The technology industry witnesses rapid advancements every day, therefore, in this day and age, an e-commerce SEO strategy isn’t enough. 

Businesses and the commerce sector must constantly adapt to these changes to stay relevant. Ecommerce technology trends play a drastic role in the success of an online business. 

If you too have an e-commerce site or looking at starting an online retail business, you must be familiar with these 10 futuristic eCommerce technology trends for the continued success of your business. 

So, read on folks! 

Ecommerce Technology Trends:

   1. Shift to mobile

Mobile platforms have increased exponentially over the last few years. You might not know, but m-commerce has developed as a concept in itself. That is how big of a game-changer they are today.

Customers all over the globe use smartphones to shop online with the total number of smartphone users that invest in online shopping crossing over half the global population. 

While desktops are still the primary method for consumers in e-commerce shopping, this is bound to change soon. Global trends show that mobiles will be the direct technology used to find, research, and buy services or goods for their easy accessibility.

   2. Customization is the key

Personalization or customization is a marketing strategy to lure customers. Who wouldn’t love a product curated especially for them according to their likes and dislikes? 

It is one of the best ways to engage customers and establish an extensive shopping experience.

To ensure this personalization, you need Big Data. Data regarding consumers’ product searches are collected on databases based on e-commerce SEO. Once you have sufficient data, you can use the proper filtering process and information analysis to understand consumer patterns.

This helps businesses to determine consumer behavior like never before and allows them to deliver the products or services that their customers are looking for in the form of product recommendations that serve to add personalization and increase your sales.

By adding such customizations repetitively, you can create an extensive and unforgettable shopping experience.

   3. Conversational marketing

Traditional marketing and e-commerce SEO practices have run their course, and e-commerce businesses understand the importance of opting for newer marketing techniques. Conversational marketing is one such great strategy to keep your consumers interested and to know what they want.

In simple terms, it refers to a two-way means of communication between the firm and the consumer, which opens up many opportunities for business success. Who better than the customer to tell what they like, right?

If you get the information directly from the user, you will reduce the pain of making any guesses according to previous searches, and more. You will create a real-time, personalized, and one-on-one conversation.

Additionally, you can use various efficient technologies to nurture these customer conversations as a business owner. These can include:

• Chatbots

Chatbots are your best bet. They are lovely conversational marketing tools that can handle many consumers simultaneously. 

They will give the correct answers according to the information provided by various channels and even maintain consistency in tone for the brand.

• Live chat

Live chat is another great option to allow the support teams to get in touch with the customers at ease. Through live messaging, you can quickly understand the user’s pain points. Additionally, it is also possible to initiate preemptive chat invitations for some customers according to their behaviors.

• Messaging apps

We also strongly suggest talking to your clients through messaging apps rather than promotional emails for there is a huge possibility of them missing out on those mails, which will end up in the spam folder.

   4. Omnichannel presence and support is necessary

Modern shopping habits are not simple. Neither is the process involved in finalizing the last buy. It includes cross-channel research and several other processes before the final purchase. 

Studies show that 90% of consumers expect smooth interactions across many devices and channels, showcasing the essential value of omnichannel readiness in today’s time.

With the right technology, e-commerce business owners should try to provide consumers with not just what they want but also help them get it at the place they want it. 

There are some particular ways through which you can accommodate an interconnected user journey through technology. These include:

• Video chat

Through a video chat feature, your business can interact with customers face-to-face. This option helps in creating a personalized and cross-channel experience. Moreover, it is visually demonstrative and is a consumer consultation activity.

• Co-browsing

Co-browsing is a relatively new form of cross-channel engagement. It is mostly visual-based and serves to simultaneously connect your agents and the users on one page.

These agents can guide your consumers seamlessly through all the complex steps and processes. Since the consumer watches everything through his own eyes, a higher trust value is established.

• Screen sharing and document interaction

Both of these methods are excellent means to interact with your customers and make them feel at home. Through screen sharing, your customer will share their screen with the agents to resolve any issues, difficulties during form filling, or even completing transactions.

Document interaction, on the other hand, is a way to provide a platform for the agent to interact with the customers and their documents in a safe manner. This also includes an e-signature feature to enhance user security.

   5. Augmented reality and Virtual reality

Augmented reality and Virtual reality, or AR and VR, are the future of e-commerce technology. They have both merged to become the game-changing trends in e-commerce.

AR aids shoppers all around the world to visualize the online store products of their choice. This helps them in solving many real-world problems. VR on the other hand, enables these online stores to create exact and updated details of these products. Such an advancement helps in the overall betterment of purchasing decisions.

Did you know that 30% of buyers will invest more in online shopping if they are allowed to try the product virtually? This allows them to analyze if the product fits their desires before spending their hard-earned money. Additionally, 22% of buyers would be less likely to go to a brick-and-mortar store if the AR technology can be availed during their online shopping.

These figures show the powerful picture of the dominance of AR and VR technologies in the e-commerce industry and hence many enterprises today have already opted for AR as the standard technology for their products.

 

   6. AI and voice tools

Virtual assistants like Google Voice Search, Cortana, Viv, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Siri have taken the world by storm. Through these virtual assistants, customers can surf on many search engines using their voices. 

It is said that voice search will be a preeminent innovation driver for the e-commerce industry in the coming years. According to Google, over 20% of mobile device queries are voice-based and 40% of millennials are now searching via voice assistants.

As a business owner, voice search technology will be a big step towards maintaining brand loyalty. 

The use of AI too similarly helps the customers to get the most appropriate and best answers to their requests. 

   7. The vitality of image searches

Various e-commerce businesses are putting image search technology into place on their websites for customers can remember a picture way better than just a text or description. 

Checking out the product pictures also makes them quickly interested in the item. For instance, a consumer might like a watch, but it is way above their budget. Now, if you are a watch seller with a similar design with greater affordability, we suggest you opt for image search integration.

Thus, this feature allows online businesses to pick sales better.

 

   8. You need ROPO/ROBO! 

ROPO (Research online purchase offline) and ROBO (Research online buy offline) are internet shopping technologies that are extremely popular.

With ROPO or ROBO, consumers can easily search for services and products at the most affordable price. ROPO aids e-commerce business makers to keep a check on their offline conversions.

If you are a business owner, you should strengthen the e-commerce SEO and digital marketing practices revolving around the ROBO trend. Techniques and metrics like CRM, mobile payment, social integration, and shopping history will help you serve the ROBO shoppers and fulfill their needs. 

 

   9. Efficient checkout processes are essential.

One of the worst ways for losing sales is cart abandonment. This means the consumers were genuinely considering buying the product but changed their minds right before completing the transaction. 

You would be surprised to know that the cart abandonment rate is an alarming 79% today across global online businesses of various industries. The biggest reason behind this is the inefficient checkout process that makes your clients give up on you.

To help you avoid this, we list some suggestions which include:

• Allowing your consumers to save the card details, thereby streamlining repeat purchases
• Adopting Apple Pay and Android Pay for they are speedy mobile payment solutions that enable a fast process
• It would be best if you had a range of payment options
• The checkout process should be one page and hassle-free

 

   10. Mobile wallet and pay

Just optimizing the online business for mobile phone viewing isn’t enough these days. If you want your online business to grow, you must integrate the feature of a mobile wallet into the online business website. 

With a higher number of people opting for online shopping, buyers prefer the benefits and security offered by a mobile wallet for payments. The addition of a mobile wallet will be easy and convenient for your consumers and will greatly increase your sales. 

Launching a mobile application should also be in your mind. An interactive application is an excellent technology asset that your business could hold. 

We recommend creating an e-commerce mobile app and inculcating location-based marketing to allow continuous brand engagement. It also helps familiarize them with relevant and new purchasing opportunities. Additionally, incorporating location-based marketing allows you to market your products according to your customers’ specific areas and cultures. 

The application you will build for the online business would thus work as a departmental store with all the products. On the other hand, the website can be your very own pop-up shop.

 

Wrapping up

Customer is the king! And, in today’s digital age, we might have to declare technology as the closest aid of this king.

If you integrate the right set of technologies with your online business, chances are nothing can stop you from building a solid e-commerce business. While SEO has its importance, it is essential for you to pick up these ecommerce technology trends listed above if you seek to sustain your business in the coming years. 

With the right research and by getting in touch with the right tech people, and experimenting with multiple options, you will soon crack the code to increase sales while using the best of technology.

So, which e-commerce technology are you excited to incorporate in 2022?