Did you implement any of them? And how did that go for you? Did you notice any difference already? Are there things you wish you would have known before you started, or done differently?

Feel free to contact us and let us know, and grab our feed so you don’t miss our next post! And help your audience improve their online sales in 2019 by sharing these future e-commerce trends with them!

Thank you! We appreciate your help to end bad business websites, one pixel at a time!

By ESPRESSO Team Highly Caffeinated Digital Creatives @ESPRESSOcreates