In the year of 2017 where the e-platform is acting as a magnet to all large, small and varied businesses, leaving behind the trends of it would be one big mistake the businesses would like to make. These mega trends are global, have huge implications and are not close to dying soon. The business houses need to focus on these trends in order to have a profitable 2017.
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Smartphones have officially taken over computers as the top source of traffic for e-commerce sites, and by the end of 2017, they can be accounted for 60% of e-traffic. Now, with this figure, you obviously cannot overlook the power and reach of mobile phones. Here, businesses should not just work on a responsive site but should also take care of user experience. They should move to the mobile-first mentality and accordingly develop their content and marketing strategies. A seamless experience on mobile is very important to drive consumers to conversions then and there.
With the advent of Apple pay and smart wallets, it has become easier to convert a visitor into a buyer right on the spot. A study has found that almost 78% of smartphone users use the phone to research or compare products while 43% of them purchase the products directly from there. And now in the coming years, this number is nowhere expected to slow down. Therefore, businesses should make this check-out process as simple and frictionless as possible.
We live in the age of instant gratification and e-commerce is no different. Customers now want their products quickly and also expect a fast and easy return process. Reports have revealed that 29% of shoppers are willing to pay extra for same-day delivery while 58% of them add extra items to their cart just to get free shipping. So, in order to stay in the competition, businesses need to offer fast shipping and also free if possible. They also need to ensure that the return process is also easy to deal with.
Something which was considered a faux-pas in past, is now on tremendous growth in 2017. Social selling is one effective tool to find and connect with prospects. The Facebook business page, Professional Twitter account or LinkedIn profile, are all examples of social selling tools, currently used by 90% of top sales professionals. So, show up, entice and engage prospective customers. Make yourself more approachable, build relations and start getting the prospects in buying cycle.
It is one of the important breakthrough marketing technology of 2016 which has pulled the attention of many modern marketers. It is basically a piece of software which imitates a person with whom customers can communicate. Basically, it is like a human helper but without the cost of hiring a real human and this fact opens a whole load of opportunities for businesses. Businesses can now use them to alleviate the friction or pain points that customer faces in their online buying journey and thus stop them from going to a competitor.
