Latest Ecommerce trends in 2019
The Latest Consumer-based Trends in E-commerce UX Design
E-commerce has increasingly been gaining ground in today’s global economy. It is also a very turbulent and is changing fast. Trends come and go rapidly, staying on top of them is a full-time job in itself. More and more buyers are turning to the online experience for their shopping needs. Sellers are responding in kind by setting up new channels and methods to meet the customer’s demands. Specifically, mobile devices such as phones and tablets will bear most of that kind of traffic very soon. The first thing to start with is always with the relevant web design trends that are pushing the entire industry forward. Follow them and we can enjoy all the benefits they bring. Ignore them, and there is a high risk that we can be swallowed by the sea that is the online e-commerce business. Here, we will cover everything from what, why, when, and how are the most popular trends in online shopping implemented.
1. The basics
First of all, what is e-commerce? It is a business activity which provides customers with goods or services via electronic devices and the Internet. With all of the benefits of such a convenient system come multitudes of new aspects to consider and implement. Data management, sales channels, advertising, presentation of goods and services, etc. are just some of the things we have to consider. In this decade, we have witnessed a boom in the e-commerce business. It has developed since its first blueprint, considerably.
Opportunities are not limited only to business to consumer (B2C) but to other forms as well. For example, online auctions and user-to-user sale platforms are gaining more ground as time goes on. Modern systems and activities are including e-money, e-banking, and e-wallets, more diverse forms of e-marketing than ever. These are in turn being utilized by the consumer which again, promotes the idea of e-commerce even further.
2. Minimalism
One of the biggest trends in the online world, in general, is the clean, sleek, and minimal user interface. There are plenty of good and practical reasons why this is the desired style. As features are getting more and more plentiful, they tend to convolute the user experience and make everything more complicated. This holds especially true for the elderly and the very young members of the consumer market.
User interaction with a product or service through an interface is becoming more and more invisible. People are getting tired of aggressive marketing and are increasingly put off by in-your-face offers. Large data analysis is used to predict the potential client’s next move, whether it be a purchase or a browsing habit. Minimalism serves best the basic and universal trend of UX design which is to perform a chosen action without issues. The less convoluted the user experience is, the more likely they are to complete the entire purchase process.
Also, it means fewer headaches on the back-end for the developers and suppliers. It is a win-win situation both for buyer and seller alike. A basic example of implementing such a system are contactless payment methods through RFID bank cards. Just swipe the officially assigned device through a scanner and your purchase is concluded. There is no physical exchange of solid currency and no receipts. The possibilities are endless, as these have begun to be implemented in NFC-enabled smartphones. The overall experience of interaction has become simpler, more transparent, and better.
3. Machine learning
Machine learning is the new buzzword as of late. It has many uses and will bring with it many more in the future. In this context, it is used for analysis of the user’s needs. This, in turn, will help create high-value direct marketing proposals and will increase sales and interest in the product or service. All the big e-commerce giants are analyzing their user’s actions and turning it into global Big Data.
From these stem conclusions about the consumer and his desires, environment, and culture which serve to anticipate their further actions. Furthermore, data is collected on an individual level. Using machine learning, a person can receive unintrusive, personalized offers at the right time and place. Researching this data is important for shaping the most valuable offers for the future. The bottom line is, as always, to increase the purchasing power of the user and selling the power of the seller by adding value to all aspects of the cycle. Machine learning is a relatively new concept, not understood by many. For further info and help you can always turn to a reputable website design agency.
4. Decentralization and mobility
The requirements for quality and convenient mobile purchasing experience are growing as well. Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices have reached a point where they have enough processing power to handle all e-commerce tasks. Adaptability to these mobile devices is paramount for running a successful business of any kind. No longer are customers tethered to their immobile, bulky desktop personal computers for online purchasing; which is good news for consumers, but bad news for the developers. The sheer diversity of different devices with different characteristics makes a developer’s head spin. That is where adaptive and intuitive user interface and UX comes into play. Consumer’s confidence and courage in online payments have risen considerably over the last few years.
Previously, consumers were sceptical about paying via their mobile devices. Primarily about the security aspect of the entire process, as there is a lot of sensitive, personal information involved. Nowadays, we can see the implementation of accounts which within them hold all of that information. This means that no longer does a potential customer need to input data each time a purchase needs to be done. Once we create an account there is just one “pay” button that needs to be pressed to conclude the transaction. This serves a twofold purpose, one of convenience and minimalism (that we have covered) and of security.
All of these trends have certain things in common. They make shopping simpler, easier, and more secure. Online shoppers have even higher expectations and less patience than traditional ones. If we keep convenience and customer experience in mind at all times, we will keep the competitive edge over the competition and ensure the long-lasting satisfaction of our customers.
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Which other E-commerce trends will shape the industry in the nearest future? Leave suggestions in comments below!
