Let’s talk about online retail, a topic that I’ve been thinking about with providers like Amazon making it so easy to buy online. Rather than heading to a mall and searching shelves, you can now see find the exact product you want, see its price, order it, and get it delivered right to your door with a growing number of digital stores. So, what online retail trends can we expect this year?
Online retail trends to expect this year:
1. Social media purchases
Given the amount of time on social media, it makes sense that more people than ever will buy through Facebook and Instagram ads. I have friends who have bought items from the adverts, although I have yet to do so.
Don’t forget about YouTube either. Many review videos include buy links and, people click and buy from reviewers with a trustworthy presence online. Especially if they’re already looking for the product type but just didn’t know which brand to get yet.
2. Mobile payments
For a business owner looking for reliable payment processing without owning a brick-and-mortar location, digital payments are a great solution. For example, accept payments as a massage therapist working at home with a wireless smart terminal.
If you’re searching for the latest POS (point of service) system, then do your homework to find the best merchant services. Then you can accept Apple Pay, EMV chip cards, and the traditional type of magstripe credit cards and debit cards.
3. Artificial intelligence
AI or artificial intelligence is transforming businesses with physical locations, as you start to see self-checkout cash registers at almost every retail store. Or at least that’s happening where we live.
The machine learning process also is an online retail trend. You might be using this technology and not even realize it.
For instance, if you use voice assistance like Alexa then you’re able to shop via voice command. Simply tell Alexa what you want to shop for the lowest price and the assistant will tell you where to get it online.
That’s a real-time saver versus hunting different websites for cost comparisons of the same product type. Yes, it’s shopping assistance, really.
4. E-commerce subscriptions
While online “clubs” that deliver subscription boxes monthly aren’t new – hello fruit of the month – there is a new twist on this idea. It’s not for consumables but instead for any online business that wants to keep customers coming back.
Let’s take a haircare company, for example. While you probably won’t buy shampoo every month, your company can offer member-only benefits. It could be free shipping or bonus products with each purchase that only apply to those who have a membership with your business.
A free quote for services offered is still a classic way to gain new clients, whether it’s regarding Bekins Moving Solutions moving services in Las Vegas, lawn care, cleaning, or something else. A template on your website, for instance, can help a service-based website get a lead that turns into a new job.
5. Accessibility focus
A recent Supreme Court decision made it vital for brick-and-mortar businesses to make their online platforms accessible as per the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). That’s great news as it’s still shocking to me how many websites aren’t accessible to someone who is legally blind.
Now you can expect to see updates to many organizations that have accessibility in mind over the course of the year. While avoiding a lawsuit might be the motivation for some organizations to make these improvements, nonetheless the positive changes are coming.
Questions for you about online retail trends for 2020
What are some other Internet shopping trends you’re seeing? Do you shop more on the web now than a year ago?
Also, what are your thoughts on where this online retail trend will go – Specifically, there will be fewer and fewer human interactions within storefronts… Is that a good thing? Why or why not?
Thanks for sharing!
Thank YOU for being here!
Very interesting post! I’m seeing all of this right now. I am a bit of a hold-out myself. I do not do online shopping at all. I prefer bricks and mortar—touching the product, trying on the clothing before purchasing. Also, the social interaction is nice too. I think buying products off of social media is not a good idea. I’ve heard too many stories of the products being extremely cheap for the price not to mention some purchases do not arrive at all. Too much room for scams. Good to see that sites are getting more disability friendly.
Hi Lisa, the online marketplace is growing every day, that’s for sure. I agree about in-person purchases providing a social opportunity. I think a big reason for the growth of online shopping is the convenience. Sometimes too I find better deals online than in store (of course other times it’s the opposite). Thanks for sharing your feeling about social media purchases being of a cheaper quality. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues over the coming years.
Thank you for another great information, Christy! Have a wonderful week! Michael
Happy to share and inform – It makes me happy!
It is a good thing to have the choice to shop the way you want. Thanks to the internet all I need now is a solid payment system to be able to own a shop right here in my home country, Ghana and sell to someone in far away Canada, for example. I really love the way you cleverly blend your ecommerce store with the blog. It is a model I’d love to emulate. Cheers.
Thanks for appreciating the topic and also the way this blog is set up, Ralph. I’m launching a blog soon on growing on WordPress (tips and tricks) so watch for the announcement about it here in the coming months. Hopefully that’ll be helpful if you want to grow your blog too.