Retail e-commerce sales worldwide are expected to reach a new value, before next year. According to data from Statista, there is a growth rate of 265%, from $ 1 300 billion in 2014 to $ 4 900 billion in 2021. In fact, the trend is to keep growing.
However, this is not all. According to the same source, global e-commerce sales are changing the whole concept of retail sales. By 2021, 17.5% of total retail sales are expected to be made online, boosted by the growing preference for mobile. The truth is that, in recent years, mobile purchases have been on the rise, as users increasingly rely on smartphones to perform different online activities, namely shopping.
However, e-commerce faces several challenges. In reality, they should be seen as opportunities. From an e-commerce point of view, a great advantage resides in the possibility of having a global reach, outside four walls. This not only increases the range of customers on a large scale but also allows to take the offer across borders. However, it is important to consider that each customer is a customer and has their needs and particularities.
Investing in the personalisation of e-commerce experiences
Personalisation is one of the e-commerce trends for this year. More than that, it is the key to leverage e-commerce business, optimizing conversion rates. It tends to be, more and more, taken for granted. This happens due to the growing demand for digital experiences tailored to each client’s needs and interests. As user expectation of personalisation increases, personalisation tends to become the new “standard”. Currently, the user no longer accepts personalisation, but rather, takes into account as a decisive factor in their purchase option.
According to a study by Accenture, 33% of customers end the relationship with a brand due to a lack of personalisation. Contrariwise, e-commerce companies that already offer greater digital experiences personalisation, registered a sales increase of 19%, according to Econsultancy. The benefits are noticeable and that is why 94% of companies say that personalisation is critical to current and future success.
Customisation has demanded more of the marketing strategies. The customer expects an exclusive and personal experience, which involves a larger study of the target audience and a more detailed analysis by companies. Demographic, behavioural and transactional data are some of the variables that should be part of the study that leads to the individualized purchase experience. It should be noted that a personalised e-commerce experience is able to retain the user’s attention more easily and adds value to the relationship.
A challenge that reflects real results
Investing in an e-commerce personalisation strategy, designing “tailor-made” customer experiences seems a complex and daunting task. However, the results are visible. Nevertheless, large companies such as Google and Amazon, who have been adding individualised experiences to their services, end up putting pressure on other companies to keep up with this trend. Otherwise, they will end up being “behind”.
As there is increasing competition in the market, it is up to marketers to identify and create strategies that promote a sustainable competitive advantage. Currently, the available tools make personalisation more accessible to companies.
Dynamic website creation, which offers greater customer convenience and personalised recommendations and offers, are increasingly common, as this is what a user is looking for – offer tailored to the customer needs, content personalisation according to behaviour, less time spent on the website and efficiency throughout the entire purchase process.
This way, investing in an e-commerce automation platform, which essentially aims to automate the processes involved in a company, saves time, increases delivery speed, improves website resources, improves process accuracy and manage and simplify custom offerings. In fact, marketing automation is a strong boost in sales by personalising the customer experience.
Driven mainly by the intensification of global purchasing power, the proliferation of social media and technology development, e-commerce is constantly developing and expanding. The focus should always be on offering convenient shopping experiences that meet the high expectations of customers. The effort should not be made in the way of being “one of the available alternatives”, but rather “the choice” of the consumer.
This way, it is crucial to keep in mind the customer convenience and experience, in order to enjoy a greater competitive advantage in the e-commerce market.
At MindSEO we have a process that consists of automating data analysis and marketing actions in all digital marketing channels. If you want to understand the online behaviour of your users, get information about e-commerce solutions and automate your online channels, please contact us.
