10 eCommerce Trends to Watch Out for in 2024

According to eMarketer, global eCommerce retail sales are expected to reach roughly $5.9 trillion in 2023.

This makes for more than 20% of total global retail sales. Moreover, total eCommerce sales are projected to grow in the future thanks to more people accessing the internet and businesses shifting to online stores.

In some ways, opening and maintaining an e-store is easier than managing a brick-and-mortar store, especially if you go for the dropshipping business model. 

The demand for various digital goods and services also adds to the equation, and so does the general growth of digitization. 

eCommerce has been on the rise for a while, but it is also worth noting that the recent pandemic also helped accelerate it. 

Even people who had doubts about shopping online had to change their stance. They then discovered how convenient it is to order goods on the Internet.

Since eCommerce is going to play a big part in the future, learning about it is worthwhile for both aspiring entrepreneurs and regular consumers.

The trends that shape eCommerce are an excellent source to get a better understanding of what eCommerce is about and what to expect.

Real-Time Employee Feedback

Just because you are shopping online rather than in person, it does not mean that there are no people working “behind the scenes” to ensure that everything goes smoothly for shoppers.

If anything, online stores require multiple people to cover different areas for smooth functioning, and they need to ensure that everyone is at the top of their game.

Real-time employee feedback is a prominent trend not just in eCommerce. Thanks to survey tools, it is easy to get employee feedback and find out what is wrong. The method also helps with solving potential problems early before they manifest.

Finally, a good feedback system in place encourages more open communication, which then translates into a better work environment for everyone. 

At the end of the day, it is hard to imagine a business functioning properly when the people involved are all over the place. Receiving real-time feedback is one of the ways to eliminate this problem.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is an excellent example of how what felt like a simple gimmick in its early days evolved into something that is affecting multiple industries, including eCommerce.

Looking back at the days when the first online stores were popping up, you have a lot of skeptical consumers who did not like the idea of giving money to an online website. They feared that the money spent would disappear without receiving ordered goods or services.

Nowadays, there are plenty of safety nets in place to protect consumers. Not to mention that many people purchase from stores that they know are reliable thanks to previous experiences or recommendations from others.

Having said that, uncertainty still exists when you purchase certain things because you are not guaranteed that they will fit. Clothes are a great example of this. Or take furniture. What is presented in the picture might not reflect reality when you consider where you want to place the item.

This is where AR comes in. It solves one of the biggest problems with shopping online. By entering a virtual environment, shoppers can browse through goods as if they were in an actual physical store.

Granted, the concept is still relatively new, and it is no secret that many stores still need a considerable amount of resources to implement augmented reality. 

Besides, you can still find a fair few shortfalls, but it is expected that augmented reality will continue to develop in the future, becoming more available.

Voice Shopping

Voice shopping is another interesting example of how a relatively new concept is growing its presence in eCommerce.

With the rise of digital voice assistants like Alexa, it became clear that the average person is looking to make things easier in everyday life. And what better way to simplify things than to give voice commands instead of standing up and using your hands?

From an eCommerce point of view, voice search comes in handy when one wants to order something online with their voice. Simply telling what to look for online into a microphone and then seeing the available options presented gives you multiple choices.

Again, similar to augmented reality, voice shopping is tricky to implement and comes with certain challenges. 

Nevertheless, given how valuable of a concept it is and what is expected of it in the future, stores that fail to implement voice recognition technology aim to fall behind the competition that does it.

Chatbots

Real people in customer support are becoming more of a rarity every year. It is no secret that they are being replaced with chatbots.

Automatization is a common concept in multiple industries at the moment. Businesses are looking for ways to cut expenses, even if it means long-term investments. Chatbots happen to be exactly that.

For one, you have a system that is available 24/7 and responds immediately. It can also cover multiple conversations simultaneously, which is something a real person would struggle with a lot. 

Chatbots are also based on artificial intelligence, meaning they are learning in real time to better identify customer problems and provide solutions. 

Leaving everything in the hands of AI is not an option just yet. You will still need someone to manage the system to make sure everything is in order. 

Ultimately, though, chatbots take a load off of customer support resources and make it easier, especially if a business receives a lot of requests that require significant manpower.

Mobile Shopping

It should not be surprising to see the growth of mobile surfing. According to Statista, the majority of total internet users are on smartphones and tablets rather than desktop devices these days. 

The projections also suggest that the trend will continue to progress. And why should it not? 

Smartphones are much easier to carry with you, and it also helps that it is easier to get a cheaper smartphone than a laptop. For many, there is no need to invest in a computer when you can do pretty much everything you need on your mobile, including shopping.

What does this mean for eCommerce business owners? Well, they have to make sure that the website is optimized for mobile devices. Otherwise, it will not take too long before a new visitor gives up and looks elsewhere. 

There is also an argument to be made that it is worth investing in a dedicated app for iOS and Android. 

Instead of redirecting shoppers to a landing page, you could offer them to install an app and do the shopping there.

One of the downsides of an app is how much it costs to develop and maintain one. For smaller businesses, it usually makes more sense to work on reshaping the site to make it mobile-friendly. 

At the same time, though, looking from a long-term perspective, an investment like a dedicated mobile app is a solid decision.

Sustainability and Green Policies

A business that encourages organization-wide green policies stands to score bonus points from its customers. 

These days, there is a big emphasis on the longevity of our planet and how we can protect it. Most people tend to ignore the problem or not take any proactive steps to make a difference, but things are changing.

eCommerce ventures have a different model when compared to brick-and-mortar retailers. Most of the time, at least. 

If an eCommerce retailer has to take care of massive warehouses, manufacturing processes, deliveries, and other things, it adds up and requires resources. And the consumption of these resources is part of the problems affecting the environment.

Individually, an eCommerce company might not think that it is doing any harm. Or rather, that whatever harm it is doing is minimal.

The reality is different, and every little bit makes a difference. Instead of trying to sweep things under the rug, businesses ought to take some action and focus on the following:

• Environmentally-friendly delivery options
• Environmentally-friendly packaging
• Spreading awareness
• Donating to causes

Putting actual effort into green policies will make your business stand out from the rest, and the efforts are bound to be noticed by consumers. One such effort could include adopting print on demand for your merchandise. By producing items only when they’re ordered, print on demand companies reduce waste from overproduction and eliminates the need for large warehouses, making it a more sustainable option in the eCommerce space.

Social Commerce

Social commerce was only a matter of time. Since so many people use Facebook, Instagram, and other popular networks, and how various brands utilize social media to advertise their goods and services, a simpler way to finish the transaction had to be introduced.

Facebook was the first to offer direct shopping on social media. Instead of putting URLs in posts and asking shoppers to go to a landing page, businesses can now sell directly on social media.

In a way, the gimmick cuts the middleman. Simplifying the transaction is always a benefit because shoppers who have fewer things to deal with are more likely to finish the purchase. 

Naturally, setting up an entire online store on social media is a hassle, but it is one of those things that you have to do since social media is not going away. 

If anything, it will continue to expand (Threads being the most recent example), and not shifting at least some of your resources to social media commerce would be another instance of missing out while other businesses are making profits.

Livestream Shopping

Remember the times when you would watch TV, and there would be a show dedicated to promoting various things you could order via a telephone call? 

Such a thing still exists, but home shopping networks are a thing of the past. It does not mean, though, that shopping while watching TV is going away. 

If anything, it seems like advertisers are trying various methods to incorporate shopping into livestream services. Let’s say that you are watching a TV show and see a character wearing a watch. Are you interested in it? There just might be an opportunity to research it and even get a link directly to the store where you can buy it.

Some people stream on their computers so long as the device is functioning. However, if, for instance, you notice problems and start asking how to fix lines on a MacBook screen, consider that it might not be related to the type of content you are consuming, but rather hardware-related. 

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a promotional method that often is the go-to option for eCommerce businesses that are looking to attract new customers.

These days, an average person is less likely to trust a business. Instead, they follow various influencers on social media. Influencer marketing would not be a thing if these personalities could not promote various goods and services to their audiences.

The overall trend can be described as one where other, more traditional marketing methods are losing to influencers. 

Someone with direct contact with their audience can do more good for a brand than PPC campaigns or SEO. The latter, in particular, requires a while to take effect. It is a good investment, but if a business is looking to succeed right away, it will go for the most efficient method. And at the moment, that method is influencer marketing. 

Since there are so many different platforms, ranging from Facebook and Instagram to YouTube and Twitch TV, finding the right influencer should not be a problem, even for those in very small niches.

Not to mention the presence of micro-influencers who have fewer followers and are cheaper but still offer a lot of value.

Marketing Automation

In layman’s terms, marketing automation is a gimmick that helps businesses automate various processes.

We already discussed chatbots and how they make customer support less complicated, but there is more to automation that businesses can benefit from.

Take email marketing, for example. You can create drip campaigns and send emails to your list over time automatically, not manually. 

There are tools that, when implemented, automate marketing processes and help businesses save money long-term.

Closing Thoughts

All in all, there is no telling how far eCommerce will go and whether there is any chance of stopping it.

Whether you are a regular consumer or someone who plans to start a business or already has one, knowing what is currently trending and what projections for the future are will make it easier to find your place in eCommerce.