4 Ecommerce Trends For 2018

06/12/2017 | Share:

The way consumers shop online is constantly evolving, therefore in this blog we take a look at the ecommerce trends for 2018 and how they could affect the growth of your business.

1. Increased use of mobile ecommerce

If you haven’t done so already, make sure your ecommerce site is responsive to mobile and tablet usage. The reason being, according to Statista about 39% of ecommerce sales are now via mobile devices and on track to increase 8 fold until 2020.

Therefore if potential customers can’t see your product or checkout details clearly on mobile, there is little chance they will buy from you.

2. Simpler navigation

Due to the predicted increase in mobile ecommerce spend, you will need to ensure your ecommerce site is simple, modern and really easy for a customer to navigate. Therefore in 2018 consumers will expect the entire purchase process to be straightforward, including self-filling customer information and a simple selection method.

61% of consumers who visit a mobile unfriendly site are likely to go to a competitor – Google Digital Academy

3. Netflix style shopping

With Netflix style shopping you can help your customer by offering alternative product suggestions. For example; you like this, so you might like this.

This level of personalised shopping is only set to increase in 2018, with customers expecting ecommerce sites to help them find what they are looking for.
Of course this level of personalised service will require your ecommerce business to use customer data and analytics.

4. Customer data & analytics

In 2018 ecommerce businesses will need to use more and more customer data, including customer purchase history and live chat. We’ve discussed live chat before and how it can help with conversion, you can take a look at our blog here.

By monitoring customer behaviour you will be able to track growing trends and predict which products are gaining or losing interest. Of course this does not mean you should ignore your gut instinct, but increased customer data will take a lot of the guesswork out of the process.

Data and analytics can also help you keep track of your competitors, but it also means they can keep an eye on your ecommerce business too. So bear this in mind and try to keep one step a head by keeping up to date with customer insight and new data solutions.

So there you have it, 2018 is set to be the year personalised shopping experiences and mobile ecommerce dominates the retail sector.