1. Augmented reality makes online buying more realistic.
For ecommerce, augmented reality (AR) has been a game changer. This type of technology allows shoppers to see the thing they’re looking for up close, which aids in their purchasing decision. In certain areas, such as fashion and home decor, AR has a significant impact on the purchasing experience since it allows customers to get a better feel for an item without having to see it in person.
According to Gartner, 100 million people will shop using augmented reality by 2020, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out next year.
This prediction is shared by Michael Prusich, Director of Business Development at 1Digital Agency:
“Polls suggest that 35 percent of people would shop online more if they could virtually try on a product before buying it, and 22 percent would visit a brick-and-mortar store if AR was offered through their preferred ecommerce company.” AR allows users to view how a product would look if they were actually wearing it, rather than just seeing a 3D model of it. Some products and industries are better suited to traditional buying methods, but AR will disrupt the market sooner rather than later.”
Tessa Wuertz, Director of Marketing & Partnerships at efelle.com, believes that even smaller and midmarket companies can benefit from the trend:
“We expect a lot more companies to use augmented reality for their products and enterprises, to the point where it will become more common in ecommerce and social media platforms.” We’re seeing it in use with larger organisations now, but I believe it will soon become commonplace for enterprises of all kinds.”
2. Voice search will become more prevalent.
Not only are there more smart speakers on the market, but consumers are now relying on voice assistants to do daily activities. According to Loop Ventures, by 2025, 75% of US households will own a smart speaker.
As more people installed smart speakers in homes, more people will use voice search to shop online, order food, and arrange their lives. In terms of keywords and content, the rise of voice search presents an opportunity for ecommerce businesses.
“More engagement of voice-enabled solutions in the commerce arena with Amazon Alexa and Google Home,” according to David Zimmerman, Director of eCommerce Solutions at Kensium, is high on his list of 2020 trends to watch.
3. Artificial intelligence (AI) assists retailers in learning more about their customers.
Customers can have automated, individualised purchasing experiences thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. AI collects data on how customers shop, when they make purchases, and what they’re seeking for in a product or service on a regular basis.
The intricacy of AI, as well as the potential to make it more human, is becoming increasingly significant, according to Ron Smith, Editor in Chief of The Digital Outdoor:
“People want to know that businesses care about them, and they will design AI to provide that message.” On social media, we’ve seen the inverse phenomenon, when AIs learn from humans’ more negative comments, but it’s extremely likely that consumers would seek the impact. Companies can soon teach bots to give comfort and products based on clients’ moods if they can learn how to build phrases to communicate emotion.”
4. On-site personalization makes use of the data to generate unique experiences.
Online shoppers of all kinds — both B2C and B2B — want individualised, unique shopping experiences. A buyer can receive individualised product suggestions and detailed customer assistance thanks to the data acquired by AI.
Personalized experiences on-site or in marketing efforts have been demonstrated to increase sales, with one study revealing that shops with advanced personalization capabilities saw a 25% increase in revenue.
For reference, this accounted for 19% of participating companies, whereas merchants who were “developing basic personalisation capabilities” had a “revenue gain of 10% or more; retailers in this tier account for 40% of participating companies.”
In 2020, Kaleigh Moore, a freelance writer and ecommerce expert, sees AI-powered personalisation becoming more important:
“As marketers harness and exploit more data, they’ll be able to provide shoppers with very relevant, tailor-made experiences.”
5. Big data aids in the development of customised experiences.
Many consumers are now aware that ecommerce sites collect personal information about them, putting them at risk. As a result, they divide experts on the advantages of big data and how it influences the individualised shopping experience.
Luis Catter, Kensium Solutions’ Conversion Rate Optimization Expert, has his own predictions for how customization will continue to expand in tandem with data concerns:
“Personalization will eventually make its way to the internet of things as the digital companies continue to expand and bring more services in-house.” We’ll see suggestions not only on search engines and retail platforms, but also on our thermostats and doorbell cameras. We , however, allow to opt out of some of the legislation once they adopt it. People who have ultra-personalized experiences and those who do not will form an interesting dichotomy. This will have an intriguing influence on our ability to reach new users as advertisers.”
Source: ecommerce business , ecommerce store
