2017 is finally here and the d-commerce business is already on rise. There is no harm in saying that digital commerce has a bright future and it is likely to flourish in coming years. However, if you are not acclimating and progressing to meet your customer demands then there are high chances of failure. A small shop owner will have to enhance their selling techniques to attract customers and keep up with the online giants like Amazon. This will be same in every facet of our life such as an online pizza delivery guy will be replaced by drones in coming future.
So, to avoid falling behind the ferocious competition, you must be aware of the current d-commerce trends. Considering these trends you can strategize your business approach and be prepared for approaching challenges. These trends have huge insinuations and are going to stay here for a while.
- AI and machine learning – AI and machine learning have reached to new level and are going to augment in coming days. AI and machine learning enables to create smart applications that learn and adapt accordingly rather than simply following the coded instructions. Instances such as Siri, Cortana and Alexa are few best examples where humans can interact with machines as their personal assistant. Hence, the brands must be well-aware of these trends and must adapt accordingly in order to satisfy their customer.
- Chatbots – Tech giants like Facebook and Twitter are working on bots that help humans in shopping, banking and other services. These bots are known as Chatbots developed using simple automated program. “Spring” a clothing retailer is a Facebook launch partner who developed Spring bot as a live messaging and personal shopping service. Hence, Chatbots are the future of d-commerce wherein the brands will have their own chatbots to interact with customers using apps or Facebook messenger.
- Mobile wallet – With the proliferation of mobile devices, mobile wallets are being frequently used by the customers. Filling a form can be a tedious process for the shoppers especially using mobile devices. Hence using a mobile wallet, users can save their banking details in advance and can pay by using the wallet money while shopping online. Paytm is one of the popular example in Indian context wherein users use the wallet for any sort of shopping without the need of credit or debit cards. Hence, embracing these kind of apps can help the brands to provide a smooth shopping experience to the customers.
- Drones – Drone delivery is the future that is eliminating wait times, cost of labor and enhancing the delivery speed. However, to stand out from the crowd, brands must think upon using drones for delivery purposes where they can deliver smoothly within 24 hours, once the order is placed. Drones are going to revolutionize the retail world and this trend must be seriously considered by the online brands.
The digital commerce world is always on the move and hence, it is recommended to embrace these trends to put yourself ahead of the competition and take your business to another level.