It’s almost 2023 already, and the world of e-commerce has not been left idle. According to ‘Statistics Netherlands’, their latest report indicated that 80 new webshops per week are added. This means that there are plenty of development opportunities with the addition of new techniques. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the 13 most important eCommerce trends in 2023.
1. Personalization and zero-party data become crucial
There is a long way to go in the protection of our privacy. Last year, Apple released a new version of IOS. This update had drastic consequences for marketers, as Facebook lost access to valuable data about the behavior of its users. This data was then sold to marketers to run targeted campaigns.
Facebook and many campaign marketers were at a crossroads. Fortunately, Google is still there. But a big change is about to happen, as third-party cookies will soon no longer be supported in Google Chrome. This leaves the marketer no choice but to retrieve important usage data directly from the user: otherwise known as; zero-party data. This type of data means the user is rewarded for providing little information about themselves. This trend we expect to increase dramatically soon.
2. Smarter chatbots, voice shopping, and conversational shopping
Today we are dependent on hardware such as a keyboard, mouse, and monitors. The good news is this will soon be a thing of the past, with voice control emerging. “Hey Google, play smooth jazz”, or “Alexa dim the lights”, previously these ideas seemed far-fetched but they are happening right now. These advancements don’t just stop at asking Alexa to turn on your dishwasher, it is only the beginning.
We are starting to observe a shift to ‘voice shopping’ or ‘conversational shopping. Shopping in stores will be a distant memory as chatbots are getting smarter, making it easy to interact in real time. Want to ask a question about the product you hope to purchase? Using the information you provide to the chatbot, will generate thousands of algorithms against your command, from this information the chatbot chooses the best option to fit your needs.
3. More transactional and logistics options
In 2023, we expect an increase in the number of webshops or store pages created on already existing websites. During the numerous lockdown periods, we observed a shift in customer behavior moving to e-commerce sites, generating a surge in sales. Although this is good news for the e-commerce industry it creates new challenges for scaling up. So, what are these obstacles? For example, payment traffic is becoming more extensive in terms of options such as the inclusion of Klarna in the payment space, which is relatively inaccessible to small businesses.
Additionally, the major players in the market are investing heavily in delivery options. For example, Amazon is testing a self-driving delivery car to accommodate the ever-increasing volume of parcels. And drone deliveries will be commonplace in a few years. Robotisation seems to be finally being embraced.
4. Video Marketing
Although video marketing is significantly less futuristic, it is continuing to grow within the marketing industry. Video technology offers marketers and CX managers new opportunities. Not only can you strengthen interaction with customers using video, but this method is faster and more expressive than written content. For example, using video can easily provide instructions for your company’s products. Ask yourself, which works better, a video showing how to fold a box or text explaining it verbatim?
5. Augmented Reality and New Tech: The future of e-commerce is taking off
Imagine a virtual representation of your physical kitchen; Augmented Reality makes it possible. Nowadays, we see AR used in companies such as home stylists or landscape gardeners. With AR you can easily create a representation of what your home or garden will look like online.
For example, do you want to know how a kitchen will look in your home? With a virtual layout of your kitchen designs, the space can be displayed in a way that it appears as if it is there. This technique will become more widely used in the future in all types of industries. AR will take off, making it one of the biggest eCommerce trends in 2023.
6. New Tech: The Internet of Things is getting bigger and bigger
New Tech, an umbrella term for ‘gadgets’, has been a hot topic since the invention of fire. Trendwatchers have observed an increase in applications created under this name, otherwise dubbed the Internet of Things (IoT).
7. The new trend in eCommerce: the consumer is getting “lazy”
The future of e-commerce is slowly but surely changing and adapting to current tech trends. The most important shift in this area is that consumers are less inclined to search for particular products. Therefore, to help customers find what they want, they will be triggered with the product even when they are not searching – anything to boost sales!
8. Blockchain in eCommerce and Web 3.0
Decentralized, is the magic word. In the digital world (or the metaverse), we will see that large corporations will be bypassed by the users. Web 3.0 is one of the big changes, while web 2.0 is still dominated by the Googles, Facebook, and Amazon’s of the world, web 3.0 will become all of us.
The new version of the web will allow users to be in charge, enabling us to contribute content to the new version of the web to a certain extent. This will no longer limit us to what large corporations are communicating. So decentralization, in other words, will mean less power with the corporations and more with the individual.
In line with this, blockchains and NFTs (not-fungible tokens, or a non-exchangeable, irreplaceable certificate of ownership) will play a major role during this shift. Pieces of code that are unique and represent a value. These pieces of code will soon become tradable and Shopify has already indicated that it will cooperate in making this possible. Blockchain / Web3 is one of the most important eCommerce trends in 2023.
9. Subscriptions and other loyalty programs
Getting customers to your website is no longer difficult, however, retaining customers is the biggest challenge for marketers. If the predictions are correct, e-commerce companies will bet big on subscription strategies and loyalty programs.
These strategies have been around for a long time, but are now becoming more important, although e-commerce companies are (still) lagging behind this trend. Companies currently create an online customer environment where customers can receive discounts on products. It becomes even more interesting when we look at a loyalty program that works with blockchain.
10. Social Commerce
A success story from China is social commerce. With this new marketing trend, products can be offered during live-streaming events. This marketing technique is no longer discrete, as we have seen with techniques like product placement. Instead, live streamers directly ask the question “Do you like this product? Well, then you can order it here”. The technique focuses entirely on spontaneous purchases and can be used to promote products live.
11. Selling through reputable e-commerce platforms and other channels
If you are active in e-commerce, then you no longer have to attract a lot of visitors to your webshop with SEO and SEA to generate sales. Fortunately, your webshop can achieve success in more simplistic ways. One strategy that is emerging is by piggybacking on the big companies.
Not sure how to create a webshop? Instead, you have the option to skip this step and offer your range on Bol.com or Amazon. They have hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of visitors every day, making it easier than ever to sell your product. And piggybacking on the range isn’t the only benefit. You can take advantage of the different checkout methods and delivery options at the same time. In the meantime, you can focus on other things.
12. Durability
Sustainability is a word that’s thrown around easily nowadays, but including this buzzword in your company is of utmost importance to consumers. Consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, this makes it easier to justify the price of your product, making it a fantastic selling point. A survey in America found that 57% of respondents planned to shop more consciously at sustainable companies in the next two years. So it pays off to be environmentally conscious!
13. B2B eCommerce trends
Many of the trends we discussed previously focus on B2C markets and companies. The B2B world is always a step behind in terms of (technological) developments. Nevertheless, there is an increasing focus on digitization. Brochures, catalogs, or folders will no longer fall on the mat so quickly, and ordering by phone has also seen better days. As an entrepreneur or employees, we simply want to see the same UX as we are used to with our private purchases. That is why the emphasis in the coming years will be on professional online environments as hybrid working is becoming more commonplace now, we have seen that it can work very well. Perhaps proof that B2B is moving towards B2C.
Perfect, now you’re fully up to date with the eCommerce trends of 2023. Time for the next step in your eCommerce business!
