What Your E-commerce Store Needs to Take Advantage of in 2017

04/01/2017 | Share:

Over the last ten years, e-commerce has changed the way we shop. But more importantly, it’s also changed the way we sell. We take a look at what you’ll need to take advantage of in 2017 to make sure your e-commerce store stays ahead of the game.

Mobile sales

Online sales grew by over 15 per cent during 2016, compared to 2015’s figures, and it’s estimated that almost 80 per cent of UK internet users made an online purchase during the last 12 months. The most popular items were clothing, books and home electronics. Increasing numbers of these purchases were made on mobile devices, including phones and tablets – around 30 per cent of the total sales figure.

Make sure that your e-commerce site offers your customers as good a user experience on their mobile device as it would do on a PC. This includes adopting mobile optimisation as well as a variety of payment options and full integration with mobile wallets on both Apple and Android devices to create a seamless and enjoyable shopping process.

Delivery options

Time and tides wait for no man, and neither will your customers if you don’t have a range of timely delivery options available for them. Impatient customers simply won’t wait indefinitely for an item, and if your e-commerce store can’t guarantee speedy delivery there’s a danger that you’ll lose the sale altogether.

Take advantage of the partnering options an experienced fulfilment firm can offer you. It’s a great way to ensure that your customers are kept happy and not kept waiting! Consider also a variety of delivery pricing options, ranging from free shipping to premium delivery to offer an even wider choice.

Personalisation

To really stand out from the crowd and engender trust and brand loyalty, your e-commerce store must offer your customers the highest levels of personalisation and engagement possible.

Use technology to your best advantage and utilise the wide range of social media options available to you today (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram are the most obvious and popular methods of customer engagement) to make sure your brand speaks across multiple platforms. Receive compliments gracefully and address problems head on to ensure that your customers can see that they are your number one priority.

The e-commerce market is growing exponentially – some estimates put 2016’s revenue as high as £133 billion in the UK alone. Don’t let your e-commerce store be left behind in 2017.