We are witnessing a steady growth in the ecommerce industry over the past few years. Research report says that the global retail ecommerce revenue will reach $4.88 trillion by 2021. Hence in next few years, we would see continuing growth with more businesses joining the market. This will also lead to increased competition which will keep the ecommerce merchants on their toes in the time ahead.

If you have already hired an Ecommerce Development Company and really want to do good in ecommerce space, then you need to be well-versed in the latest ecommerce trends which are often a result of advancements in technology and changes in consumer preferences and behavior. In this article, we will discuss about the top emerging ecommerce trends which you should follow in 2019 to stay ahead in competition.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Many people are familiar with these technologies and trends through games. Big companies like IKEA and others have already created AR apps that let people choose products from the store and test them in simulated rooms close to their real ones at home. There are many interior design apps that do the same. Hence it looks like Augmented reality will be a key trend in many sectors and it will definitely change the user experience of the users. Similar thing is for the virtual reality. In ecommerce, VR offers an amazing opportunity for the users to see the products in 3D.  If you use such app or software, you are overcoming the shortcomings of online retail and the problem of not being able to touch the product will not matter for your customers.

Chatbots and AI

Not only Web Development Services are building ecommerce websites but there are many app development companies and research based organizations which are building ecommerce mobile apps and doing further research in AI to make them more effective. Many companies have tested chatbots and they have received very good response. For example, companies like Pizza Hut, Spotify, Mastercard among others. There are many Facebook based shops that use some chatbot functionality to answer FAQs or to process transactions. These are easy to set up hence we will see steady increase in their use and good adoption from smaller shops. If you will use Facebook chatbot then it will definitely make your brand more professional and satisfy your clients. The required technology to give more accurate results have to be developed fast otherwise users will not be satisfied with chatbots.

Voice Search Will Become More Prominent

Reports say that voice searches will be 50% of all searches by next year i.e. by 2020. 22% of people owning devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home have purchased something through voice search. Amazon no doubt has very high quality and successful devices and Google Home, Harman Kardon, Apple’s HomePod are also coming in customer’s living spaces. Good thing is that even young children who cannot write or type, can use voice search to find their favorite videos, games and other stuff online. Optimizing voice search includes three things i.e. preparing content that answers questions – how, where, how many, what and so on, using lists of types, options and ready to be read aloud in voice results and using everyday language and structures that fit the way people talk.

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Digital twins – bringing physical and virtual closer

Digital twin was existing earlier also but mostly in limited usage. For Internet of Things, it is gaining importance. Digital Twins actually establishes a concrete connection between the physical worlds. This connection is so vast that you can even hope for the complete digital simulation of the real world. Digital twin is the complete digital representation of a physical, product or service. This kind of pairing provides the manufacturer with very high control over the real life situations. This creates a bridge between the physical and virtual world hence the process of data analysis, process monitoring and maintenance become very easy. Using its simulation options, manufacturers can detect flaws and issues with their product/service before they even arise. Digital twins bring together many technologies like software analysis, artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality and spatial networking which help businesses to enhance their product monitoring, maintenance and diagnosis. Digital twin actually improves user experience.

Edge Computing

Content is one of the primary thing when we want to do marketing of any business. Edge computing fares well in providing solutions to the content related matters. Edge computing is actually one of the most apparent byproducts of the Internet of Things. In a traditional computing environment, the data created from a particular device had to be transferred to a central computing space. Using edge computing, the data can be processed near the place where it is generated. As in this, the process of computing takes place closer to the edge of the network hence the data computation takes place in real-time. This offers tremendous benefits for various industries like finance, healthcare, manufacturing and telecommunication. Bad connectivity is a threat to cloud computing but edge computing is not affected by it as the data doesn’t need to traverse across networks to a data cloud center for processing and the processing is only taking place at the same place where it is being generated.

Subscriptions

In any business, it has been seen that repeat orders from existing customers are much more easier and beneficial than having getting them from new ones. For direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, subscriptions are even more logical step than for ordinary sellers since DTC relies on long term relationship with customers. If your ecommerce application has frequently used products, then grab this ecommerce trend to make reorders easy for your most loyal customers.  Automating orders saves times for both sides and strengthens your relationship. Actually they are your subscribers now and not just buyers who come and go. This will make switching harder and will bring regular orders and predictable revenue for your business.

The Trustworthy Blockchain

Every business needs trust, reliability and transparency in order to survive and excel in any field. Blockchain effectively enhances these very aspects of a business environment. It is similar to Wikipedia, a digital book where a record of information is maintained and kept for anyone’s use. This record is maintained and continuously been updated by community of users. One of the main aspect of blockchain is that the digital information is simply distributed and not copied. Experts say, Blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything else which is of value.

Conclusion

We have just discussed the emerging ecommerce trends for 2019 which will keep the ecommerce players on their toes if they really want to succeed and stay ahead in the ecommerce market. Trends keep emerging each year and if you will think and take appropriate actions regarding these trends then surely you will get an edge in the competitive market. Also one of the good strategy for you is to create really good products which people like and love, build long-lasting relationships with them to give your business deep roots and you will see your ecommerce business booming like never before.