Few industries have seen the momentum that the E-commerce industry has seen in the past couple of years. The Australian online shopping market is already valued at $43.9 billion and will likely increase by 35.3% in 2021. About 9.2 million Australians shopped online in September 2021, a whopping 27% more than last September.
Using these, and other online shopping statistics Australia, it is reasonably easy to predict e-commerce trends in the country.
This article discusses the latest trends to adopt, to ensure you reap the benefits of the booming E-commerce industry.
Voice Assistants Prevail
Voice search is here to stay. From smartphones to smart TV’s all devices give you the option of voice search. Therefore, as a vendor in the online space, you should optimise your webpage to respond to the different search methods to stay relevant.
AI And Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) helps predict consumer behaviour based on their shopping and browsing history. Machine learning (ML) can help customisethe user experience for every unique user, which is difficult for humans to achieve.
The best part is that AI and ML are no longer limited to large enterprises but are now being implemented by small businesses to yield great results.
Multiple Payment Options
Gone are the days when customers paid by credit or debit cards. Today consumers want multiple payment options, that too in more than one currency.
Therefore, it is best to incorporate payment methods such as wire transfer, unified payments interface (UPI), bank transfer, international payment platforms, gift cards, and of course, debit and credit cards.
Use Augmented Reality To Try On Before Purchase
Customers want to try on stuff like glasses, shoes, and dresses and may prefer offline stores for them. Thanks to augmented reality (AR), customers can now virtually “try on” garments and accessories before buying.
This applies to just about anything from clothes, accessories to artwork and even furniture. You simply upload the picture and let the AR do the rest. It allows you to arrange different furniture and artwork in the room before adding it to your cart.
Subscription Models In Demand
You can offer a subscription model for regularly ordered items that give customers additional discounts when they subscribe to a product. It can help turn a customer into a long-term loyal brand ambassador.
Online shopping statistics inAustraliasuggest that about 53% of Aussies adopted the subscription models, and 44% prefer it over one-time purchases.
Sustainability Is The Buzzword
Sustainable business practices are the buzz when it comes to E-commerce trends for the future. Therefore, you need to ensure that sustainable corporate governance practices are in the limelight to attract customers.
The Environmental Leader reports that customers were ready to pay about 5% more for green and sustainable products.
Multi-Channel Customer Service
Customers want more than one way to get in touch with you, and it means that you should use multi-channel customer support such as via phone, e-mail, live chat, WhatsApp, messaging service, and even social media.
They also need help 24×7, meaning that you need to deploy bots during non-office hours, which can handle a set of common queries. Human customer service executives can address other complex questions during office hours.
Omni Channel Personalized Experiences
Customers expect more than a simple greeting when they visit your website, and they hope to undergo a unique experience when they browse through products rather than simply click and buy.
Machine learning has enabled E-commerce stores to detect consumer behaviour based on their browsing history and make suggestions. When the customer accepts the suggestion, it will offer more similar products, but if the customer rejects, it will offer alternatives.
This personalised experience is trending with most prominent businesses, but smaller and medium enterprises have also started implementing these techniques.
SEO Strategies
Search engine optimisation strategies are a crucial trend in E-commerce and will continue to rule the domain for a long time. You should make sure that you adopt and customise SEO strategies to keep your website current, fresh, and relevant.
Use analytics to make sure that your keywords are trending and highly competitive. You can also choose long-tail keywords pertinent to your products for a better ranking on search engines.
Real-Time Analytics To Optimize Sales
Collecting and aggregating data is no longer time-consuming and complicated. You can now view real-time analytics such as CTR, PPC, CPC, demographics, conversion rate, cost of acquisition, abandoned carts, behaviours, and many more. Armed with this data, you can make real-time decisions that help boost sales.
These are the E-commerce trends that you need to watch out for shortly to boost business. Online shopping statistics in Australia indicate that about 55% of online shoppers in 2020 will stick to online shopping, making it imperative that you adopt these trends in business to improve profitability.
