It’s nothing new that online retail is booming. In Germany alone, the sales limit of 60 billion euros was broken last year. And the forecasts for the current year are even better: around 73 billion euros in sales should be recorded. This is of course good news for online trading, but also a warning and a challenge at the same time. Because the competition has never been so great. Strategies for positioning one’s own online shop better than the competition are in demand. In the following, four trends are explained that online shop operators should pay attention to.
1. Personal customer relationship
If you want to win new customers, you should build on a personal approach and convey the feeling of individual support. Thus, an intelligent customer approach right at the beginning of the customer journey is an essential part, as well as pronounced product recommendations. All this should persuade the user to stay in the online shop. It is therefore also essential to look at the previous purchasing behavior of prospective customers and to evaluate them.
2. Omni-Channel
The shopping opportunities on the Internet are almost unlimited, as is the use of channels and end devices. Anyone looking at a product on their smartphone on their way to work in the morning compares it on their tablet in the afternoon and then ultimately orders it on their PC in the evening. The customer should be addressed in the same and targeted manner on all end devices and, above all, their personal benefit should be recognized quickly and easily.
3. Voice Commerce
Voice Commerce is seen as the trend of the future: it is voice-controlled shopping in which the buyer acts with artificial intelligence. Marketplace giant Amazon has pioneered this new way of shopping with its Echo speakers. These can be integrated into everyday life and can be used in a completely multifunctional manner, including for playing music and information.
4. Programmatic Video Advertising
Retailers know full well that video is an exciting format to captivate potential customers. Therefore, the trend continues towards moving images for advertisements. Experts estimate that video ads will make up almost 20 percent of all programmatic advertising in 2012. But that’s not all, by 2023 the proportion is expected to increase to at least 50 percent. You should value transparency, quality and security.