2020 ushered in its fair share of trials and tribulations, however in pivoting to meet these challenges businesses have grown to embrace digital trends that will endure long past the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statistics tell an astounding story; Canadian retail Ecommerce numbers more than doubled to $3.9 billion in May, at the height of government restrictions. While the end of the pandemic will undoubtedly mark a shift back to some pre-pandemic behaviours, there is little doubt that the surge in ecommerce will be there to stay.

In an increasingly digital environment, any online presence is better than none. However, as the ecommerce market continues to become more and more saturated, retailers will quickly find that simply making goods available for purchase online isn’t enough to draw in the desired traffic. Successful ecommerce will require businesses to differentiate themselves from the competition – and to help make your business stand out, here is a list of ecommerce trends for 2021.

Headless Ecommerce

The term doesn’t properly convey the message, nonetheless headless ecommerce is a buzzword you should know. Traditionally, ecommerce architecture consists of a back-end technology infrastructure component and a front-end customer experience component that must work together to create your ecommerce platform – any changes to one requires an update to the other. With headless architecture, the front-end design and back-end technology are separated, permitting for hassle-free changes to one, without cumbersome updates. This allows creative and design teams to make rapid changes that improve the user experience, without having to wait for back-end support.

Voice Commerce

Voice commerce, via mobile and in-home virtual assistants, is having a huge impact on the way people = search for goods and services, and its popularity is growing at an exponential pace, as technologies in this area continue to improve.  Rather than typing in a typical search query, people are using natural language to ask for what they are seeking. In order to increase the odds that your business will show up on these SERPs you will need to optimize your content to capture this change in language.

Visual Commerce

When you can’t physically interact with products, engaging media content can help to bridge the gap, encouraging more browsers to become buyers. Stock photos are no longer sufficient; instead businesses should invest in high-quality images and take advantage of new tools that allow for interactive 360° viewing. Instructional videos, interactive imagery, and user-generated content are also becoming increasingly popular; they allow potential buyers to experience a product, which makes them more likely to buy.

Marketing Automation

Any tool that can make reaching your audience faster, easier, and more personal will clearly be a benefit to any ecommerce business.  Marketing automation is doing a lot to help on this front. Not only does automation allow for highly personalized marketing material to be automatically distributed to users via email and social media, it has also grown to allow for customized landing pages, suggestions based on users’ previous purchases, preferred customer discounts, and Shopping cart recovery notifications – all without human intervention.

Artificial Intelligence

While tools such as marketing automation and voice commerce are helping to improve the user experience, artificial intelligence is the driver that is making these advances possible. AI is changing the way we communicate with customers online, transforming impersonal shopping into a tailored user experience, complete with personalized recommendations, product suggestions, and communication.

Augmented Reality

An estimated 73% of shopping carts are abandoned, however one ecommerce trend that is helping to reduce this desertion is augmented reality. Businesses have begun to incorporate this technology in various ways that allow users to see and experience an item before they buy it. From furniture to sunglass, AR is helping to boost sales and increase engagement by allowing users to interact with products.

Payment Options

Making it easier to pay is one way to ensure that shopping carts don’t get left behind. Along with virtual shopping, virtual payment options are also increasing in popularity. Google pay, Apple pay, and even social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have come out with their own payment options, which allow for 24/7 shopping wherever your customers are – the more ways your users can buy, the more your business will sell.

The ecommerce environment is continuously changing; advancements are improving existing capabilities, while new technologies are making what was once impossible, possible. Smart business looking to position themselves as leaders will be those that keep up with these evolving trends.

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