According to research conducted by BigCommerce, the 80% of people en los Estados Unidos make purchases online At least once a month. While most people shop on big-market websites like Amazon, approximately 30 to 40% also shop at category-specific web stores, independent boutiques, and e-tailers.
As online shoppers spend more time researching the best deals, brands, and experiences online, this is your opportunity to help customers gain greater market share by optimizing your site.
Start by looking at the main websites on the market. When these establish a new innovative way to achieve something, it is usually a good idea that you are looking for for your e-commerce.
For example, the service Amazon's Prime Now offers same-day delivery within major metropolitan areas. By setting higher expectations for faster delivery (i.e. greater convenience), Amazon has influenced how quickly shoppers expect to receive their online purchases. Another example of a popular brand influencing consumer expectations is Zappos, the online store that recently set a record with a almost 11 hour customer service call.
Now, I'm not saying that every online store should offer same-day delivery or sacrifice hours of your time to a single call with a customer, but there is a lot to learn from these examples. In other words, really you have to get into the mind of your audience and use that knowledge to offer a better online shopping experience.
As you probably guessed, WordPress allows developers to do exactly that: study what their visitors want/need, and then put it into action. If you're ready to do so, let's take a look at how to take advantage of this year's eCommerce trends for your online store:
#1.Mobile First
It's too easy these days to create a responsive website, so excuses of high costs or lack of coding knowledge no longer carry weight in the argument about whether websites should be mobile.
If you have a responsive eCommerce site, does that mean you don't have to worry anymore? Not really. This mobile design idea means going beyond simply finding and using a responsive WordPress theme.
Mobile First means your strategy revolves around the mobile user experience. Even if your site's statistics tell you that more purchases are made via desktop or in-store, don't be fooled. Mobile plays an important role in search and, eventually, conversions.
Solution:
- Invest in a high-quality responsive theme that is well supported and regularly updated by the developer.
- Check your site's mobile performance regularly to assess any issues.
- Add a Google Map to your site and make sure the business address is added to Google My Business to optimize local search.
#2. Conversational Commerce
“Conversational commerce” is a phrase that has recently entered the business lexicon and is one that marketers and business owners need to pay more attention to.
While mobile push notifications They are not a new concept, it is just a matter of time before they become popular on websites. This is especially important for eCommerce businesses that benefit from sending key milestone notifications to their customers. Notifications from:
- An abandoned shopping cart
- A completed purchase
- A delivery that is on the way
- A special one day sale
- And more
As of now, these messages are mainly sent from websites to visitors' emails. Third-party WordPress and CRM plugins have already done a good job of automating this. But in 2017, conversational commerce is expected to expand into text messaging as well.
Solution:
To be honest, there are not many WordPress plugins that can perform this task. The SendinBlue WooCommerce plugin is the best we've found, but it's too new to tell how easy it is to use or even how effective it is for sending scheduled text notifications to visitors to your WordPress website.
#3. Content Marketing
E-commerce companies may be in the business of selling merchandise, but those products, goods or services might not be the initial draw for consumers (especially if those websites are in direct competition with larger retailers).
According to crowdtap, People trust user-generated content 50% more than any other type of media. So, if your client wants to drive traffic away from the competition, creating content can be a way to get an edge over them.
If you develop websites for e-tailers looking to expand their business this year, this is an especially important point to keep in mind. Sure, you can optimize your product pages for search, but it's important to equip WordPress with tools that allow you to create content.
Solution:
Create engaging content created by users for users.
#4. Social Media Integration
The convergence between social networks and websites grows with each passing day. While marketers will tell you that it is necessary to keep your eyes on social media to build a presence within those channels, it is the developer's duty to reinforce those efforts using WordPress.
Think of your client marketing as a well-planned grid; All roads run parallel or perpendicular to each other. When you need to go from one road to another, the connecting road must be easy to find and free of obstacles. WordPress websites should work the same way. There must be buttons, links, popups and even social feedss that point to external social channels, but the lines should not be blurred.
Solution:
As a developer, this means that you shouldn't forget about social integration. Whether your client is strictly promoting their products or if they decide to delve deeper into content and other marketing strategies, they are going to need a strong social presence woven into the website. You can help them do this:
- With promotion of content promotions on social networks.
- Create incentives for social exchange.
- Adding a Pin It button to all product images.
- Integration of Instagram, YouTube or other social channels to show real photos or videos of products.
#5. Trust Builders
Retailers are starting to notice a shift in how customers develop trust in a brand. According to a study, “55% of consumers trust a customer's photos more than photos created by the brand”. Other studies have noted consumers' increasing reliance on online reviews and customer ratings to tell them whether or not they trust a brand or product.
What does this mean for eCommerce businesses? Well, it might not be enough to say that they have the “best” product. Customers want trustworthy builders they can verify with their own eyes. In other words, they want social proof.
Solution:
Here are some ways to ease consumer doubts and gain their trust with your WordPress website:
- Add customer testimonials.
- Create a carousel to highlight high-profile clients, partners, etc.
- Show trusted brands like McAfee.
- Links to your business's Yelp page.
- Encourage visitors to rate your products.
#6. Convenience Consideration
Smartphones, apps, cloud-based software, social media, even WordPress there is no doubt that this technology works to make our lives easier, right? While it would be easy to blame millennials for pressuring companies to make everything more convenient for the consumer, I think it's more likely that they are the first generation to have the tools available to make this a reality.
Ideally, it would be great if consumers were satisfied with a website that loads quickly. That would make your job much easier. But the idea of a “convenient” shopping experience goes far beyond that. Consumers worry about things like easy ordering, personalized offers, lower fees (or no fees), faster shipping, etc..
In all honesty, everything you do to optimize website performance is non-negotiable at this point. Visitors already expect that. What they want now is for you to make their experience of faster/easier/cheaper purchase to them.
Solution:
As a developer, you can't really dictate how your customers run their eCommerce store. All you can do is make sure you have the WordPress tools available for the conveniences your customers expect.
It is best to give them a comprehensive eCommerce solution that covers all angles.
#7. Personalized Experience
In an age where “Big Data” and “The Internet of Things” are commonly known terms, there is no secret about how or why we see product ads on Facebook for something we saw on Amazon. You're not the only one who knows that WordPress gives you behind-the-scenes access to your visitors' information. They understand this very well, too, and it is this understanding that leads them to expect something in return for giving you access to that data.
This is why personalization is an expectation and something that e-commerce companies, in particular, have a duty to live up to.
Solution:
El live chat is a tool you can use to provide personalized attention based on real-time data to visitors. And, of course, the email and/or CRM softwares Linked to your WordPress site will help your clients offer personalized messages to visitors.
