eCommerce is a constantly evolving competitive landscape. So how do you ensure that your shop and the products you sell remain visible to your customers when it seems like mobile technologies, social media platforms and online shopping habits change like the wind?
As a leading eCommerce platform, Shopify is a platform that can help ensure that your shop is up-to-date with the latest consumer trends. So, which digital trends are Shopify experts looking towards to help grow your store in 2017?
1. Stores Need To Offer Experiences, Not Just Products
Bricks-and-mortar stores are increasingly about more than just the products they sell, but creating a rich and immersive shopping experience. eCommerce is no different, and those who succeed in creating a memorable online shopping experience continue to move streaks ahead of their competition.
Whether you look at offering ultra-fast delivery, bespoke packaging solutions, discounts for regular customers or exclusive opportunities to preview new products, there are many ways you can delight your customers to make purchasing from you more than simply the convenience of shopping at home.
2. Connecting To Your Customers Is Key
Smart retailers are becoming increasingly innovative at finding creative ways build a personal relationship with prospects and customers. Social media has become a staple for retailers to engage with their customers. Live chat is now also a must-have for connecting to people who are browsing your shop in real time.
Shopify is flush with live-chat integrations that help you to humanise and personalise a customer’s online transaction.
By doing so, you are providing your customers with the same relationship and link to you, the business owner, as they may have if you owned a brick-and-mortar shop in their neighbourhood. These are the sort of relationships that can help build you a one million dollar business in the future.
3. The Personalisation Of The Flash Sale
Flash sales are commonplace in the world of retail, but online customers are demanding an increasing level of attention to detail when executing a sale.
Smart businesses are taking note, to ensure that the right people are being ushered to the front of the cue for online sales. This means that rather than resellers or bots infiltrating your sale, your actual customers and fans with a history with your store are always your priority.
Shopify actually addressed this issue by developing their GetFrenzy integration, which allows buyers to check out with one tap while your store is able to handle thousands of orders per minute.
4. Go Direct To Your Customer
A good example of when a direct-to-customer beats out a stockist every time is when a retailer runs out of a size of one of your products. What immediate solutions can you offer that customer? You are reliant on the retailer or order more stock to secure the sale.
Some business owners may be concerned that by withdrawing their products from other stockist, their sales may drop. The transition doesn’t need to be immediate, you could begin by removing your sales from some smaller online stockists and targeting your digital marketing budget to let those customers know to come to your store directly.
Shopify contains all of the tools you need to ensure that not only is your own website easily searchable, but that it delivers an excellent customer experience streamlined through integrations that allow you to sell on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and more.
By directing customers to your own online touch points, instead of to a stockist, you take back complete control of the customer experience.
5. Shops Are Going Social
Buying any product that catches your eye with the swipe of a thumb? It’s going to become a widespread reality this year as platforms like Pinterest, Houzz, Twitter and even Instagram forge forward to streamline the browse/buy barrier. Combined with streamlined pay systems like Apple Pay, ordering that eye-catching product is about to become dangerously easy.
Shopify allows you to be ahead of the game with shopping integrations to social platforms. This allows you to eliminate the browse/buy barrier and ensure that if a picture gets your customer’s excited, they can make the purchase immediately.
The retail world is in the midst of a technology revolution, the only limitation faced your eCommerce platform is your own creativity. There has never been a better time to be a shopper, so set the bar high for your store and get your products out there!
Want to learn more about eCommerce? If so, explore our HubShopper blog for more helpful tips and learn more about using HubSpot and Shopify together.
Discover More:
Why You Need to Rescue Abandoned Carts
5 Free Resources to Fire Up Your Sales Team
How to Get More Sales Conversions from Your Sales Leads
