The year 2020 was strange in many ways. This also applied to e-commerce that experienced a pandemic-induced boom due to closed brick-and-mortar stores and travel restrictions. We take a closer look at some of the trends that characterized e-commerce in 2020.
E-commerce is booming – especially on mobile devices
For European consumers, e-commerce shopping is a popular choice when it comes to consumer goods – as we have seen in recent years. E-commerce sales grew more than 25% in 2020. Such large growth suggests that the corona pandemic has had a lasting impact on customers’ habits of primarily shopping online rather than making purchases in physical stores. In addition, we see a trend towards increased shopping on mobile phones, where as much as 56,4% of online shopping was done on smartphones. Mobile devices have, therefore, seriously cemented themselves as the primary channel when consumers buy goods online.
Click & Collect
Many retailers use the Click & Collect service as an immediate measure to cope with the pandemic. The goal is to give customers the opportunity to make fast and secure purchases, strengthen loyalty, and spread points of sale across warehouses and stores. Customers can choose products conveniently from home and pick them up at their favorite store. The setup of Click & Collect requires retailers to be able to synchronize their items and data in real-time so that customers do not order items that are not in stock. Watch a video of a Click & Collect scenario below:
Learn how to reserve an item and then pick up and pay in the store with Click & Collect. It is also possible to pay for the item online and then pick it up at the store.
Search Engine Optimization
With a big boost in e-commerce, search engine optimization has gained even more focus among retailers. Consumers’ online searches are done fast and web stores risk disappearing in the crowd if they are not relevant to the user. It is, therefore, important to be visible and create a hassle-free shopping experience when you get visitors to your web stores. A bad experience will result in low conversion and return visit rate – and you will lose customers.
A solid web store with advanced SEO settings helps you save time and money on expensive SEO specialists. It is all about discovering the right online setup that can ensure that the pages are SEO-optimized, the usability of the page is optimal, your payment processes are not interrupted, and that consumers can choose the payment methods they prefer.
Personalization
One way to stay relevant and interesting to your customers is through personalization. Personalization is the process of creating shopping experiences that specifically cater to the individual customer and not a broad audience. Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach to e-commerce, you can, through personalization, ensure that important elements of the customer journey change based on needs and past consumer behavior.
The order value is 15-20% higher for customers who are presented with personal content with personalization. Therefore, you will experience more sales, a higher conversion rate, and returning customers. At the same time, personalization will also contribute positively to your SEO ranking, as the web store’s bounce rate is reduced and users are staying longer when presented with relevant, personalized content.
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