Today, eCommerce is the fastest-growing retail sector all over the world. Right from the groceries, clothes, and electronic gadgets to the medicines, shoppers can buy almost anything they desire at the click of a button. According to 99Firms’ eCommerce Statistics for 2020, 95% of all purchases will be conducted via eCommerce websites by 2040.
Though eCommerce website development is on its peak, it is observed that still there is a gap between what customer is expecting and what retailers are offering. This not only affects the way consumers shop online but also changing conventional search optimization and social media marketing methods to understand and match customer preferences to deliver a better shopping experience.
Modern consumer behavior has changed drastically over the past few years and affecting the decisions of online retailers about their social media marketing or business growth. Therefore, retailers must understand the modern customer’s behavior and discover multiple channels and ways to grow their online business. To help you get an edge over the rivals and win at customer experience, we have clubbed a few key behavioral changes in the shoppers.
Ways eCommerce is changing consumer’s shopping habits:
- Online shoppers expect more
With the multiple online stores and brands available in the market and that too with innovative features and deals, most of the online retailers are struggling to bring the best of the products at affordable rates. No matter how hard you invest in eCommerce website development or search engine optimization, the consumers will switch to any other store in just a minute if he found better opportunities and offers.
Today, various discounts and offers have obliterated margins of online retailers. The consumers easily jump to other sites offering FREE delivery and other incentives. The only way to fulfill what a shopper expects is to get smarter about other sales channels
- Shoppers are less committed
It is observed that there are a few people who can be loyal to only one sales channel. The higher price of the products, the lack of global presence, delivery issues, privacy issues, and a lot more; there could be multiple factors affecting the loyalty of online shoppers. Therefore, retailers need to think out-of-the-box to keep the shoppers engaged and involved for a longer time to sustain in the market.
- Consumers are SMART
Yes, that is true! According to a recent survey, it is found that 50% of online shoppers use their smartphones, and approximately 60% use their tablets to buy products online. This means consumers these days are not dumb and are smarter. It won’t be easy for online retailers to fool them with fake promises from their web development venture. When any retailer is offering something special, he is accountable to provide it anyhow to the consumer. This has boosted the value proposition to the customers when they buy anything from the store.
- Brand’s digital presence influences consumers
It is very important for consumers today to validate how a brand portrays itself online. If you fail to establish a strong market presence, you are going to lose a major chunk of online shoppers. Therefore, search engine optimization and social marketing are very important these days for retailers to boost their brand’s identity and personality. Most of the eCommerce website development agencies are aware of this aspect and thus, hiring professionals can help you work out on graphics and user experience design more effectively.
- It is all about the omnichannel world today!
Getting help from the web development agencies to set up your online presence is not something that is appealing to online consumers. In a world where people are using multiple devices of different sizes and shapes, the retailers cannot operate a website that is not optimized only for the desktop or laptop experience. It is a must that your eCommerce site is accessible from laptops, tablets, and mobile devices to bring optimal customer experience.
- Consumers are concerned about their Privacy!
While eCommerce brings a whole new shopping experience, it also opens the new doors of opportunities for the retailers to roll-out their marketing strategies based on the information gathered from the online consumers. It not only helps retailers understand customer preferences but also enable the personalized experience. But it is also important for the retailers to take the privacy of the consumers seriously. Consumers today are well-aware of the pros and cons of sharing personal information and may raise concerns if found something suspicious. Therefore, online retailers need to think about the privacy concerns of consumers.
Apart from this, it is also observed that online shoppers love to bargain during their online purchases. They often expect simplified checkout and multiple payments or discount options as a part of their shopping journey. A lot is going to change in the future in terms of customer’s shopping behavior. The rise of artificial intelligence and chatbots will greatly change the way consumers shop today.
What’s your take on this? Do you feel the conventional way of eCommerce website development will work for changing consumer behavior? Want to know how experts can help you with your web development? Get in touch with us now!
