According to statistics, eCommerce sales globally are expected to increase from 1.3 trillion in 2014 to 4.5 trillion in 2021. This shows how the eCommerce industry is on the rise and indicating no signs of stopping. In today’s age, stores can’t succeed without offering high-quality eCommerce options, especially when we consider that 56% of all purchases made in-store are influenced by eCommerce and digital commerce. So, if your business isn’t reaching its customers online then you could be seriously losing out.

To help you reap the many benefits of eCommerce in 2018 and beyond, we’ve chosen the top four trends we think will change how people sell and buy online.

1. Virtual and augmented reality

Do you know what is better than seeing a product in-store before you buy it? Seeing it in your home.

Virtual reality and augmented reality are going to gain some serious momentum this year and beyond. Eventually, it will become standard for companies to offer VR and AR options. Consider the use of IKEA’s AR app that allows you to place 3D products within your home. You can actually see whether your products will fit and look good in your home as they are true-to-scale. As eCommerce booms, consumers are going to prefer buying from those companies that allow them the option of testing out products visually before they buy.

2. Voice Search Compatibility

As Google Home, Amazon Echo and other similar voice-activated system grow in popularity, the dominant method of search will become voice search. Statistics show that 40% of millennials are already making use of voice search before they purchase an item online.

It’s vital that you optimise your business for voice search this year, or you could lose out on a large base of customers and that could have a detrimental effect on your business going forward.

3. Mobile dominates

Consider that over 60% of smartphone users have purchased an item on their mobile device within the last six months. It’s vital to create an eCommerce site that’s optimised for mobile. Facial recognition and fingerprint technology, are all simplifying the payment process and encouraging consumers to purchase via mobile rather than desktop. It’s estimated that mobile will exceed 70% of eCommerce traffic by the end of 2018.

4. Image Search

Imagine that you are in a store and see a brilliant sofa but don’t want to pay the full amount, so you take a picture and use the image search tool on eBay to find a similar product for a better price. This is the future. As eCommerce moves to mobile, businesses will start to offer options to allow customers to visually search for products by using photos found online or personal photos.

If you’re interested in an eCommerce design agency who can help boost your business, get in touch with us today.

Stats: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ecommerce-trends