Trends are our Friends

Rohan Date -

A brief guide into the trends of eCommerce

Subcategories

  • Brief history
  • Sustainability
  • Market Psychology
  • Social Media
  • AI

E-commerce has an affluent history. Stemming from primitive electronic data transactions in the 1960s, to the initial online retail transaction in 1994 through to present-day.

Shopping for clothes, jewellery, books has now transpired to ordering daily essential groceries like cheese and celery. Cray? An industry evolving at such an exponential rate, what could possibly be next?

Alas, the pandemic clearly has not woken up from it’s enduring slumber since 2019..

The million dollar question surfaces, ‘how does one position their business to flourish, even during a pandemic? It’s like the saying, ‘the rich get richer, even during a recession’. Time to elaborate.

Originally coined in the 1777’s as ‘the way something bends’, studying and applying these ‘trends’ is a prerequisite for business growth in modern day. Some fact slapping beckons..



Hell no plastico

There’s no judgment, and we don’t credit the ‘preach’ approach either. Remove yourself from under the rock, jump on the movement and do your bit. Sustainability, environmentally friendly, ecologically sound, has become ‘the’ insistent, influencing factor as online shopping proliferates in modern day.

Some basic b***h ideas to become ‘more green’:

  • Going paperless
  • Using biodegradable packaging
  • Using recyclable supplies

  • If you're not doing it, well..





Good old greed

‘The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need but not every mans greed’ - Mahatma Ghandi

Market psychology 101. The human race thrives on convenience, flexibility, and most importantly, relinquishing control. So when it comes down to it, being forced or cornered to one payment gateway on an e-commerce site just won’t cut it.



Attention is lost to proceed..

Unfortunately in this competitive industry, our loyalties lie with those who give us the power to feel as though we have all the power, what we call ‘false sense of security’.



Word on the street is the latest payment trend is buy now and pay later.’ One of many in the region addressing this is a startup called Tabby. You buy what you want, delay the payment until you're happy, and it’s all in your control.  #winning

Throw a dog a bone and consider other payment options such as Paypal and Payoneer, discounts and offers are also important.

Kardashian it

E-commerce and social media are like sustenance and alimony. Find yourself an ‘influence-e’ and watch your marketing campaigns turn into liquid gold. Such an affordable and effective marketing strategy. In a world riddled with gaining trust through ‘the gram’,  this is how businesses develop credibility, making them reliable, authentic and far more interesting than regular advertising, may you rest in peace



The Matrix

From the wise words of Morpheus, ‘what if I told you, you could predict shopping patterns, based on the products that shoppers buy, at the exact time they are bought’


Take the blue pill (AI) and you can have:

  • Product recommendations
  • Analysing customer comments
  • Providing personalised services/offers
  • Chatbot services

Take the red pill, well you already know..

Living in a world of instant gratification

Paper and pen, waiting in a queue.



Like dinosaurs, our patience levels are close to extinction. Much like the efficiency process of ordering an Uber, we need that instant gratification for ‘everything’ related to ecommerce. From tracking to queries, it should be mandatory that customers have instant responses like a ‘chat’ option.

Calling all chatbot integrations into eCommerce websites! It is the only solution to hold onto those inquisitive customers who are paying those virtual visits.



Takeaways,  follow the trends my friends and give the people what they want.