Platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, ebay etc. have changed the way brands reach out to you. It is expected that e-commerce market might cross $50 Billion mark by the end of 2018. Increased internet penetration and mobile users will mark the beginning of lot of opportunities in e-commerce market in the days to come.
Since the market is getting bigger and bigger it is obvious that new technology and innovation will appear to offer better user experience.
Let’s have a look the most important ones.
1. Augmented reality
You have had experiences with products that you buy and find it not as expected or as you have found it online. Gone are the days when you have to go through such negative experiences. Now you can visit the virtual store, try out the products that interest you. For example, you are buying furniture of a particular dimension. You can check whether it fits into the space you are planning to place it into. Now that is something that is going to enhance your shopping experience. The possibilities of augmented reality are limitless.
2. Smarter chat bots
Chat Bots aren’t something new. We have been using them for quite some time for interaction. However, that chat bots that we use now is going to have a transformation that will change the entire e-commerce scenario that persists now. For instance, imagine that a user wishes to buy a bag online. He/She can type desired choice in the chat-bot and access the best deal. When it comes to apps, chat bots will be integrated with voice search so that user will be persuaded to come back and buy stuffs.
3. Smart shopping carts to comparison
We all look for the best deals online before we go about with the shopping. Smart shopping carts show you the best deals on the internet. Now the best bargains come to you automatically. There are websites that compare the price and features online while we add the product that interests us before we make the purchase decision. These smart shopping carts help you better to find the best price, discounts, special offers, and coupons.
4. Introduction of drones
The future of logistics is something unbelievable; soon you will be receiving your order by a drone which notifies when it reaches your address. Many large companies are investing in drone companies, so that delivery in 100 km radius is made possible using drones. By driving this innovation into the space of E-commerce delivery will be faster and accurate. These quad-copters or sometimes octa-copters (in accordance with load) will deliver good that you have bought to your doorstep within hours of purchase.
Cool isn’t t?
5. Social commerce
Social media is an integral part our lives and we spend a lot of time on social media. As such, it is a popular medium to reach out to potential customers and new visitors. Slowly e-commerce sites are including social media into business wherein you can interact directly with the customer support of a product that you are buying. This makes customer support a lot convenient for both customers as well as retailers. For E-commerce ventures, this makes a lot easier to reach out to their customers, build loyalty and to give special offers directly to new and existing customers by interacting with them over social media.
6. Smart-phone evolution
Consumers use different devices to buy products from you. They switch from one device to another while browsing the web. Device-driven analytics will give the right information about a consumer and thus give better deals. It not only gives retailers an insight into their customer’s behaviour but also assesses and personalize the buying experience.
7. Personalized Ads
Soon the advertisements of retail stores will be user-generated videos. To be precise, customers can upload video clips with the products they have purchased and upload them to the retailer’s websites. This trend is expected to pick up speed and attract a lot of new customers. You can flaunt what you just bought in an advertisement. I know; It is exciting ain’t it?