Top 5 eCommerce Trends for 2021

Ecommerce is rapidly evolving, faster than ever before. Having an online presence has become an unavoidable necessity. The recent global pandemic had a significant impact on businesses, and suddenly “online” became new offline. At Maven, we want to help your business uncover opportunities to maximize the return on your eCommerce investment as the marketplace evolves. We have compiled the list of top 5 eCommerce trends for 2021. Use this as a starting point as you develop your future eCommerce strategy. Be prepared to be flexible and make ongoing changes.

Retaled post: TOP 5 Biggest Retail Trends to Skyrocket Sales in 2022

 

1. Online Selling Trend in Growing

Ecommerce has been evolving exponentially over the years. Online sales are expected to reach $4.9 trillion in 2021. This represents almost 16% of total retail sales globally! Much of the continued growth of eCommerce stems from its security and convenience. Ecommerce shopping influences more people to reduce their mall visits and purchase online instead.

 

Consumer confidence in online purchasing has continued to increase, boosting online sales. Current eCommerce statistics confirm this. The question of whether you should or should not develop your online presence has been answered. The answer is yes, and start immediately.

Today’s websites are more intuitive and user-friendly, providing consumers with an optimal online buying experience. The technologies and techniques driving online shopping have also evolved, enabling customers to quickly and easily find and select the items they want and pay using an ever-expanding variety of options. Unlike the days when consumers were hesitant to make online purchases, today online buyers are common.

 

2. Acceleration of Mobile Shopping

The explosion in mobile shopping is a significant eCommerce trend. 

 

Mobile sales are expected to make up almost 72% of all eCommerce deals. These statistics make it clear that support for mobile shopping will be vital for eCommerce businesses in the coming years.

 

To better understand the increase in mobile shopping sales, simply look at the rise in mobile devices over the past year. Mobile devices have been overtaking the market in the recent decade, as more people have started to use them. The simplicity of the mobile user interface has helped consumers develop a comfort and a preference for using their mobile devices, particularly when shopping. 

 

Consider building a mobile version of a website or PWA as a priority in 2021. Such an investment will deliver a rapid return. Contact Maven, and we will be happy to help you with it.

 

3. Changes in Google Search Algorithms

Organic search remains one of the biggest sources of traffic for most eCommerce businesses. Every year, Google updates its search algorithms to provide a better user experience and improve the quality of content. 

The algorithm updates directly affect business performance, so with each update, it becomes the mission of a merchant is to adapt and rethink its SEO strategy.

 

Why is this so important today?

 

2021 represents the next milestone in search and SEO. In May 2021, Google will release the Core Web Vitals Update. As part of this update, the speed that your website loads and how fast the site becomes interactive and stable will be part of the ranking. If those numbers are unsatisfactory, your position in search results will be negatively impacted. Lower rankings mean a loss of traffic, and ultimately revenue. It will be critical to complete a website performance optimization to ensure your search ranking is maintained.

 Why is this critical for eCommerce?

1. Ecommerce is highly competitive. The loss of a few positions in Google Search could cost your business hundreds of thousands of dollars.
2. Ecommerce websites are often the ones that load slow. Each page consists of a lot of JS, images, forms, and so on. It makes the optimization process complicated and time-consuming. 
3. Magento is a resource-intensive platform. Simply purchasing expensive hosting or VPS won’t guarantee high speed and performance. Your 2021 SEO strategy should include the hiring of a dedicated team of professionals that understand the platform and will perform complete optimization correctly.

 

4. AI will be More Beneficial

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been shaping eCommerce for some time. This trend will continue in 2021, with AI’s impact being felt more dramatically.

As machine learning and chatbots become mainstream, more companies can leverage AI and generate real business impact. Today, most businesses use artificial intelligence for suggestion systems and optimization tasks, but as the technology has evolved and acceptance has grown, the number of use cases has doubling every year.

AI technologies are becoming more affordable to develop and integrate, such that even a small business can afford them. As an emerging technology with no formal, established rules, artificial intelligence will continue to innovate, creating future opportunities for savvy businesses.

   

For online stores, innovations in artificial intelligence offer unique applications and capabilities that can be leveraged. For example, interactive voice search offers a different way for businesses to present their products to consumers and advanced inventory forecasting helps with back office and supply chain management.

 

5. Focus on Green Consumerism

Being environmentally friendly is proven to positively affect online sales. Consumers are considering environmental issues as part of their purchasing process more and more, so eCommerce must actively participate in the green consumerism wave.

Millennials are a key purchasing demographic encouraging green consumerism. This generation of buyers actively seek to work with businesses who provide environmentally-friendly products.

The consumer-focus on environmental sustainability is a clear indicator that online sellers must adopt environmentally-friendly practices. Brands can do this by sourcing products only from fair-trade associations or changing a packing to recycled material.

These steps, as part of a clearly defined “green-initiative”, helps estable a greener online selling environment and more positive consumer interaction.

 

Conclusion

Businesses must innovate to succeed. But, how do companies drive continued innovation? First, trends and insights are your friends. Make time to review broad and detailed industry data to find potential innovation opportunities. Next, create a culture of innovation in your organization. This includes continuous experimentation, analysis and improvement.

Finally, to be successful, you need a reliable, experienced partner. Choose one of the best eCommerce development companies and contact Maven. We have the resources, experience, and know-how to help you come out on top!