The world of eCommerce moves at a fast pace, and if you don’t keep up, you’ll get left behind. If you stay on top of trends, you enhance the customer experience, gain a competitive advantage and increase your reach and visibility. Trends aren’t just a fad, but they represent advancements and shifts in consumer behavior, paving the way for eCommerce. Staying involved and updated on latest trends is a great way to get your business to thrive.
When it comes to trends, some things such as personalization, AI developments and optimized merchandising– some things never change. These will always be trending and expected by customers looking for the best user experience.
In this post, however, we’re going to take a look at some trends specifically on the rise right now that may be less known. As 2024 progresses, they may become even better known.
Livestreaming
China is a hotbed of retail innovation, and something at the forefront of their eCommerce growth is livestreaming. Nowadays, the television is no longer the center of the living room. Instead, it’s the mobile phone- so why not make it entertaining?
Livestreamers can be influencers, celebrities or just users. Livestreaming products is a great way of spreading information and marketing your product, without it being seen as tedious. If done well, this can be fun and engaging- people will want to watch.
AliExpress for example, recently introduced a digital avatar to host a 24 hour livestream in some markets. This proves that it’s working. It creates a seamless experience for shoppers, mixing online and offline shoppertainment. Keeping people interested is key.
Using audience segments within livestreaming means that conversion rates can be increasing. Targeted audiences can be met with certain streams that would appeal to them. As long as it’s high quality content, this will continue to grow in 2024.
Thrifting
With the rise of Green Commerce, more people are concerned with the environmental impact of their clothes. On top of this, many object to clothes produced in places with poor working conditions, and low quality garments. The result? The rise of thrifting.
More people are looking to buy second-hand clothes. Brands such as Carhartt, Dickies and Levis are all very expensive first-hand. This is because with second-hand products, the price is more agreeable and the environmental and social implications are better.
As the cost of living soars all over the world, it makes sense people are looking to save money. The money they do spend, they want to be in alignment with their values. This is not something that will pass; people are looking for ways to keep wearing high quality clothes at lower prices.
Stating Your Values
As mentioned, green eCommerce is big. People want to know that their products are eco-friendly. They want to know that their money is being spent in alignment with their personal morals. For this reason, making statements about your values is a trend to watch moving into 2024.
These statements need to be backed with actions. If you say you are eco-friendly; the label that says this should be eco-friendly. You can’t say you’re eco-friendly and deliver packages with huge amounts of excess packaging, this isn’t sending the right message.
Instead, send donations to organizations you support. Make clear mission statements about what you are doing to help your cause. Let your customers in on the ambitions you have, and then stand by them.
Chatbots
Chatbots have been around for an age, but haven’t always functioned at the highest level. Recently, advances in AI have meant that chatbots have new developed features, and are functioning at a superior level than ever before.
As AI learns to understand how human interactions work better, this is mirrored in their conversations. Generative AI can create smart visual assistants that provide personalized recommendations and other helpful information.
The benefit of chatbots, when done well, is 24/7 support and assistance on all details that don’t necessarily need to be done by a human. These AI chatbots will become more advanced as time goes on, leading to a bettered customer experience.
The higher the satisfaction from using chatbots, the more customers will come to want and expect them. It is for this reason it is trending now, and will continue into 2024.
Conclusion
As we move into 2024, AI developments as well as clear moral values are at the forefront of the trends. Staying on top of the trends means that you can always deliver your customers the best experience. If they are satisfied, they will keep coming back. This is a win-win for all.